Educational Administration Scholarship Award

AASA’s Educational Administration Scholarships were created in 1949 to provide incentive, honor and financial assistance to outstanding graduate students in school administration who intend to make the school superintendency a career.

The scholarships in the amount of $2,500 each for outstanding graduate students are named for each of AASA's seven former executive directors. Recipients are honored at AASA's National Conference on Education and a $500 travel allowance is provided.

To sponsor the Educational Administration scholarships, contact Kay Dillon at 703-875-0761 or kdillon@aasa.org.

Nominations and Deadlines

Applications are available online by April 15 or from chairs of educational administration departments at universities that have such a program. Only one candidate may be submitted by each college or university campus and each candidate must be recommended by the dean of the school of education in which the candidate is enrolled. If a nominee is selected to receive this award, the nominee must be a member of or apply for membership with AASA at the aspiring superintendent rate. Applications must be received by July 30.

Download the application [.doc].

Recent Recipients

The 2012 scholarship recipients, in alphabetical order of recipient, and the university at which each is pursuing doctoral studies, are:

S. D. Shankland Award

Robert E. Bostic, director of school leadership and instructional technology, Denton Independent School District, Tex.; University of North Texas, Denton, Tex.

Forrest E. Connor Award

David Lee Dimmett, senior vice president/chief communications officer, Project Lead the Way, Clifton Park, N.Y.; Indiana University, Bloomington, In.

Worth McClure Award

Anne Tybor Hoover, middle school principal, Palmyra Area School District, Pa.; Widener University, Chester, Pa.

Paul B. Salmon Award

David Grant Hornak, elementary principal, Holt Public Schools, Mich.; Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

Finis E. Engleman Award

Michael S.W. Knox, principal, Celebrate the Children, School for Children with Alternative Learning Styles, Wharton, N.J.; Kean University, Union, N.J.

Richard D. Miller Award

Jennifer Ruth Kubista, director of student life, Tacoma Public Schools, Wash.; Seattle University, Wash.

Paul D. Houston Award

Lisa Hackel Young, coordinator of 21st learning and professional development, Carroll Independent School District, Tex.; University of North Texas, Denton, Tex.

2011 Recipients
The 2011 scholarship recipients, in alphabetical order, are:

S. D. Shankland Award
Matthew James Adams is an elementary school principal, Ankeny Community School District in Ankeny, Iowa. He is working on his doctorate in education from Drake University in Des Moines. Adams received a B.S. degree in elementary education from Iowa State University and both a master's degree and an Ed.S. degree in educational leadership from Drake University.

Worth McClure Award
Christopher Stephen Bernier is principal of School Choice Services for Orange County Public Schools in Orange County, Fla. He is completing the requirements for his doctorate at the University of Central Florida. Bernier earned his bachelor’s degree from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, N.Y., and a master’s degree from Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Finis E. Engleman Award
Maribel Galan is an elementary principal in Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District in Norwalk, Calif.. She is completing her doctoral requirements at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. She has earned her bachelor’s degree in law and society from the University of California Santa Barbara and her master’s in education administration from California State University-Dominguez Hills.

Forrest E. Connor Award
Fawzia A. Keval is an elementary principal in Elk Grove Unified School District in Elk Grove, Calif. She is working on her doctorate at California State University, Sacramento. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nairobi, Kenya and her master’s degree in school administration from California State University, Sacramento.

Paul B. Salmon Award
Amy Marie Kortemeyer is an elementary director of teaching and learning, Linn-Mar Community School District in Marion, Iowa. She is enrolled in the University of Northern Iowa’s Superintendent’s Licensure Program. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and her master’s degree from University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Richard D. Miller Award
Kathleen A. Rieke is coordinator of mathematics, science and Title I in the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township in Indianapolis She is pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership and curriculum and instruction at Indiana University. Rieke holds a master’s degree from Butler University and bachelor’s degrees from Illinois State University.

Paul D. Houston Award
Bruce Ralph Willingham Jr. is assistant superintendent of personnel for Maple Heights City Schools in Maple Heights, Ohio. He is a doctoral candidate at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio. Willingham graduated from Cleveland State University and received a master’s degree in educational administration from John Carroll University.

2010 Recipients
Robert R. Bravo
Monique A. Darrisaw
Kim M. Hanks
Eric O. Haugeberg
Laura A. McDermott
Rosanna G. Mucetti
Corinne D. Pflug-Tilton

2009 Recipients
Ricardo Z. Medina
Margaret Lowell Rice
Matthew R. Seaton
Cynthia Renee Blansfield
Brandon Heath Core
Amanda C. Alice
Peter Sundin Carpenter, II

2008 Recipients
Patricia B. Charles
John V. Doherty
Robert J. Glass
Catherine McNamara
Kenneth R. Whitt
Denise M. Wickham

Staff Contact:
Paula Dearden

awards@aasa.org / pdearden@aasa.org

703-875-0717