Vicki Hyland earns Accredited Learning Environments Planner Designation
OPN’s education specialist Vicki Hyland recently received the Accredited Learning Environments Planner (ALEP) designation, a mark of excellence developed to reflect the knowledge, skills and abilities of educational facility planners. The ALEP credential was designed to elevate professional standards, enhance individual performance and identify those in the educational environment industry who demonstrate the knowledge essential to the practice of educational facility planning.
According to the Association for Learning Environments, creator of the ALEP credential: “An individual who has been certified by A4LE has achieved the highest qualification in our profession. Clients can appoint ALEPs with confidence that they have been examined for competence by our association.”
Built on more than a decade of experience working with school districts with OPN — on top of a previous 10 years as a Senior Industrial Engineer project manager specializing in process improvement — Vicki brings unique insights to our education team. In addition to many years in and around schools as a parent, volunteer, as an event chairperson, and substitute teacher, Vicki also served as an owner’s representative for a school district during the construction of a new middle school/ 9th grade academy and a performing arts facility.
Since joining OPN as a construction administrator, her emphasis and expertise has been on and around education facilities. She is involved in nearly every education project from beginning to end. A multi-faceted communicator and manager, she leads client and community engagement; facilitates visioning, planning, and programming, and is the district’s main point of contact from ground breaking through close-out. In addition to her personal experience, she has immersed herself in the national dialogue at national conventions, and by regional and national benchmarking tours.
“My collective experiences taught me that there is so much that can’t be controlled. There are kids that come from wonderful, supportive families, and there are kids who are lucky to get to school on time, with a lunch and pencil in their hands. There are kids that have every advantage and kids that have few. There are so many outside factors that a school district cannot control or equalize. Architecture, school design, and environment can be that equalizer and can make a difference. This is why I am passionate about K-12 education and staying current with curriculum and knowledge delivery, and understanding how critical spaces are to success.”
After meeting eligibility requirements and submitting an application, ALEP candidates must pass a rigorous interview process. Once a candidate has earned the credential, they must maintain it by fulfilling certification renewal requirements every three years, in addition to maintaining minimum continuing education units each year.
The Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) is the only professional organization whose principal purpose is improving the places where children learn. A4LE embraces a diverse group of professionals with one single goal – building healthy, safe, high performance and sustainable learning environments that enhance student and teacher performance and support culture and community vitality.