OSBA President-elect Robert M. Heard Sr., a member of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District Board of Education, became the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) president effective May 8. He replaces Scott E. Huddle, who resigned as president of the association.
Heard will be supported in his role by Immediate Past President Lee Schreiner, a board member at South-Western City Schools, and members of the OSBA Executive Committee and Board of Trustees.
“Robert’s passion for public education is evidenced by his dedication to the students of Cleveland Metropolitan Schools as well as his leadership at the regional, state and national levels with OSBA and the National School Boards Association (NSBA),” said Rick Lewis, OSBA chief executive officer. “Under his leadership, OSBA will continue to support Ohio public school board members and the students and diverse districts they serve.”
Heard, a retired claims investigator, represents Ohio in the NSBA Delegate Assembly and Federal Relations Network. He currently serves on OSBA’s Board of Trustees, Executive Committee, Northeast Region Executive Committee, Urban Network, Diversity and Equity Committee and Legislative Platform Committee, among others.
In his school district, Heard has been on the board’s Say Yes to Education Planning Committee since 2017 and served the initiative as a mentor. He also has been extremely involved in the Cleveland Transformation Alliance Committee and Levy Planning Committee.
Huddle’s resignation came following a meeting of his local board at which he addressed sensitive issues around critical race theory and systemic racism — comments that touched off a debate over his role with OSBA. Huddle said he thought long and hard about how he could complete his term as OSBA president in the most meaningful way possible, without causing disruption or divisiveness across the association.
“Unfortunately, it became apparent to me that continuing as OSBA president would be a distraction from the challenging work that OSBA must accomplish,” Huddle said. “I believe in the value of public school education, and I have no doubt that OSBA will continue to be a leader for diversity and inclusion.”
“This is a time to come together,” Heard said. “We know that one of the advantages for public school students is the opportunity to meet people who are not like them — an experience that pays dividends long after high school. I look forward to building on OSBA’s successes, including being a champion of diversity, equity and inclusion.”