Lundberg named to MASC's Board of Directors
By Ken Powers Community Reporter

Shirley Lundberg has been named to the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC).

Northborough - The decision to take an active role in the education of her children has resulted in Shirley Lundberg being named to the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC).

Lundberg, a longtime member of the Northborough School Committee as well as the Northborough-Southborough Regional School Committee, which oversees the operation of Algonquin Regional High School, was elected in November 2007 to the position of chair of Division IV of MASC. All nine division chairs are members of the MASC's Board of Directors.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity," Lundberg said. "I have very much enjoyed my role as part of the state school committee association. I've been able to further my development as an educator and a school committee member as a result of the networking and educational opportunities that are available within the organization."

Lundberg stepped away from her profession as a human resources manager more than 20 years ago to begin a family, and when her children entered the Northborough school system, so did she.

"When my oldest child entered school I thought this was maybe where I could make an important difference," Lundberg said. "So I got on all of the committees - the principal's advisory committee, the school council. I was on the first school council, when the Education Reform Act was first passed and school councils were formed in 1993. I co-chaired that at the Peaslee School."

When her oldest child moved from elementary to middle school, Lundberg was faced with a decision.

"I didn't know if I should remain involved at Peaslee or get involved at the middle school," Lundberg said. "That's when I decided to run for school committee and that's when I got on."

She was first elected to the school committee in 1996, and has served on that committee ever since.

"It was a hard decision," Lundberg said. "I loved what I did on school council and I understood that role very well. Running for and getting elected to the school committee was a little frightening because I didn't understand the role of being a member of school committee as well. I had been attending school committee meetings, but attending the meetings as a member of the audience isn't the same as being on the committee. It was a little intimidating. It was exciting and intimidating all at once."

In addition to her school committee and MASC roles, Lundberg is the academic director at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School. Prior to being appointed academic director, Lundberg taught mathematics at the school.

"As a result in my school committee role, I made a change in my career," Lundberg said.

Lundberg, who was secretary of Division IV before being elected chair, has previously served as chair of the Northborough-Southborough Regional School Committee, and currently serves as chair of the Algonquin Regional High School Building Committee. In 2005 Lundberg received the MASC's Lifetime Achievement Award for her work with the association as well as her dedicated service to her school committees and their member schools.

"I think this is a very deserving honor to have bestowed on Shirley," said Charles Gobron, superintendent of the Northborough, Southborough and Algonquin Regional school districts. "Shirley works very, very hard, always looking for ways to make the educational process in Northborough and Southborough - for everyone - as enriching as possible."