Current & Former Honorees
Congratulations to the 2025 AASA National Superintendent of the Year®
Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr., Jefferson County Schools, Ala.
As the superintendent of Jefferson County Schools in Birmingham, Ala., Walter Gonsoulin Jr. oversees 56 schools with 35,000 students in an area that’s roughly the size of Rhode Island. It’s the state’s second largest district, with a diverse student body.
Gonsoulin was ready for the task when he took on the job in 2020. He already had spent several years serving as deputy superintendent and interim superintendent. He dove right in, tackling challenges such as chronic absenteeism and spearheading changes in the school district’s zoning patterns to open up learning opportunities to students, regardless of where they lived.
“He is a visionary leader who provides a clear, innovative and strategic vision for improving educational opportunities for all students,” says Carita Venable, a board member for Jefferson County Schools.
For his ambitious leadership and achievements, Gonsoulin, 56, was named the 2025 Alabama State Superintendent of the Year and then, at the AASA National Conference on Education in New Orleans, the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year. He’s the first Alabama educator to win the prestigious annual honor, first awarded in 1989.
View Walter's Profile in the 2025 Conference Daily Online
View the AASA Press Release Announcing Walter's Honor
A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the AASA National Superintendent of the Year® to a student in the high school from which the superintendent graduated, or the school now serving the same area.
Other 2025 Finalists
Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat
Peoria Public School District 150, Ill.
Debbie Jones
Bentonville School District, Ark.
David K. Moore
School District of Indian River County, Fla.
Thank You to our National Superintendent of the Year Partners
Questions?
Contact awards@aasa.org
or call 703-875-0709