AASA Names 2020 Women in School Leadership Award Finalists
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Superintendent Category
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Susan Enfield
Knowing every student by
name, strength and need is the promise of Highline Public Schools. Under the
leadership of Susan Enfield the district is delivering on this promise by
implementing a bold strategic plan committed to ensuring that students graduate
bilingual, biliterate with the problem-solving and critical thinking skills
that will prepare them for the future they choose.
A former high school English, journalism and ELL
teacher, Susan served as Chief Academic Officer and then as Interim
Superintendent for Seattle Public Schools before coming to Highline in 2012.
She previously held leadership positions in Evergreen Public Schools
(Vancouver, WA), Portland Public Schools and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Susan is a graduate of the University of
California, Berkeley, and earned master’s degrees from Stanford University and
Harvard University. She also holds a doctoral degree in Administration,
Planning and Social Policy from Harvard’s Urban Superintendents Program.
LaTonya Goffney
Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney
serves as the Superintendent of Schools for the Aldine Independent School
District. Since taking the helm in July 2018, Dr. Goffney has dedicated herself
to more than 67,000 students and more than 9,000 employees of the district as
well as the entire Aldine community.
She has increased student achievement in every
district she’s served in through a focus on literacy, targeted professional
development for teachers, and collaboration across the community, including
developing business and school partnerships, parent engagement and
communication.
In recognition of her efforts, Dr. Goffney was
named Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards in
2017, and the Texas Association of School Administrators selected her to be the
Texas nominee for the 2018 American Association of School Administrators
National Superintendent of the Year award.
A native of Coldspring, Texas, Dr. Goffney is a
graduate of Sam Houston State University, where she earned her bachelor’s
degree in history, a master’s in educational administration and a doctorate in
educational leadership. She served as superintendent of schools for both
Coldspring-Oakhurst CISD and Lufkin ISD before becoming Superintendent of
Aldine ISD.
Candace Singh
Dr. Candace Singh is the
Superintendent of the award-winning Fallbrook Union Elementary School District
(CA), nationally recognized for its work in creating an innovative and
forward-thinking leadership culture that encourages and teaches children to be
the leader of their own lives and to use their leadership skills to make a
difference in the lives of others. Under the leadership of Dr. Singh, FUESD has
undergone an academic and cultural transformation that has resulted in the
highest growth in student achievement in the district’s history.
As an educator in San Diego County for close to
30 years, Candace is well-known and respected for her work as a turnaround
principal and superintendent, blending courage, action, and exceptionally high
expectations with grace, respect, and kindness to create schools and working
environments that inspire greatness in students and adults. Her proven track
record of transforming public schools has contributed to her reputation as a
highly valued leadership coach, speaker, and consultant.
Candace began her career in public education in
1985, serving as an elementary and middle level teacher, assistant principal,
principal, district curriculum leader, and now, superintendent of schools. She also
serves as an adjunct professor of Educational Leadership at California State
University San Marcos, inspiring and preparing future school leaders to develop
cultures and systems that contribute to higher levels of academic and personal
achievement for all students.
As the first college graduate in her family,
Candace holds a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education from San Diego State
University and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration. She earned her
doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership at the University of La Verne,
where she studied district leadership practices that contribute to principal
effectiveness and job satisfaction.
Central-Office
Administrator/Principal
Award Category
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Sara Paul
Sara Paul serves as the
Assistant Superintendent for the White Bear Lake Area School District in
Minnesota. Establishing quality programs through partnerships has been a key
theme throughout Sara’s career. She received the Ethical Leadership Award from
the William and Betty McMillan Foundation for an innovative program she
developed in partnership with the Rotary Club and a renowned Federal
Prosecutor. Convicted white-collar felons and respected business leaders were
brought in to share their stories so that students could better understand the
impact small decisions. Her leadership in this program grew into the
opportunity to start a non-profit, Partnering for Youth, where she served as
the Executive Director.
She then served as an Assistant Superintendent
for Minneapolis Public Schools where she worked with a local community college
to start an innovative program called Destination Diploma to Degree, a program
that allowed students behind in credits to complete one year of their two year
degree before graduating from high school.
Sara is in her sixth year serving as the
Assistant Superintendent for the White Bear Lake Area Schools. She is committed
to increasing access to innovative programs in order to equip today’s students
with the skills to thrive in tomorrow’s world. Indicators of success include:
1-Access to rigorous courses has increased: The
number of college level courses available to students while in high school
increased from 33 courses to 51 courses. Participation gaps have been
eliminated in three previously under represented groups, with overall
participation from underrepresented groups increasing from 27% to 52%. In
addition, students needing remedial at the local community college when
entering college decreased from 35% to 17%.
2-Working with industry partners, five pathways
have been launched: Manufacturing, Construction, IT, Health Care and
Automotive. Over 1,900 students have been engaged in career exposure and paid
internship opportunities.
3-Teaming with the Chamber of Commerce, over ten
community partners are creating the conditions to learn together how emerging
transportation technologies can increase access to opportunities throughout the
community, particularly for people with disabilities and the elderly. Students
have the opportunity to learn and lead as equals on the project.
Sara has been married to her husband Marc for 22
years, and they have three amazing children- Clara, Sally and Bryce.
Shelly Reggiani
Shelly L. Reggiani, Ed. D.,
has over 25 distinguished years in public education, the past eight years as the
Executive Director of Equity and Instructional Services for the North Clackamas
School District (NCSD). This south suburban Portland district consists of 32
schools serving 17,327 students. There are more than 60 native languages spoken
by students and families in the district, and the community is growing in its
racial and cultural diversity. NCSD is continually recognized for its work with
educational equity within Oregon and nationally.
Shelly has served the students of NCSD since she
began teaching in 1994, and has consistently worked for inclusion and to remove
barriers for historically marginalized student populations. As a second-year
teacher, she partnered with colleagues to design and implement a model of
instruction that connected students to authentic learning in highly engaging
ways. This innovative model of instruction focused on college and career
readiness and produced outstanding student results. Additionally, the model
received regional recognition, Shelly presented it at the National Autodesk
Foundation Conference in the mid-’90s and advised the Honolulu School District
on implementing this method.
As a middle school assistant principal from
1999-2004, Shelly worked collaboratively with staff in embracing new service
models that emphasized the inclusion of students with disabilities. Shelly
served as an elementary principal at both Title 1 and non-Title 1 elementary
schools and earned the State’s highest award for academic achievement in
schools for two consecutive years. During that time, Shelly helped the school
community transition through a construction bond and opening the state’s
largest elementary school at the time.
In 2010, she became the Director of Services for
English Learners and Interpretation and Translation Services. Next, she was
promoted to Executive Director of Equity and Instructional Services, where she
oversees and supports all federal Title educational programs, Talented and
Gifted Education, Bilingual Education, Counseling and Social Services, Title IX
coordination, culturally specific community engagement, and equity professional
development within NCSD. Advocacy is at the heart of Shelly’s leadership and
her work.
Under Shelly’s leadership, NCSD transformed its
dual language immersion program from a K-6 program to a K-12 program and opened
the district’s third Spanish Dual Language Immersion site. Shelly built a solid
foundation for Talented and Gifted services and has focused on ensuring diverse
student populations are screened and identified as talented and gifted at the
same rate as their dominant culture peers.
A frequent presenter at state and regional
conferences on inclusive practices for academic English language development in
the classroom and cultivating equity, Shelly shares her learning and
experiences with other educational and community leaders. Shelly supports the
development of future success of the school district by mentoring teacher
leaders and assistant administrators in navigating the path to becoming a
building principal or department administrator. Additionally, Shelly continues
the support and growth of pre-service teachers in becoming equity-focused
educators through her work as an adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark College
where she has taught courses in English as a Second or Other Language within
the department of education and initial administrative licensure, and serves as
a mentor to new principals through Portland State University.
Shelly is a member of and held leadership roles
in many civic organizations including the Clackamas Rotary where she has been a
member for over 15 years. She currently serves on the board of the Oregon
Association of Central Office Administrators, the Equity Advisory Council for
COSA, (the Oregon School Administrators Association), co-leader and facilitator
of the Oregon Equity Directors Network, and serves as a design team member and
facilitator for All:Ready, the regional Kindergarten readiness network that
serves multiple counties in Oregon. Shelly also serves the Oregon Graduation
and Post Secondary Leadership Team, and at the request of the Deputy Director
of the Oregon Department of Education, she is a member of the Oregon Emergent
Bilingual Summit Stakeholder group.
A native Oregonian, Shelly graduated from West
Linn High School, attended Oregon State University where she earned her
Bachelor’s degree in Communications and her Master’s of Teaching. She later
received her administrative certifications from Portland State University and
George Fox University, and then earned her Doctorate of Education from George
Fox University.
Shelly has been married to her husband Michael
for over 25 years. They have one daughter, Sophia, who is an NCSD graduate, and
a son, Nicholas, who is a current NCSD sophomore. In her free time, she enjoys
spending time with her family, photography, gardening, and volunteering with
local civic organizations.
Patricia Sullivan-Kowalski
Patricia Sullivan-Kowalski
has been an educational and instructional leader in urban education for over 23
years. She is currently the Senior Director of Student Supports and Special
Education for the Meriden Public Schools, Meriden Connecticut. Patricia
successfully balances numerous responsibilities and demands, while maintaining
a student centered approach. She oversees and manages a $30 million budget, she
leads multiple student programs and departments. Patricia supervises over 300
certified and classified staff members and recently became the lead supervisor
for the two middle school principals. Patricia is dedicated to students of all
ages and all abilities, and her commitment to championing equity, community and
innovation is evident through her work and vision. Patricia has led her
district to international recognition by having innovative programs recognized
and highlighted through the George Lucas Educational Foundation’s Edutopia, as
well as Global HundrED innovations. Patricia shares her expertise through
statewide presentations as well as publications. In addition to her passion and
advocacy for all children, Patricia is a mother of 3, a wife, and soccer
enthusiast. @SullivanKowalsk
School Based Category
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Lesley Bruinton
Lesley Bruinton is an
Accredited in Public Relations practitioner with more than 18 years of
professional experience. The former television journalist now serves as the Public
Relations Coordinator for the Tuscaloosa City (Ala.) Schools--an urban district
with more than 10,000 students. It’s a job where she can continue her craft of
writing with her rapid-fire typing skills. She can usually be found
brainstorming and selling a big idea, much to the chagrin of those around her
who know it will be a lot of work, but a lot of fun! She is a two-time past
president of the Alabama School Public Relations Association, and a two-time
Gold Medallion winner awarded by the National School Public Relations
Association.
Bruinton holds a Bachelor’s degree in
Communication and Information Sciences (Telecommunication and Film) from The
University of Alabama and a Master’s degree in Strategic Communication from
Troy University. She presently holds the post of NSPRA President Elect and will
serve as President in 2020.
Shenee Holloway
Shenée Holloway is an
educational leader and has been in the field of education since 2002. She
taught middle grades at a small private academy for two years in Charlotte,
North Carolina before moving to Georgia in 2004 where she taught 6th and
8th-grade language arts at Hull Middle School in Duluth. It was at Hull where
Shenée served as a mentor, the language arts department chair and by the school
year of 2012-2013, was awarded Teacher of the Year. In the school year of
2013-2014, Shenée was recruited and hired as a 9th-grade language arts teacher
for Duluth High School serving as the course team leader for the 9th-grade
language arts teachers. After three years, her principal offered her a new
position as Parent Instructional Coordinator to aid in the transition of
becoming a Title I School. It was while in this position that Shenée became an
even bigger advocate for families and students by initiating the school’s first
freshman mentoring program, launched the school’s first parent center and
hosted several workshops and events for the school’s growing community. Shenée
currently works in the office of Federal and Special Programs as a Progam
Specialist, serving the district's Title I Schools for the Gwinnett County
Public Schools.
Shenée Holloway, formally, Shenée Johnson,
earned her bachelor’s degree in Newspaper Journalism from Florida A&M
University in Tallahassee, FL in 1998. Shenée later graduated with top honors
with a master of arts in teaching secondary English Education in 2009, and a
master of educational leadership in 2019, both from Mercer University in
Atlanta, GA. She has broadened her reach within the community by participating
and graduating from the City of Duluth’s LEAD program, a program to empower
citizens as leaders in the Duluth community. Additionally, Shenée is a member
of the National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement, and
the Norcross-Duluth Chapter of the Kiwanis Club. She is an active member of the
Duluth community serving as a volunteer in the city’s annual Fall Festival, the
Coleman Middle School Parent, Teacher, Student Association (PTSA), the Gwinnett
County Public Schools Parent Advisory Council.
Shenée, originally from Tallahassee, FL resides
in Duluth, GA with her teen-aged daughter, her identical twin sister, who is
also an educator, and her "tween-aged" niece. A choir director, and
worship leader on the weekends, she considers herself a public servant and his
currently working to rename Coleman Middle School in order for the school’s
name to reflect the science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM)
specialty that it embodies. Shenée also plans to further her education by
pursuing a specialist degree in educational leadership in the spring of 2020,
while continuing her work to advocate for mentorship to freshmen transitioning
to high school.