Current & Former Honorees

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Congratulations to the 2023 AASA National Superintendent of the Year®
Kevin McGowan, superintendent, Brighton Central Schools (Rochester, N.Y.)

Kevin McGowan with Dan Domenech and Shari Camhi

Success although impressive, is not truly success unless it (benefits) all kids … if all humans in our school community are not successful, then none are.”

As superintendent of the Brighton Central School District in Rochester, N.Y., Kevin McGowan is known for his strategic thinking, his willingness to listen to opposing viewpoints, his transparency and his calm leadership.

He’s also known for his steadfast commitment to the belief he commonly shares that every single child matters: “Every child, every day, in every way.”

Elaborating on the point, he says: “You start by paying attention to every single individual and what their needs are. It’s not that complicated. It’s actually embarrassingly simple. … I think, ‘what would I want for my own children?’ Then we put all of our decisions in that context.”

McGowan was just 34 when he interviewed for the superintendency of the Brighton Central School District, a highly desirable suburban district that prizes its excellent teaching staff and diverse student population.

“Kevin was the only one who turned to the students and said, ‘What do you think?’” says board of education president Larry Davis, who served as a parent volunteer on the search committee that interviewed McGowan as a candidate for the job in 2009. “He was the only candidate who spoke to the students directly. And that wasn’t a staged thing. That was him being him.”

View Kevin's Profile in the 2023 Conference Daily Online

View the AASA Press Release Announcing Kevin'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 2023 Finalists

PJ Caposey

PJ Caposey

Meridian Community Unit School District #223 Stillman Valley, Ill.

Matthew Hillmann

Matthew Hillmann

Northfield Public Schools, ISD 659 Northfield, Minn.

Trent North

Trent North

Douglas County School System Douglasville, Ga.

Former National Superintendent of the Year® Award Winners

2022: Curtis Cain, Wentzville School District (Mo.)

2021: Michelle Reid, Northshore School District (Wash.)

2020: Gustavo Balderas, Eugene School District 4J (Ore.)

2019: Curtis Jones, Bibb County School District (Ga.)

2018: David Schuler, Township High School District (Ill.)

2017: Matthew Utterback, North Clackamas School District (Ore.)

2016: Thomas S. W. Tucker, Princeton City Schools (Ohio)

2015: Philip D. Lanoue, Clarke County School District (Ga.)

2014: Alberto M. Carvalho, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (Fla.)

2013: Mark A. Edwards, Mooresville Graded School District (N.C.)

2012: Heath Morrison, Washoe County School District (Nev.)

2011: Marcus P. Johnson, Sanger Unified School District (Calif.)

2010: Betty Molina Morgan, Washington County Public Schools (Md.)

2009: Beverly Hall, Atlanta Public Schools (Ga.)

2008: Rudolph F. Crew, Miami-Dade County School District (Fla.)

2007: Krista Parent, South Lane School District (Ore.)

2006: Manuel J. Rivera, Rochester City School District (N.Y.)

2005: Monte C. Moses, Cherry Creek School District (Colo.)

2004: William R. McNeal, Jr., Wake County School District (N.C.)

2003: Kenneth A. Dragseth, Edina Public Schools (Minn.)

2002: Gail G. Uilkema, Piedmont Unified School District (Calif.)

2001: Rod Paige, Houston Independent School District (Texas)

2000: F. Donald Saul, Thompson School District (Colo.)

1999: N. Gerry House, Memphis City Schools (Tenn.)

1998: Barbara Grohe, Iowa City Community School District (Iowa)

1997: John R. O'Rourke, Pittsford Central School District (N.Y.)

1996: Janet N. Barry, Central Kitsap School District (Wash.)

1995: Robert R. Spillane, Fairfax County Public Schools (Va.)

1994: Kenneth L. Moffett, Lennox School District (Calif.)

1993: Kenneth S. Burnley, Colorado Springs School District (Colo.)

1992: Donald W. Ingwerson, Jefferson County Public Schools (Ky.)

1991: Carol G. Peck, Alhambra School District (Ariz.)

1990: Donald R. Draayer, Minnetoka Public Schools (Minn.)

1989: James A. Wilsford, Orangeburg School District (S.C.)

1988: Gene R. Carter, Norfolk Public Schools (Va.)

Former State Superintendents of the Year
Thank You to our National Superintendent of the Year Partners
Questions?

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