A superintendent from Colorado and a central-office administrator from Washington were named recipients of the 2025 Women in School Leadership Awards at the 2nd General Session of AASA’s National Conference on Education on Friday morning in New Orleans.
The awards, co-sponsored by Horace Mann and AASA, were made in two categories.
In the Superintendent division, the honoree was Wendy Birhanzel, superintendent, Harrison School District 2 in Colorado.
Named in the Central Office/Principal category was Alicen Gaytley, director of teaching and learning, Quincy School District in Washington.
Bihanzel was Colorado's 2023 Superintendent of the Year. She has served more than 20 years in public education throughout California and Colorado. She earned her doctorate degree in educational leadership in urban school settings from the University of Southern California.
Gaytley has served nearly 14 years in the Wenatchee School District 246 in Washington. She has been in her current role since 2018. Previously, she was program administrator for AVID and an instructional coach in Wenatchee.
The other finalists for the AASA awards were Martha Salazar-Zamora, superintendent, Tomball Independent School District in Texas and Jennifer Halter, principal, Clay High School, Clay County District Schools in Florida.
The finalists were evaluated on their leadership in meeting the learning needs of students, personal and organizational communication strength, constant professional improvement of knowledge and skills, and active community involvement.
