AASA, The School Superintendents Association, is honoring a pair of superintendents from Missouri and Connecticut as recipients of the 2025 Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award. The presentation will take place at the 1st General Session of AASA’s National Conference on Education on Thursday, March 6, in New Orleans. 

The Effie Jones award is an annual recognition of education leaders committed to the advancement and mentorship of women and people of color and/or those who take a lead in addressing social justice issues among children and adults in schools. 

The 2025 honorees were selected for this award because they exemplify the qualities modeled by the late Dr. Effie Hall Jones, a school administrator, teacher, counselor and former AASA associate executive director. 

The 2025 recipients are: 

• Nettie Collins-Hart, superintendent, Hazelwood School District, Florissant, Mo.    

• Alexandra Estrella, superintendent, Norwalk Public Schools, Norwalk, Conn. 

“These two outstanding individuals continue to break down barriers and build bridges to ensure that the field of educational leadership is richer and more accessible to a wide range of qualified educators – we honor and congratulate them,” said David R. Schuler, executive director, AASA. “Dr. Jones, a trailblazer throughout her illustrious career, would have been proud of their unselfish devotion to the students they serve and the communities in which they live.” 

The awardees will be further honored on Friday, March 7, at the Dr. Effie Hall Jones Memorial Equity Luncheon, which is co-hosted by AASA, the National Alliance for Black School Educators and the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents and sponsored by the Institute for Educational Innovation. 

These two outstanding individuals continue to break down barriers and build bridges to ensure that the field of educational leadership is richer and more accessible to a wide range of qualified educators. 

About the Honorees 

Nettie Collins-Hart 

Collins-Hart became the superintendent of the Hazelwood School District in 2016 and has created academic acceleration models in five thematic schools, led the opening of a school-based health center, facilitated the development and implementation of the Hazelwood NOW Strategic Plan, expanded early childhood education opportunities districtwide, balanced the $250M budget and successfully advocated for compensation increases across all employee groups.  

Her current efforts include collaborating with state agencies and local organizations to design and implement equity measures for school districts statewide.  

During her tenure, graduating seniors in Hazelwood earned more than $188M in scholarships and volunteered over 200,000 community service hours. Hazelwood School District supports 2,950 staff who serve over 16,000 students representing over 60 countries and nearly 40 languages in North St. Louis County, Mo. 

Collins-Hart was a teacher for nine years and has experience as an assistant principal, principal, curriculum director, assistant superintendent and college professor.  

Alexandra Estrella 

Estrella is a first-generation Latina-American with more than 27 years of experience in education. As superintendent of Norwalk Public Schools in Connecticut, she championed educational equity, created opportunities for students and fostered diverse leadership.  

As an advocate for systemic change, Estrella is committed to eliminating barriers that limit student potential. Her leadership focuses on addressing disproportionalities in data and embedding equity, excellence and inclusion across the district.  

In 2021, she introduced the role of deputy superintendent of excellence, equity and inclusion to drive these efforts. Under her guidance, the district has implemented multi-year professional learning workshops for the school board, administrators and staff to advance equity and inclusion. Through mentorship and advocacy, she uplifts diverse voices, modeling equity and excellence for future leaders. Her work is grounded in the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to achieve their dreams and her passion for equity reflects both a professional commitment and a personal mission. 

(Lara Wade is AASA’s director of public relations.)