Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas will be the featured speaker at the next meeting of the Fountain Hills Republican Club, Saturday, May 20.

The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the Fountain Hills Community Center.

Douglas, who was elected to the position in 2014, has always been passionate about the American education system and has been actively involved in Arizona’s education system for more than 20 years.

She served two terms on the Peoria Unified School District governing board, including two years as president of the board. She has also served on the site councils for two Peoria Unified schools and on the board of education for church education programs.

Her role as elected state superintendent is to fulfill Arizona’s Department of Education’s mission statement: “To serve Arizona’s education community, ensuring every child has access to an excellent education.” As stated in the Arizona constitution, this involves providing a uniform public school system including “kindergarten schools, common schools, high schools, and normal schools.”

In addition to the superintendent’s fiduciary responsibilities, equally important is the superintendent’s leadership role. By virtue of this constitutional elected office, Douglas serves on all statewide public education boards providing her the opportunity “to develop best practices and strategies which take into account the needs of our children at every stage of the process from birth to college to the workforce.”

All interested persons are invited to attend the meeting; no reservations are required. Complimentary coffee and light breakfast snacks are available beginning at 8:30 a.m. during the “meet and greet” period.

In addition to the monthly meeting, members and potential members are invited to a “social” night at the Fireside Grill at the Lexington Hotel, Tuesday, May 23, at 6 p.m. No reservations are required; food and drink are available for purchase.