Twyla Barnes, a champion of public and early childhood education who led Educational Service District 112 as its superintendent for the past 20 years, has been named Clark County’s First Citizen for 2014 by the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington.
Barnes will be retired as of Tuesday. She’s noted for super-sized leadership despite wearing a size 7 1/2 shoe. “Big shoes to fill,” is what coworker Lori Simpson said in a Columbian story earlier this year.
ESD 112’s mission is to pursue educational equity across the 30 school districts in Southwest Washington through collaboration, program innovation and smart money management. It encompasses everything from Evergreen Public Schools, one of the largest districts in the state at 27,000 students, to Centerville, with 25 elementary students in a tiny brick building in rural Klickitat County.
Making sure that rural school districts, striving teachers and underserved students get what they need to succeed has been “the joy of my life,” she said after learning of her award Friday.
Evergreen superintendent John Deeder wrote in a nomination letter that area superintendents all “count on Twyla’s expertise” as they adapt to a constantly changing educational landscape.
“The 30 superintendents in the six-county … region rely on Twyla to bring us together to talk, share and problem solve on issues large and small, and challenge us to support each other, regardless of the size or resources of our own individual districts,” Deeder wrote. “Twyla’s leadership allows us no less.”
But Barnes’ fame in Southwest Washington has spread far beyond schools, he added, and the whole community now values her “encompassing community vision.” She’s noted for leading numerous local, state and national boards and committees, from the YWCA Clark County to the Governor’s Task Force on Children and Youth Services to the national Association of Educational Service Agencies. She has been a special adviser to the U.S. Department of Education.
“Not only has Twyla worked tirelessly as ESD 112’s superintendent for two decades, but many local nonprofits have benefited from her leadership and vibrant energy,” wrote Elson Strahan, president and chief executive officer of the Fort Vancouver National Trust. “She is in a class by herself.”
Rural beginnings
Barnes is a native of Wyoming, where her mother was a teacher. She always wanted to be one too, she said, and got her start with third- and fourth-graders in rural Custer, Mont.
“I loved those kids, and I especially loved the parents and partners who were so supportive of the school. It was a wonderful way to learn to be a teacher,” she said.
Her specialty was teaching music, band and choir, but eventually she moved into educational administration. She was leading an ESD-like organization in Juneau, Alaska, when the job opportunity in Southwest Washington came up.
Twenty years later, she said, she is proudest of her ESD staff and the way they help classroom teachers do their best. “When we see teachers in here, studying and improving their ability to teach and gaining new skills, when I see those teachers take that knowledge back into the schools, I’m so proud of that,” she said.
Barnes launched a unique ESD 112 effort to manage school construction projects for small school districts that can’t afford that kind of expertise on staff. Called the Construction Services Group, it’s grown statewide and managed more than $6 billion since it began in 1994. “One of our jobs is really to help small districts save money,” Barnes said.
Need for care
Another key Barnes accomplishment is the growth and flourishing of the Southwest Washington Child Care Consortium, which has been recognized nationally as one of the largest public-private partnerships of its kind.
Barnes said the consortium began when hi-tech industry was exploding in Clark County and many plants were operating around the clock. “There was a strong need for child care, and we saw that as something we could provide,” she said — with the enthusiastic sponsorship of local businesses, of course. Since then, she added, school districts have taken on a larger role in providing quality child care and before- and after-school programs aimed at working families.
The consortium now serves 1,600 children at 25 different locations. Barnes has been CEO of the consortium, which was launched by her predecessor at ESD 112, the late Bill Fromhold.
“Unmatched style and grace,” is how Fromhold’s widow, Marcia Fromhold, described Barnes. “In each role she brought intellect, innovation, a commitment to the Vancouver community and the ability to bring people together to accomplish more than they thought they could.”
Renate Atkins, the former CEO of PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, noted that Barnes, who served on the hospital’s board for 12 years, “clearly understands that you cannot educate a child if they are hungry, sick or have insecure housing. Dr. Barnes worked on access to health care for the most vulnerable, food accessibility, early childhood education, and childhood mental health issues.”
Loyal
On a personal level, Atkins added, Barnes has a “knack” for making sure people know they are “appreciated and supported.”
“With every interaction, Dr. Barnes makes you feel like you are the most important person in the world,” said Trish Kellogg, vice chair of ESD 112’s board of directors. “She inspires loyalty.”
Barnes intends to remain loyal to Clark County and involved in many good causes, she said. But first, it’s time to stop putting off all the travel she and her husband, Allan, have wanted to do for the past couple of decades. Their kitchen table is currently covered with “a million travel brochures,” she said, and she wants to take a few months and “clear my mind of what’s been a very busy career.”
The couple have two grown sons and five grandchildren.
Barnes will receive her award and the community’s recognition during an event set for 4 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Hilton Vancouver Washington. Tickets and more details will be available in August, according to Community Foundation spokesman Maury Harris.
Learn more about the Community Foundation at https://www.cfsww.org.
