Reflections of a Badass General Manager

By: Marla Kilfoyle, General Manager BATs

BATs on June 14^th Dr. Mark Naison invited me to be a BAT.  I happily accepted.  On June 17^th I was elected by the administration group to be the General Manager of BATs (29 voted yes and 1 voted no).  I write this piece today because I feel compelled to honor all of the VOLUNTEERS who have made BATs the force it is today.

1.  Thank you to Mark Naison and Priscilla Sanstead who one day decided to create a Facebook page where teachers could raise their voices.  A simple thank you just isn’t enough!

2.  Thank you to Melissa Tomlinson BAT Asst. General Manager for her endless passion and energy to raise the voices of teachers, not just in her native New Jersey, but all over the nation.

3.  Thank you to the 60 Administrators/Moderators who have fought so hard to make BATs a safe place to be.  Thank you to them for creating a culture on the BAT Facebook page that is focused to the mission set out on day 1.  Thank you for the 24/7 care you have given to nurture this organization into what it is today.

4.  Thank you to Rebekah Cordova who built and maintained our BAT Website for 7 months – free of charge.  I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you.  Thank you to Neil Dobbs who has taken over our website and is now building us another amazing BAT Website.  He too has volunteered to donate his time to do this.  Thank you so much Neil.

5.  Thank you to Josh Harris who started and nurtured our BAT Blog that hosts many passionate guest writers.

6.  Thank you to Kelly Braun who helps Melissa Tomlinson run our Fan Page, which is an open space for people to get all the great BAT stuff we make.

7.  Thank you to Kathie Larsyn and Mary Carr for creating our popular BAT Pinterest site.  It is beautiful and so many people enjoy it.

8.  Thank you to Dean Nicosia who works hard to make our BAT Store a representation of the BAT spirit and humor.

9.  Thank you to our 179 State Group Administrators who make our state groups a place that recognizes the unique cultures of their states.

10.  Thank you to the over 80 BATs who administer our 47 Specialty Groups.   You have created a great place for BATs to go chat about their strengths and you give them a place to go when they need to heal. 

11.  Thank you to Caroline Turman and Kathleen Jeskey who rotate BAT Public Announcements every night of the week on Facebook.  I am so grateful that you volunteer to do that every day.

12.  Thank you to Amy BE and Sarah Pulmitallo for running the BAT Public Announcements on our Twitter feed every day.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

13.  Thank you to our dedicated BAT Media Team who blast emails out every Sunday to major news stations and newspapers in the capital cities of every state.  Lee-Ann Pepper Nolan, Tricia Snyder, Clyde Gaw, Cheryl Gibbs Brinkley, and Nikk Esner!  Your hard work and dedication humble me.

14.  Thank you to Keith Hughes and Terri Michal Rector who keep our BAT YouTube channel up and running with tons of great BAT voices.

15.  Lastly, thank you to all the BATs, who every single day, volunteer their voice, passion, and keyboard to Badass Teachers Association.  YOU ARE The Badass Teachers Association

 

 

With admiration and Badassery

Marla Kilfoyle, General Manager

Badass Teachers Association