Educators Honored for Completing AASA’s Aspiring Superintendents Academy® for Female Leaders at National Conference on Education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
James Minichello
703-774-6953 
jminichello@aasa.org

San Diego, Calif. – Feb. 16, 2024 – AASA, The School Superintendents Association, is proud to announce this year’s class of educators to graduate from the organization’s Aspiring Superintendents Academy® for Female Leaders. The announcement was made at the National Conference on Education in San Diego, Calif.

The program brings together women who are on the path to the superintendency to build knowledge and confidence in their ability to lead. The goal of this unique opportunity is to increase the number of women in educational administration positions and leverage their voices in education policy on local and national levels.

“Women are the backbone, and the heart and soul of our public schools. That’s why it is imperative that we create more pathways for the many outstanding female educators who aspire to the superintendency.”

“Women are the backbone, and the heart and soul of our public schools. That’s why it is imperative that we create more pathways for the many outstanding female educators who aspire to the superintendency,” said David R. Schuler, executive director, AASA. “It is an honor to congratulate the 2024 class of graduates from our Aspiring Superintendents Academy® for Female Leaders program. From coast to coast, we are supporting and championing women to be recognized and compensated as the system leaders our public schools rely on and need.”

The graduates from the 2024 AASA Aspiring Superintendents Academy® for Female Leaders are:

• Andrea Alston, director, special populations, Alston Advocacy, Memphis, Tenn.
• Shannon Anderson, principal, Beaverton School District, Beaverton, Ore.
• Heather Beaulieu, deputy superintendent, Jefferson City School District, Jefferson City, Mo.
• Amanda Benolken, director of education, New Hope-Solebury School District, New Hope, Pa.
• Michelle Berg, director, Creighton School District, Phoenix, Ariz.
• Tracy Blackburn, assistant superintendent, Henry County Schools, McDonough, Ga.
• Jennifer Burks, associate superintendent, technology and innovation, Poway Unified School District, San Diego, Calif.
• Sarah Chaja-Clardy, director of secondary teaching, learning and equity, Sun Prairie Area School District, Sun Prairie, Wis.
• Michelle DeWitt, chief academic officer, Lyford Consolidated Independent School District, Lyford, Texas
• Clara Finneran, assistant superintendent, Las Virgenes Unified School District, Calabasas, Calif.
• Caryn Gross, principal, Middletown City School District, Middletown, Ohio
• Quantina Haggwood, executive director, early childhood and elementary, Richland School District 1, Columbia, S.C.
• Angela Hawkins, assistant superintendent of academic services, Verona Area School District, Verona, Wis.
• Jennifer Hawn, deputy superintendent, Da Vinci Schools, El Segundo, Calif.
• Jacy Hess, assistant superintendent, Ephrata Area School District, Ephrata, Pa.
• Danielle Hudson, executive administrator for student services, Beaverton School District, Beaverton, Ore.
• Christine Lee, director, human resources, Chelsea School District, Chelsea, Mich.
• Amie Marsh, executive director, curriculum and instruction, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Memphis, Tenn.
• Marcella McFadden, chief of communications and engagement, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, Monterey, Calif.
• Benicia Nanez Hunt, principal, St. Louis City Public School District, St. Louis, Mo.
• Alysia Odipo, principal, Corona-Norco Unified School District, Norco, Calif.
• Christine Olmstead, chief academic officer, Orange County Department of Education, Costa Mesa, Calif.
• Tracie Scott, assistant superintendent, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Memphis, Tenn.
• Cindy Stolp, director, community education, Pine City School District, Pine City, Minn.

For more information about AASA’s Aspiring Superintendents Academy®, visit the AASA website or contact Mort Sherman, AASA senior associate executive director, Leadership Network, at msherman@aasa.org.

Regarded as the most comprehensive professional learning and networking event for school superintendents and administrators, AASA’s National Conference on Education addresses the most critical issues affecting public education today, including live well, lead well—health and well-being and self-care; redesigning learning; school environment and culture; school safety, finances and operations; and transformational learning and leading.

For more information about the conference, access AASA's Conference Daily Online.

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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.