Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award

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The Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award honors AASA members who have advanced the status of women and minorities in education.

Honorees have exemplified leadership in educational equity.

Dr. Jones was a school administrator, teacher, counselor, organizer of the Office of Minority Affairs at AASA and a champion of women and minorities in educational leadership. Equity and opportunity were the hallmark of her life work and closing the academic, health and social gap between the children who have and those who don’t was one of the cardinal intents of her rigorous efforts to increase the numbers of women and minority school system leaders.

She created both a space where minority and women educators could be nurtured, supported, mentored, challenged and where the differing needs of children could be addressed. Because of her commitment to equity and excellence, the field of school leadership is richer, more complex, and more accessible to a wide range of qualified educators and AASA’s focus on vulnerable children and youth is sharp and unrelenting.

Eligibility

Nominations

Honors

The award is open to any current AASA member who meets the criteria.

Applicants must demonstrate commitment to the advancement and mentorship of women and minorities in positions of leadership and/or to address social justice issues among children, youth and adults in schools.

Each candidate is judged on the following criteria:

Equity

Organizes and facilitates networks and enterprises to ensure equity and access for women and people of color in education or on behalf of disadvantaged children
Demonstrates courageous leadership in addressing social justice issues among children and adults with unwavering persistence

Support

Provides leadership development through coaching, mentoring, modeling and networking
Promotes innovative structures to achieve goals of equity and excellence

Mentoring

Shares generously of own knowledge, skills and resources to promote women and people of color in education and to address equity issues among children

Results

Assists in the successful advancement of women and people of color in education and/or in addressing the achievement gap among children

Any individual may nominate another individual for this award assuming the nominee meets the criteria in the eligibility section.

Self-nominations are not accepted.

Nominations were due October 31, 2024 via the online nomination form.

What needs to be included on the nomination form?

Basic nominee and nominator contact information
Explanations and examples of how the nominee meets each of the eligibility criteria within the areas of equity, support, mentoring and results
Three (3) letters of support

All nominations are reviewed and judged by an independent committee external to AASA.

Congratulations to the 2024
Effie H. Jones Humanatarian award Winners

Francisco Durán

Superintendent, Arlington (Va.) Public Schools

Dr. Francisco Durán has a diverse background in education spanning 30 years, in a variety of large urban school divisions. He is a bilingual educator who began his career as a special education assistant, and he served as a middle school language arts and social studies teacher. He went on to hold administrative and leadership positions in the San Francisco Unified School District, served as a Regional Superintendent in the School District of Philadelphia, Chief Academic and Equity Officer in Fairfax County, Virginia, and Superintendent of Trenton Public Schools in New Jersey. Dr. Durán is also an adjunct professor at George Mason University and Howard University. On May 7, 2020, the Arlington School Board appointed Dr. Durán as Superintendent and he was reappointed to second four-year term on July 1. 2023.

In 2018, Dr. Durán was appointed to a four-year term on the Virginia State Board of Education where he played a key role in the adoption of the new Standards of Quality for Virginia.

Dr. Durán has a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of New Mexico, a master’s degree in educational administration from San Francisco State University, and a master’s degree and doctorate in organization and leadership from Columbia University.

Dr. Durán has been a lifelong champion for students of color, students with disabilities, LGBT youth, and increasing the number of women and people of color in leadership positions. In Fairfax County as Chief Academic and Equity Officer, he helped develop, initiate, and implement the “One Fairfax” policy to close opportunity, access and achievement gaps, a joint social and racial equity policy with Fairfax County Government. He was Chair of the City of Alexandria Human Rights Commission, where he served for four years and is a current member of the Independent Community Policing Review Board for the City of Alexandria. Dr. Durán is the immediate Past President of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) and has served on the Board of Directors for nine years.

Alena Zachery-Ross

Superintendent, Ypsilanti (Mich.) Community School

Dr. Alena Zachery-Ross is an accomplished educational leader with extensive experience in K-12 school administration and central office management. She has served as the Superintendent of Ypsilanti Community Schools since 2018 and has previously held leadership positions in Okemos Public Schools and Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System.

Dr. Zachery-Ross is widely recognized for her exceptional leadership skills. During her tenure in Muskegon Heights, she successfully transformed the entire district, improving student discipline, attendance, and graduation rates and reducing dropout rates.

Her educational background includes a Bachelor's Degree in Special Education/Psychology from Grand Valley State University, a Master's Degree in Education Psychology from Wayne State University, and an Ed. D. in Educational Leadership from Michigan State University. She has also completed several leadership programs, including the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators Horizons Leadership Program, AASA's National Superintendent's Certification Program, and AASA's Howard Urban Superintendent's Academy.

As a visionary leader, Dr. Zachery-Ross is passionate about leadership development and group collaboration. She has extensive experience in curriculum development, multicultural education, school safety, budget and finance, professional learning communities, group facilitation, team building, grant writing, community relations, and data analysis.

Dr. Zachery-Ross is a sought-after speaker, educational consultant, and professional development trainer. She has presented nationally for organizations such as AASA, Edmentum, Thinking Collaborative, Teachers As Facilitators, Michigan State Police, and the Warden's Conference. Her upcoming book series, "Unstoppable Leadership," expands on her vision for everyone to become unstoppable leaders.

In addition to her leadership roles in education, Dr. Zachery-Ross is also the Pastor of Isom Memorial CME Church. Her passion for youth and educators is evident in all that she does, and she continues to inspire and empower others through her work in education and ministry.

Past Honorees

View All Prior Awardees

2023:

Avis Williams, Superintendent, NOLA Public Schools (La.)
Brenda Elliot, Chief, Office of School Improvements and Supports, District of Columbia Public Schools (D.C.)

2022:

Sharon Adams-Taylor, former AASA associate executive director
Luvelle Brown, superintendent, Ithaca City School District (N.Y.)

2021:

Lillie Cox, executive director, North Carolina Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (NCASCD), Charlotte, N.C.; executive director, Piedmont Triad Education Consortium (PTEC)
Baron Davis, superintendent, Richland School District Two, Columbia, S.C.
Lillian Torrez, superintendent, Taos Municipal School District, Taos, N.M.

2020:

Steven T. Webb, superintendent, Vancouver Public Schools, Wash.
Joe A. Hairston, former associate professor at Howard University and co-founder of the AASA/Howard University Urban Superintendents Academy

2019:

Wanda Cook-Robinson, superintendent, Oakland Schools, Waterford, Mich.
Traci Davis, superintendent, Washoe County School District, Reno, Nev.
Karl V. Hertz, retired superintendent, Mequon-Thiensville School District, Mequon, Wis.; AASA president, 1997-98

2018:

Martha James-Hassan, school board commissioner, Baltimore City Public Schools and an assistant professor at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md.
Dennis O’Hara, superintendent, Hauppauge Public Schools, Hauppauge, N.Y.
Valeria S. Silva, educational consultant and former superintendent, St. Paul Schools, St. Paul, Minn.

2017:

John B. King Jr., former U.S. Secretary of Education

2016:

Elizabeth Ann Sanders

2015:

LaRuth Gray, retired superintendent, Westchester County, N.Y. and Scholar in Residence at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development’s Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools

2014:

Margaret Grogan, professor of education in the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University in California
Caroline Hunter, former chemist and a retired school administrator in Cambridge, Mass.
José Torres, superintendent, Elgin U-46 School District (ill.)

2013:

Concetta Raimondi, superintendent, Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township, Indianapolis, Indiana

2012:

Deborah Jewell-Sherman, Senior Lecturer at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education (HGSE)
Sheila Harrison-Williams, superintendent, Hazel Crest School District (Ill.)
Constance R. Collins, superintendent in Round Lake District 116 in (Ill.)
Constance R. Clark-Snead, superintendent, Westbury Union Free School District (N.Y.)

2011:

Arlene C. Ackerman, superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia (Pa.)
Diane E. Reed, associate professor and co-director of the Educational Leadership Program at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y

2010:

Barbara DeHart, professor in the school of educational studies and director of the urban leadership doctoral program at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Calif.
Barbara L. Jackson, professor emerita, Fordham University, N.Y.
Judith Johnson, superintendent, Peekskill City School District, N.Y.
Dianne Boardley Sube, first woman president of Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, N.C

2009:

Lois Harrison-Jones, past-president of the National Alliance of Black School Educators
Sarah D. Jerome, superintendent, Arlington Heights School District 25 (Ill.)
Wilfredo T. Laboy, superintendent of Schools in Lawrence, Mass.
Charol Shakeshaft is professor and chair of the Department of Education Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va.

2008:

Randall Collins, superintendent, Waterford, Conn.
Terry B. Grier, superintendent, Guilford County School district, Greensboro, NC
Frances Jones, executive director of the Piedmont Triad Education Consortium.
Helen C. Sobehart, associate provost/associate academic vice president at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Penn.

2007:

Benjamin Canada, associate executive director of district services for the Texas Association of School Boards
Arthur Stellar, superintendent, Taunton Public Schools, Mass.

2006:

Joyce A. Dana, assistant professor at St. Louis University, St. Louis, Mo.
Beverly L. Hall, superintendent in Atlanta, Ga.
Michael Kremer, superintendent in Hopkins, Minn.
Robert S. Peterkin, director of the Urban Superintendents Program at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Chris L. Wright, superintendent in Florissant, Mo.

2005:

Rosa A. Smith, president and CEO of the Schott Foundation

2004:

Janet Baker, superintendent in Hamilton, Ohio
Michael L. Johnson, superintendent of Bexley City Schools, Ohio
I. Sue Shepard, interim dean of education at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Questions?

Kayla Jackson

Project Director, AASA, The School Superintendents Association

kjackson@aasa.org