James A. Vornberg Award
TCPEA established the James A. Vornberg Living Legend Award in 2006. This prestigious award is given periodically to a TCPEA member who has contributed an outstanding degree of service and commitment to the organization.
About James A. VornbergJames “Jim” Vornberg joined the Texas Professors of Educational Administration (as it was then called) at the first regular meeting following the formal establishment of that group in 1974. He was active in the group and served as Secretary-Treasurer/Newsletter Editor for 1983-85, Vice-President for 1985-86, and President for 1986-87. In 1987, he decided to publish a textbook on Texas school administration that would serve as a basis for administration programs across the state, recruiting TPEA colleagues to help write chapters.
Texas Public School Administration and Organization was first published in 1989 and was adopted by many institutions in the state for use in their programs. It soon unofficially became the project of TPEA, and after being financially successful, a portion of the royalty was designated to TPEA. After 12 editions, 87 individuals — most TCPEA members — have authored or co-authored chapters in the various editions. Vornberg’s research and teaching focus has been primarily on the principalship during his decades-long career at East Texas State University/Texas A&M University–Commerce. He has had more than 1,800 different students in his principalship courses during his tenure. He co-authored or authored three grants totaling $2 million that were funded by the Meadows Foundation in Dallas. The grants resulted in the Meadows Principal Improvement Program and Principals’ Center at Texas A&M–Commerce. The project still remains active 25 years later. It has offered more than 135 staff development opportunities for principals and other administrators, and graduated 165 “Meadows Fellows” between 1985 and 1999. In addition to the publication mentioned above, Vornberg co-authored The New School Leader for the 21st Century: The Principal with Edward Seifert. He has more than 50 articles and monographs to his credit and has been the dissertation director of more than 85 dissertations. He has served as department head and as interim dean of the College of Education and Human Services during his time at A&M–Commerce. He has been active in all the principal professional organizations at state and national levels, as well as TASA, AASA, ASCD, NCPEA, SACS, and Phi Delta Kappa. He is married to Dr. Caroline Vornberg who is also an educator. The couple have three grown children and three grandchildren. Vornberg is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, having served for more than 27 years on active and reserve duty. |
Congratulations to the 2024 Living Legend!
Dr. John Decman, University of Houston-Clear Lake & Executive Director of TCPEA
Dr. John Decman has been a professor of educational leadership since 2001 at the University of Houston – Clear Lake. He served as Principal Preparation Program Coordinator on two occasions, for a total of 10 years, overseeing the program through state accreditation changes and the matriculation from Principal Certification to Principal as Instructional Leader Certification. Through these processes, he developed a reputation among peers, acknowledged by his 2019 TCPEA Educator of the Year Award. In addition, he played a pivotal role in writing the University’s first doctoral program, an Ed. D. in Educational Leadership, and has taught in both programs.
Dr. Decman has proactively engaged with and led professionals who view education as a necessary conduit for change and social improvement and utilize their leadership skills and positions to influence this change. Several of his former students are now colleagues who excel in executive-level leadership positions in P-12 and faculty at several higher education institutions across Texas.
His research has consistently informed the gap between theory and practice with an eye toward maintaining a future-oriented relevance to his teaching. Recent publications among the more than 100 publications and presentations that he has authored or co-authored include articles that address leadership and organizational resiliency, confront racism in public schools, inform social media practices, and explore educational equity. These particular areas add to academic discussions that not only help illustrate academic leadership endeavors, but also provide depth and meaning to the preparation of educational leaders.
A member and regular attendee at TCPEA meetings since 2001, Dr. Decman was elected to the Executive Board of the Texas Council of Professors of Educational Administration in 2019 and subsequently was selected to serve as the Executive Director of the organization in 2020. In his tenure, the organization has grown significantly in membership, professional activities and webinars, and regional engagement by recruiting members from outside of the Texas border to join the organization for growth and support. His mantra of “making membership matter” provided the foundation for additional TCPEA endeavors, such as the summer writing conference and the superintendent program study group.
Decman studied under Dr. Theodore Kowalski, earning his Ed. D. from Ball State University in 2000. Prior to that, he was a high school principal, assistant principal, English teacher, and coach. He and his wife, Toni, a public educator, enjoy time with family, friends, and church activities.
Dr. Decman has proactively engaged with and led professionals who view education as a necessary conduit for change and social improvement and utilize their leadership skills and positions to influence this change. Several of his former students are now colleagues who excel in executive-level leadership positions in P-12 and faculty at several higher education institutions across Texas.
His research has consistently informed the gap between theory and practice with an eye toward maintaining a future-oriented relevance to his teaching. Recent publications among the more than 100 publications and presentations that he has authored or co-authored include articles that address leadership and organizational resiliency, confront racism in public schools, inform social media practices, and explore educational equity. These particular areas add to academic discussions that not only help illustrate academic leadership endeavors, but also provide depth and meaning to the preparation of educational leaders.
A member and regular attendee at TCPEA meetings since 2001, Dr. Decman was elected to the Executive Board of the Texas Council of Professors of Educational Administration in 2019 and subsequently was selected to serve as the Executive Director of the organization in 2020. In his tenure, the organization has grown significantly in membership, professional activities and webinars, and regional engagement by recruiting members from outside of the Texas border to join the organization for growth and support. His mantra of “making membership matter” provided the foundation for additional TCPEA endeavors, such as the summer writing conference and the superintendent program study group.
Decman studied under Dr. Theodore Kowalski, earning his Ed. D. from Ball State University in 2000. Prior to that, he was a high school principal, assistant principal, English teacher, and coach. He and his wife, Toni, a public educator, enjoy time with family, friends, and church activities.