Lead home page image courtesy of UN Photo/John Isaac
Soroptimist International President, Yvonne Simpson is delighted to announce the appointment of Bev Bucur as International Director of Advocacy for the 2017 – 2019 biennium. Bev will take up her post on Saturday 29 July 2017, in Rotterdam.
“The Soroptimist theme of ‘Soroptimists Educate to Lead’ has as internal interpretation of ‘Educating Soroptimists to Lead’. Succession planning has been a focus of the current biennium and all SI leaders for the next biennium are now in place. Our mantra has been ‘There is no success without a successor’. The goals set by the SI Board of Directors includes one for Strategic Leadership: SI positions will attract qualified, and informed candidates. This has been achieved for SI Advocacy for the 2017 – 2019 biennium. The SI Board, Officers, Post holders and staff warmly welcome Bev to the post”. SI President, Yvonne Simpson.
Bev Bucur SI International Director of Advocacy 2017-2019
Bev became a Soroptimist in 1993 and her vast experience includes her current position on the Leadership Development Committee (2015-2017), in addition to previous roles on the Soroptimist International of the Americas Board of Directors (2014-2016) and the Soroptimist International of the Americas Program Council, where she was the founding member in Education.
Bev has held Regional roles for the Soroptimist Midwestern Region and is the Charter Member of SI Illiana, a club where she was also Secretary, Treasurer, and President (2006-2008). Her Soroptimist journey covers work on numerous committees and she was additionally Vice President and subsequently President of SI Chicago.
Professionally, Bev has forty years’ experience in education. During this time she has held various positions including; Director of Curriculum and Instruction for a high poverty, minority, school district; President of the teachers union, Calumet Park Local IEA, NEA; minority recruiter, trainer and mentor for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, in addition to working in the Governor State University’s Teacher Quality Program.
Her advocacy training and experience includes Domestic Violence Training for victim advocacy and representing SIA as part of a coalition of women representing NGOs, which focused on women and girls at a meeting with Illinois Senator Richard Durbin. Working as part of a national group of educators for the ISTE- International Society for Technology in Education, Bev advocated for increased funding for technology hardware, software, and training for teachers in order to increase student access to technology in areas of poverty.
Bev explains: “Since joining Soroptimist in 1993, it has been an important part of my life. I am proud of the work we are doing and know that working together we have made the world a better place for the woman and girls we serve. Working with other Soroptimists has helped me develop empathy, leadership skills and has given me a voice to speak out for women and girls. Soroptimist International has helped me to achieve my dream of being an ‘International Women’; a woman who makes the world a better place by empowering other women”.
Today, advocacy is the most important job we have as Soroptimists. The world appears to have taken a step backward and we are forced to fight to maintain rights for women and girls we won years ago, as well as work to advance the SDG’S for all women. As an NGO with ECOSOC General Consultative Status we are in the position to be that global voice for women and girls. We must ensure that we maintain this status by continuing to be visible in the United Nations. We must also increase our advocacy efforts locally, nationally and internationally to ensure our voice is heard”.
Shared image courtesy of UN Photo Joao Arujo Pinto