AASA Announces 2021 Women in School Leadership Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
James Minichello
703-875-0723
703-774-6953 (cell)
jminichello@aasa.org 

Alexandria, Va. – Feb. 19, 2021 –AASA, The School Superintendents Association, is pleased to announce the honorees of the 2021 AASA Women in School Leadership Awards.

Today’s announcement was held at the organization’s 2021 virtual National Conference on Education. The award, sponsored by Horace Mann and AASA, pays tribute to the talent, creativity and vision of outstanding women educational administrators in the nation’s public schools. 

The honorees in each category were as follows: 

• Superintendent Award: Noreen Bush, superintendent, Cedar Rapids Community School District, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Central Office/Principal Award (for any female central-office or building-level leader): Tanzy Kilcrease, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, Bibb County School District, Macon, Ga.

“As a company actively committed to both serving educators and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, we at Horace Mann are proud to support the Women in School Leadership Awards,” said Horace Mann president and CEO, Marita Zuraitis.  “In order to drive positive change in public education, especially during these uncertain times, we must celebrate the achievements of the women leaders making a difference in our school communities.”

“We need to see more and more bold initiatives take place in public education and one of them is recognizing the exceptional leadership from women who are making a positive difference in the lives of our children,” said Daniel A. Domenech, executive director, AASA. “The Women in School Leadership Awards continue to serve as an example of a longstanding tradition at AASA. A way to foster academic success is to increase more pathways for women educators—so they can become critical change agents in our school districts and our communities. We are grateful to Horace Mann for supporting this program.” 

The applicants were measured against the following criteria:

• Leadership for learning – creativity in successfully meeting the needs of students in the school system
• Communication – strength in both personal and organizational communication
• Professionalism – constant improvement of administrative knowledge and skills, while providing professional development opportunities and motivation to others on the education team
• Community involvement – active participation in local community activities and an understanding of regional, national and international issues 

For more information about the program, contact Jennifer Rooney, AASA director, meetings and awards, at jrooney@aasa.org.

Regarded as the most comprehensive professional learning and networking event for school superintendents and administrators, the National Conference on Education is addressing the most critical issues affecting public education today, including leading through the COVID-19 pandemic, equity in education, social and emotional learning, personalizing education, technology and school safety. 

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About AASA
AASA, The School Superintendents Association, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit www.aasa.org.