The 2026 National Superintendent of the Year Award will be bestowed upon a veteran superintendent from Kentucky, Maine, Maryland or Texas on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 12. The announcement will be made around 5 p.m. CT during the 1st General Session of the AASA National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn.
The annual honor has been given by AASA since 1988, making this year’s winner the 39th recipient. The award co-sponsors are Corebridge Financial and Sourcewell.
The 2026 finalists are:
- Demetrus Liggins, superintendent, Fayette County Public Schools in Kentucky;
- Roosevelt Nivens, superintendent, Lamar Consolidated Independent School District in Texas;
- Heather Perry, superintendent, Gorham School Department in Maine; and
- Sonja Santelises, chief executive officer, Baltimore City Schools in Maryland.
All but Maine can claim a previous national honoree in the annual superintendent recognition program.
A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2026 National Superintendent of the Year to a student (or students) in the high school from which the superintendent graduated or the school now serving the same area.
Each finalist was nominated by her or his respective state association and honored with the title of state superintendent of the year. The nominees were then measured against the following criteria:
- Leadership for Learning: Creativity in successfully meeting the needs of students in his or her school system.
- Communication: Strength in both personal and organizational communication.
- Professionalism: Constant 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.
A complete list of the 2026 state-level honorees, awarded independently by each state association, can found on the AASA website.