Growing up in Louisiana, Ellen Bell envisioned only two career choices, based on the overwhelming number of attorneys and teachers in her family. No offense to the legal profession, but thank goodness she picked education.

Throughout her 40 years in the field, she has worked with state agencies and educational associations to provide more depth to curriculum and technology initiatives, and she has brought greater efficiency and development to the districts she has served as an administrator.

Although she retired in 2009, that doesn’t mean she is easing up on her commitment to education. In fact, she’ll be playing an even more vital role as she steps into the presidency of the Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (Texas ASCD) this October.

The skills needed for such a highlevel role — bringing together legislators with administrators and developing new strategies — have been well honed over Bell’s past four decades in education.

After graduating from Centenary College in Shreveport, La., she went on to earn her master’s degree and doctorate from The University of Texas. She began her career in Austin ISD, where she taught middle school, became an instructional coordinator and later took on principal duties.

“I feel like I grew up at Austin ISD,” Bell says. “It’s such a cutting-edge, progressive district that it made for a great start.”

In 1988, she became an associate director at the Texas LEAD Center, where she developed and edited general management and leadership development programs for the state’s administrators. She also began leading statewide training sessions in school improvement and organizational effectiveness.

A few years later, Bell landed at the Texas Education Agency to serve as project director for a $1.3 million initiative that addressed low passing rates on the state assessment. She then went back to districtlevel work — this time in New Braunfels ISD — as a director of curriculum. Bell later was hired by the Texas Association of School Administrators to serve as an associate executive director. While at TASA, she sought and received a $6.3 million Gates Foundation state challenge grant for statewide technology leadership development.

Most recently, Bell served as an associate superintendent in Birdville ISD, capping off her “official” educational career.

“It was a wonderful experience to be at Birdville, where everyone worked to make the most of the resources they had,” she says. “After that, I didn’t want to move on to another district, so I chose retirement instead.”

As Texas ASCD president, Bell says she wants to increase the association’s influence on legislative issues. She also wants to get board members more involved and cultivate more direct contact with members so they feel more fully served. Moreover, she will aim to expand membership diversity, bringing in more superintendents and principals.

“The association has an excellent staff and a great membership,” Bell says. “There’s also been an increase in professional development in the past few years, and I feel very fortunate to have been on the staff development group and then the curriculum group. I think there’s a wonderful chance to just keep the momentum going.”

World-class leader. Successful people understand the need for work-life balance, and Bell is no exception. With a daughter in Japan and a son in Oregon, she looks forward to traveling with her husband, Joe, even more now that she is retired.

“We feel fortunate that our kids moved to interesting places,” says Bell, who spent time in Japan in June. “That definitely works out for us.”

Bell met Joe at a Sadie Hawkins hayride in ninth grade, but the two didn’t start dating until after college. They share a passion for travel. For their upcoming 40th wedding anniversary, the couple will celebrate in Copenhagen, then journey on to Paris.

When the couple returns, Bell will dive back into her passion for education, both with the association and as an independent consultant.

“I’m excited for what’s ahead,” she says. “For me, retirement is just the beginning of a different phase of being in education.”

ELIZABETH MILLARD also writes for District Administration, a national magazine about public education.