Nearly 300 school board members, administrators, staff, students and guests from across southwestern Ohio gathered in Lebanon on Oct. 9 for the Ohio School Boards Association Southwest Region Fall Conference. The conference was held at the Warren County Career Center.

The event featured updates from OSBA officers and staff, as well as a number of awards and recognitions. The region recognized exemplary student programs, outstanding school board members and Ohio Teacher of the Year candidates.

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Southwest Region annual Friend of Education Hall of Fame Award, which went to Douglass McDonald, president and CEO of the Cincinnati Museum Center. Another highlight was a musical performance by the Waynesville High School Concert Band from the Wayne Local School District in Warren County.

Seventeen counties comprise the OSBA Southwest Region: Adams, Brown, Butler, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Darke, Greene, Hamilton, Highland, Logan, Miami, Montgomery, Preble, Shelby and Warren.

Founded in 1955, the Ohio School Boards Association leads the way to educational excellence by serving Ohio’s public school board members and the diverse districts they represent through superior service, unwavering advocacy and creative solutions.