91心頭

These 43 principals exemplify resilient leadership

Date:

Share post:

October is National Principals Month, and these 43 principals are being recognized as 2025’s National Distinguished Principals.

The award is given out annually by the National Association of Elementary School Principals in recognition of public and private school principals who make significant contributions to their schools and communities.

This year, the organization is celebrating 36 elementary, five middle-level and two pre-K12 principals who “exemplify resilience and leadership well beyond the status quo,” said NAESP Executive Director L. Earl Franks.

Below is the full list of 2025’s NAESP National Distinguished Principals:

  • Stan B. Stokley, Ed.D.,Alabama
  • Diane Crockett,Alaska
  • Marianne Lucas Lescher, Ph.D.,Arizona
  • Julie Hatchel, Ed.D.,California
  • Michelle J. Rubidoux-Wilson,Colorado
  • Bryan E. Kerachsky,Connecticut
  • Joan Allison Booth, Ed.D.,Delaware
  • Donna L. Kelley, Ed.D.,Florida
  • Gavin A. Tsue,Hawaii
  • Jennifer E. Gomez, Ed.S.,Idaho
  • Sonia E. Ruiz,Illinois
  • Jayme L. Braida,油鴛看敬温
  • Susan J. Grey,Kansas
  • Sarah Y. Williams, Ed.S.,Kentucky
  • Monya Thomas Criddle, Ph.D.,Louisiana
  • Christina M. Boursaw, Ed.D.,Maine
  • Ryan Daniel, Ed.D.,Maryland
  • Brenda Kelley, Ed.S.,Massachusetts
  • David A. Cherry,Michigan
  • Ashley L. Farrington,Minnesota
  • Fannie D. Green, Ed.D.,Mississippi
  • Amanda R. Spight,Missouri
  • Jamie Courville,Montana
  • Cathy Cooper,Nebraska
  • Jennifer L. Black,Nevada
  • Brittany R. Rhoades,New Mexico
  • Matthew T. Wentworth, Ed.D.,New York
  • Donna Lawson Bledsoe,North Carolina
  • Jenell M. Bear,North Dakota
  • Daniel Kaffar,North Dakota
  • Kasandra D. Nelson, Ed.D.,Oklahoma
  • Matt E. Miller, Ed.D.,Pennsylvania
  • Cheryl Bernardo Vaughn,Rhode Island
  • Jay M. Swatek,South Dakota
  • Patrick L. Certion, Ed.S.,Tennessee
  • Frederick J. Hewitt III, Ed.D.,Tennessee
  • Andra J. Penny, Ph.D.,Texas
  • Timothy J. Pead,Utah
  • Scott Blood,Vermont
  • Alyse L. Zeffiro,Virginia
  • Cathi A. Davis,Washington
  • Samuel L. Karns,油安庄壊界看稼壊庄稼
  • Andrea E. Gilbertson,Wyoming

More from 91心頭: 4 ways to improve the work-life balance for teachers


Micah Ward
Micah Ward
Micah Ward is the editor at District 91心頭istration. His coverage focuses heavily on education technology, artificial intelligence and innovative district leaders. He has a master's degree in journalism from the University of Alabama.

The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights peer-to-peer collaboration and more build exclusively fot K-12 Superintendents and thier leaders
Built for the uniqueness of the superintendent role and their supporting team.Most platforms treat all K12 leaders the same. 91心頭+ recognizes that superintendents face a unique level of pressure, complexity, visibility, and responsibilityand gives them a space designed specifically for the demands of the top job.
A community where you dont have to explain the context.Skip the backstory. 91心頭+ understands the job, the politics, the stakes, and the pace.
Your decisions shape communities.Find the tools and peer insight to make them with confidence here.
Leadership tailored to the realities of running a district.From board relations to budgets, crisis response to community trust91心頭+ focuses on the challenges only superintendents navigate each day.
Built for superintendents.Powered by superintendents. Trusted by superintendents. If you run a district, you belong here.

Related Articles