Martha Rice of the Yakima and Karen Madsen of the Everett have been elected officers of the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA). Rice and Madsen were chosen by members of the association during last week’s WSSDA annual conference in Seattle.

Rice, a nine-year member of the Yakima School Board, was elected to the position of WSSDA President-elect for 2008. Under WSSDA’s bylaws, she will automatically become president in 2009.

Rice, who served as vice president during the past year, has been active in WSSDA through service on the association’s Legislative Committee, Urban Issues Committee, Federal Relations Network and Student Achievement Task Force. She is a recent graduate of the Leadership WSSDA program.

Rice has been a longtime participant in PTA activities at the local, regional, state and national levels. She also served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board and is a member of the State Board of Education's Student Accountability Subcommittee Advisory Group.

Madsen, a member of the Everett School Board for ten years, was elected as WSSDA’s vice president for 2008. She has been represented northwest Washington on the WSSDA Board of Directors since 2001, and is a member of the association’s Student Achievement Task Force.

Madsen has been active in WSSDA through service on the association’s Resolutions Committee and its Urban Issues Committee, and on task forces on weighted voting and regional meetings. She also represented WSSDA to the State Board of Education’s 180-Day Waiver Task Force.

Madsen graduated from the Leadership WSSDA program’s class of 2006. She has been active in the Everett PTA, the Snohomish County Dispute Resolution Center, the Assistance League of Everett, and the Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER).

Ted Thomas, a member of the Longview School Board, was installed as WSSDA President for 2008. The outgoing president, Central Valley School Director Cindy McMullen, will serve as WSSDA Immediate Past President during the coming year.