For Immediate Release

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

Alexandria, Va. – (July 11, 2018) – Chris Gaines, superintendent of the Mehlville School District in St. Louis, Mo., was sworn in today as the 2018-19 president of AASA, The School Superintendents Association.

“It has been a professional honor working with some of the best superintendents in the country through my work at AASA,” said Gaines. “The key components woven into AASA’s mission include advocacy, equity and leadership development. During my tenure as AASA president, I will work diligently to strengthen those components, which can only empower our superintendents as they work to increase student learning outcomes for the students they serve. I am proud to be a superintendent at the Mehlville School District and equally as proud to be part of AASA.”

A member of AASA’s inaugural 2017 Personalized Learning Cohort and Certification program, Gaines is also an active member of AASA’s Digital Consortium. His district hosted the consortium's 2018 spring meeting. "When (our members) are engaging together, they’re able to learn together and when they go home, they can lead their districts toward a brighter future for their students," he said at the meeting.

(See the video: “AASA Digital Consortium Spring 2018”)

Gaines has been a member of AASA’s governing structure since 2008 and has served on the organization’s executive committee since 2014. He has also been a member of the Missouri Association of School Administrators since 2001.

"I often refer to superintendents as ‘champions for children.’ For what he has accomplished throughout his career, Chris Gaines is a ‘champion’s champion’ and I congratulate him as our new president,” said Daniel A. Domenech, executive director, AASA. “Chris works to escalate and promote such cutting-edge tools on behalf of students as personalized and digital learning. He has been nothing short of outstanding. I look forward to working with him in his new role."

Gaines began his tenure as superintendent of the Mehlville School District in 2015. Prior to that, he served as superintendent of the Wright City R-II School District, in Wright City, Mo., beginning in 2008. During the previous seven years, he served as superintendent of Crawford County R-1 School District, in Bourbon, Mo.

Deborah L. Kerr, superintendent of the School District of Brown Deer in Brown Deer, Wis., was also sworn in today as AASA president-elect. The installation ceremony was held in conjunction with AASA’s Legislative Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C.

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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 the highest quality public education for all children. For more information, visit www.aasa.org.