Elected to the Kenai Peninsula Borough School Board in 2003, Sunni Hilts of Seldovia has now been chosen president elect of the Association of Alaska School Boards.

That puts her in line to serve as the association’s president next year.

“It’s a great organization,” said Hilts. “I’ve been so impressed with them and am honored to be part of it.”

The association represents at the state and national level 52 of the state’s 53 school districts and about 330 board members, according to John Greely, AASB chief editor. Its mission is to “advocate for children and youth by assisting school boards in providing quality public education, focused on student achievement, through effective local governance.” 

AASB also is used by the state as a vehicle for addressing the needs of schools failing to meet federally-set targets. Officers are selected by AASB members during the association’s annual conference in November.

As president elect, Hilts has both state and national responsibilities, beginning with a meeting of states in the Pacific region to be held in Arizona in December.

She also will be the association’s spokesperson at a national school board association annual conference in San Diego in April.

“In state, she will chair AASB’s resolutions committee next year,” said Greely of Hilts’ role at the 2013 AASB conference. “That involves quite a bit of working on resolutions, but she’s done a lot of that over the years, so she’s familiar with it.”

As a member of the KPBSD board, Hilts represents schools on the southern peninsula. At the November 2013 AASB conference, she will transition into her role as president of the association’s 15-member board. Hilts will be the fourth KPBSD board member to serve in that capacity. Carolyn Cannava was AASB president in 1979, Debra Mullins in 2004 and Sammy Crawford in 2009. Sue Hull of Fairbanks is the current president.     

McKibben Jackinsky can be reached at mckibben.jackinsky@homernews.com.