AASA Announces 2024 Women in School Leadership Award Honorees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

San Diego, Calif. – Feb. 16, 2024 – As part of a long-standing tradition to create more pathways for women who wish to enter the field of education administration, AASA, The School Superintendents Association, is pleased to announce the honorees of the 2024 AASA Women in School Leadership Awards.

The awards, sponsored by Horace Mann and AASA, pay tribute to the talent, creativity and vision of outstanding women educational administrators in the nation’s public schools. Today’s announcement was made at AASA’s National Conference on Education in San Diego, Calif.

The honorees in each category were as follows:

• Superintendent Award: Deborah Wortham, Roosevelt Union Free School District, Roosevelt, N.Y.
• Central Office/Principal Award: Romy Decristofaro, assistant superintendent of student services, Evanston/Skokie School District 65, Evanston, Ill.  

“Horace Mann is pleased to partner with AASA to honor these strong leaders in the education field,” said Marita Zuraitis, president and CEO, Horace Mann. “By inspiring others, creating environments where students can thrive and mentoring future leaders, they are role models for others in this challenging environment. As strong leaders, they know they can also influence educator retention and recruitment, keys to the quality of education in the future.”

“There is a wealth of knowledge and creativity among the many women superintendents and other administrators throughout our country, which is why the AASA Women in School Leadership Awards were created,” said David R. Schuler, executive director, AASA. “It is mission critical to significantly increase the number of women in education administrative positions. We are so proud to honor these talented educators today at our national conference. We thank the Horace Mann League for supporting our 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 – consistent 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

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 program, visit the AASA website or contact Jennifer Rooney, AASA senior director, meetings and awards, at jrooney@aasa.org.

For more information about the 2024 National Conference on Education, 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.