VALUES | LEADERSHIP EXCHANGE Living our values... inclusion at the center Two days, one room, every voice at the 2026 Leadership Exchange
T he L e a de rs hi p E x ch a n ge i s a n a nnu a l r e qu i r ed un i on tr a i n i n g f or a ll elec t ed le a de rs a n d st a ff a t CPAA. T he 2026 L e a de rs hi p E x ch a n ge b rou gh t to ge t he r CPAA le a de rs f rom s ch oo l s a c ross C hic a g o f or two d a ys o f le a rn i n g a n d c onn ec t i on … p l us t he r e w a s p le nty o f i n fec t i ous e n e r g y . D iffe r e nt b u ildi n g s . D iffe r e nt le a de rs . D iffe r e nt ro le s . D iffe r e nt p e rsp ec t i v e s . D iffe r e nt n eed s . A ll i n on e room , fig ur i n g out h ow t h a t i n di v id u a li ty a dd s up to on e un i on … sp e a ki n g w i t h on e vo ice . B ec a us e our un i on d o e sn ’ t a s k p e op le to s e t a s ide w h o t he y a r e … w e a s k t he m to b r i n g w h o t he y a r e i nto t he room ... a n d t he n fi n d w he r e t hei r vo ice j o i ns w i t h e v e ryon e el s e ’ s . A s C hief o f S t a ff C h a d T h om a s put i t , “W e d on ’ t e v e r w a nt to m i n i m i z e a n e xp e r ie n ce … a ny e xp e r ie n ce . W e w a nt you to b r i n g yours el v e s i nto e a ch room a n d b r i n g your un i qu e e xp e r ie n ce s w i t h you . T h a t i s h ow w e li v e our un i on v a l u e s .” A s un i on st a ff , w e w a t ch f or tr e n d s a c ross e v e ry i ssu e b rou gh t to CPAA bec a us e t h a t ’ s h ow t he c on di t i ons w e figh t f or i mprov e . P r e s ide nt Ba n k s s h a r ed , “I f w e d on ’ t k now a n i ssu e i s h a pp e n i n g , w e c a n ’ t fi x i t . A n d if m e m be rs a r e on l y t a lki n g a b out i t w i t h e a ch ot he r , b ut not s h a r i n g i t w i t h us , w e c a n ’ t d o a nyt hi n g a b out i t .” T h a t ’ s w he r e CPAA a ux ili a r ie s c om e i n . A ux ili a ry le a de rs he a r di r ec t l y f rom t hei r c o lle a g u e s a n d s h ou ld r efe r t he m to t he CPAA L eg a l H ot li n e (312-263-7773) f or m e m be r support or leg a l a ss i st a n ce . C e rt a i n m a tt e rs m a y be ele v a t ed to our G ov e rn i n g B o a r d , w hich m a y rout e a n i ssu e to a c omm i tt ee a l r e a d y wor ki n g i n t h a t a r e a or ele v a t e i t to our P r e s ide nt f or a r e spons e . P r e s ide nt Ba n k s r ei n f or ced t h a t pro ce ss w i t h a g r a p hic , a n d e xp l a i n ed t h a t t he CPAA g ov e rn a n ce i s , “... b u il t so t h a t a n i n di v id u a l c on ce rn h a s a p a t h to r elief a n d m a y be e v e n bec om i n g a c o llec t i v e a c t i on .”
“If we don’t know an issue is happening, we can’t fix it.” PRESIDENT KIA BANKS T h a t ’ s i n cl us i on i n pr a c t ice . O ur v a l u e s e x i st to g u ide e v e ry p a rt o f t he wor k w e d o a n d t he pr i or i t ie s w e g o a f t e r . T he y prov ide our stru c tur e . I n cl us i on m e a ns a ll vo ice s a r e w elc om e . A n d w he n w e fi n d t he p l a ce s w he r e t h os e vo ice s po i nt i n t he s a m e di r ec t i on , w e bec om e mor e pow e r f u l w i t h out bec om i n g le ss i n di v id u a l . T he two d a ys held p le nty el s e , too : i n - de pt h r e v ie w o f our I nt e r i m M e mor a n d um o f U n de rst a n di n g w i t h our Ba r g a i n i n g T e a m , a le ssons - le a rn ed p a n el fe a tur i n g CPAA s ch oo l le a de rs , a P o li t ic a l A c t i on ov e rv ie w , a le a de rs hi p l un ch w i t h g u e sts f rom t he C hic a g o E d u c a t i on A lli a n ce , opportun i t ie s to c onn ec t i n t he wor k a n d s h a r e ch a lle n ge s o f un i on le a de rs hi p … t he r e w a s e v e n b ow li n g a t K i n g s D i n i n g & E nt e rt a i nm e nt . T he t h rou gh - li n e w a s a l w a ys t he s a m e , our v a l u e s : C ur i os i ty , C o ll a b or a t i on , I n cl us i on a n d I nt eg r i ty , d r i v i n g our f our s h a r ed str a t egic g o a l s : Ba r g a i n , E d u c a t e , A d vo c a t e , S ust a i n . W he n our le a de rs c om e to ge t he r w i t h c ur i os i ty a n d le a v e i n f orm ed a n d c onn ec t ed , t he r e i s a str e n g t h i n t he e n e r g y t h a t i s c r e a t ed . A n d t h a t e n e r g y d o e sn ’ t st a y i n t he room . I t tr a v el s b a ck to e v e ry s ch oo l t he y le a d a n d e v e ry p e rson t he y tou ch . W e w ill n e v e r a s k or e n c our a ge our m e m be rs to gi v e up t hei r i n di v id u a l vo ice s . W e a s k our m e m be rs to hel p us fi n d w he r e t h os e vo ice s a lig n ... so t h a t w he n i t m a tt e rs most , w e c a n sp e a k a s on e .
S cene s f r om t he 2026 L e a de rs hi p E x ch a nge .
28 • CPAA Magazine | October 2026 • One Union | One Voice | One Direction
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