Royal Spirit Alive! How to be a Beacon in a 40-watt World

A primary tenet of successful collaboration is a willingness to focus on your partner’s strengths. It’s a gift each partner extends to the other as a way to create a nurturing environment, so all partners can reach their highest potential. It’s the kind of gift that allows creativity and innovation to flourish, learning opportunities to be created from “not exactly” outcomes; and ideas for how to go forward in the future, together, to flow.

Dr. Margaret Arbuckle, Executive Director, Guilford Education Alliance photo courtesy Ron Hayden

Dr. Margaret Arbuckle, newly-appointed Executive Director of the Guilford Education Alliance—which was established by a cooperative effort of the Community Foundation of greater Greensboro, the High Point Community Foundation, the Cemala Foundation, the Weaver Foundation and the Duke Energy Foundation—envisions the relationship between the Alliance and the Guilford County Public school system to be a demonstration of this kind of collaboration. She says, “First and foremost is our relationship—to be seen as the person whom they can count on as being a good friend; one that prods and asks questions, but also one that applauds and applauds loudly when things are done successfully. It’s acknowledging and encouraging our educators at every level.”

Beyond her ability to build relationship bridges, Margaret brings broad-based knowledge of what it takes to be a successful advocate for children and families. As a college graduate, her interest in the legislative process took her to Capitol Hill where she learned how policy impacts the provision of services. Later, as she moved through her career, she became interested in and committed to children. She says she’s always seen herself as a child advocate, particularly from a policy perspective, rather than an individual case advocacy perspective. For Margaret, the policy piece came first and then the importance of developing appropriate models for children came second.

Throughout her career, Dr. Arbuckle has served on numerous boards of organizations serving children and families. She is the immediate past associate director for UNC-Greensboro’s Center for Youth, Family and Community Partnerships, a former Guilford County commissioner, and is current chairwoman of the North Carolina Child Advocacy Institute.

Today, her advocacy work continues. Two far-reaching goals have become the focus of her attention, the spark that ignites her high energy and the catalyst that taps her idea-generating creativity. The first is to help create the best education system, not just in North Carolina, not just in the Southeast region, but in the country. “There’s nothing more critical than our public school system to be excellent for the children who are there, for their future, for our community going forward. A well-educated citizenry is critically important for our present and for our future,” says Margaret. She describes the goal as creating the kind of education excellence that’s renowned so that someone meeting a Guilford County resident at a conference in any city in the U.S. says, “Oh, you’re from Guilford County, North Carolina. You have the best school of any place in the country.”

The second goal is for children to be successful in school. Dr. Arbuckle says one of the ways that “success” is measured is that children graduate from high school having a knowledge and skill base that can take them to the next level, whether that is a job, vocational training, college or university, and that they see their life has hope because they have a foundation in education.

Excellence in education is the ultimate goal of The Education Alliance. Dr. Arbuckle says that over time she sees the Alliance becoming the “go to” voice in support of educational initiatives, the support for creating new ideas, and for bringing people together who may have disparate ideas.

She shares the following tips to other beacons whose Royal Spirit has created a laser-beam focus on a goal:

	Broaden your perspective on your profession by building a broad base of knowledge and skills,
	Expand your credentials, e.g., graduate school, serving on boards and community leadership positions,
	Find balance, e.g., dedicated time with family, dates with your spouse or partner, quiet time that energizes you.

She offers one additional tip for those times when you are feeling out of sorts. Ask yourself “What have I not done that will make me feel better?”

Dr. Margaret Arbuckle is a beacon of hope for Guilford County children by helping to build a foundation for education excellence.

“The inequity of life opportunity is a great injustice
and we have a challenge to address that. That drives me.”

What is your Royal Spirit calling you to do?

Dr. Arbuckle can be reached at the Guilford Education Alliance office, 336-841-4332.