Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award
The Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award honors 萝卜AV视频members committed to the advancement and mentorship of women and underrepresented groups in our nation's public schools.
Dr. Jones was a school administrator, teacher, counselor, organizer of the Office of Minority Affairs at 萝卜AV视频and a champion of women and underrepresented groups in educational leadership. Access and opportunity defined her life鈥檚 work. A central purpose of her rigorous efforts was to close the academic, health, and social gaps.
She created an environment that supported educators and addressed children鈥檚 varied needs. Because of her commitment to excellence, the field of school leadership is richer and more accessible to a wide range of qualified educators and AASA鈥檚 focus on vulnerable children and youth is sharp and unrelenting.
The award is open to any current 萝卜AV视频member who meets the criteria.
Each candidate is judged on the following criteria:
Access and Belonging
- Helps build and lead groups that open opportunities for women, underrepresented educators, and underserved children
- Demonstrates courageous leadership in advancing the well鈥慴eing, belonging, and respect of children and adults with unwavering persistence
Support
- Provides leadership development through coaching, mentoring, modeling and networking
- Promotes innovative structures to achieve goals of opportunity and excellence
Mentoring
- Shares generously of own knowledge, skills and resources to promote women and underrepresented leaders in education
Results
- Assists in the successful advancement of women and underrepresented leaders in education and/or in addressing the achievement gap among children
Any individual may nominate another individual for this award assuming the nominee meets the criteria in the eligibility section.
Self-nominations are not accepted.
Nominations were due October 31, 2025 via the online nomination form.
What needs to be included on the nomination form?
- Basic nominee and nominator contact information
- Explanations and examples of how the nominee meets each of the eligibility criteria within the areas of access and belonging, support, mentoring and results
- Three (3) letters of support
All nominations are reviewed and judged by an independent committee external to AASA.
This award is presented annually at the 萝卜AV视频National Conference on Education.
Honorees must be present at the ceremony.
Congratulations to the 2026
Effie H. Jones Humanatarian award Winners
Monique Darrisaw-Akil
Superintendent, Uniondale Union Free School District (N.Y.)
Dr. Monique Darrisaw-Akil is a transformative educational leader who believes that within every child resides a unique "genius" waiting to be affirmed. As the Superintendent of the Uniondale Union Free School District, she oversees the success of over 6,000 students through a leadership framework of equity, academic excellence, culturally responsive education, and authentic leadership. Under her stewardship, the Uniondale school district has achieved national acclaim for dramatic increases in the high school graduation rate, being named one of only 27 "My Brother鈥檚 Keeper" communities by the Obama Foundation and receiving the College Board鈥檚 AP Spotlight for remarkable increases in advanced placement participation, particularly for young men of color.
An active leader at the local and national levels, Dr. Darrisaw-Akil currently serves on the Governing Board of AASA, the Diversity and Equity Commission of the New York State Council of School Superintendents and was recently recognized as a "Superintendent to Watch" and the Uniondale Herald鈥檚 2023 Person of the Year. A sought-after speaker and mentor, she serves as a lead faculty member for the AASA/Howard University Aspiring Superintendents鈥� Academy, where she cultivates the next generation of diverse executive leaders.
Aaron Spence
Superintendent, Loudoun County Public Schools (Va.)
A passionate and visionary leader in public education for over three decades, Dr. Aaron Spence is dedicated to ensuring all students have access to rigorous coursework, innovative learning opportunities, and resources they need to succeed. Known for fostering a culture where differences are celebrated and where student and staff voices are valued, Dr. Spence is committed to creating an inclusive and empowering environment for all.
As Superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools, Dr. Spence oversees the instructional leadership and administrative operation of 100 schools and centers serving nearly 83,000 students. He leads LCPS with the belief that every student deserves opportunities to thrive academically, socially and emotionally, preparing them to excel in an ever-changing world.
Stacie Stanley
Superintendent, Saint Paul Public Schools (Minn.)
Dr. Stacie L. Stanley serves as Superintendent of Saint Paul Public Schools, Minnesota's second-largest district, where she began her tenure in May 2025. She previously served as Superintendent of Edina Public Schools, a first ring suburb of Minneapolis, for four years. Throughout her career spanning mathematics teacher, director of equity, school principal, director of curriculum and instruction, and associate superintendent, Dr. Stanley has championed equity and access for all students. She is a systems thinker who has led efforts across several districts to eliminate tracked systems and open doors to rigorous and culturally responsive learning for historically marginalized students.
A fierce advocate for youth voice and equitable learning environments, Dr. Stanley centers her leadership on dignity and belonging for all students and staff. She currently serves as President of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA) where she facilitates its monthly Women In Leadership affinity group.
Past Honorees
2025:
- Nettie Collins-Hart, Superintendent, Hazelwood School District (Mo.) Public Schools
- Alexandra Estrella, Superintendent, Norwalk Public Schools (Conn.)
2024:
- Francisco Dur谩n, Superintendent, Arlington (Va.) Public Schools
- Alena Zachery-Ross, Superintendent, Ypsilanti (Mich.) Community School
2023:
- Avis Williams, Superintendent, NOLA Public Schools (La.)
- Brenda Elliot, Chief, Office of School Improvements and Supports, District of Columbia Public Schools (D.C.)
2022:
- Sharon Adams-Taylor, former 萝卜AV视频associate executive director
- Luvelle Brown, superintendent, Ithaca City School District (N.Y.)
2021:
- Lillie Cox, executive director, North Carolina Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (NCASCD), Charlotte, N.C.; executive director, Piedmont Triad Education Consortium (PTEC)
- Baron Davis, superintendent, Richland School District Two, Columbia, S.C.
- Lillian Torrez, superintendent, Taos Municipal School District, Taos, N.M.
2020:
- Steven T. Webb, superintendent, Vancouver Public Schools, Wash.
- Joe A. Hairston, former associate professor at Howard University and co-founder of the AASA/Howard University Urban Superintendents Academy
2019:
- Wanda Cook-Robinson, superintendent, Oakland Schools, Waterford, Mich.
- Traci Davis, superintendent, Washoe County School District, Reno, Nev.
- Karl V. Hertz, retired superintendent, Mequon-Thiensville School District, Mequon, Wis.; 萝卜AV视频president, 1997-98
2018:
- Martha James-Hassan, school board commissioner, Baltimore City Public Schools and an assistant professor at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Md.
- Dennis O鈥橦ara, superintendent, Hauppauge Public Schools, Hauppauge, N.Y.
- Valeria S. Silva, educational consultant and former superintendent, St. Paul Schools, St. Paul, Minn.
2017:
- John B. King Jr., former U.S. Secretary of Education
2016:
- Elizabeth Ann Sanders
2015:
- LaRuth Gray, retired superintendent, Westchester County, N.Y. and Scholar in Residence at New York University鈥檚 Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development鈥檚 Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools
2014:
- Margaret Grogan, professor of education in the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University in California
- Caroline Hunter, former chemist and a retired school administrator in Cambridge, Mass.
- Jos茅 Torres, superintendent, Elgin U-46 School District (ill.)
2013:
- Concetta Raimondi, superintendent, Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township, Indianapolis, Indiana
2012:
- Deborah Jewell-Sherman, Senior Lecturer at Harvard University鈥檚 Graduate School of Education (HGSE)
- Sheila Harrison-Williams, superintendent, Hazel Crest School District (Ill.)
- Constance R. Collins, superintendent in Round Lake District 116 in (Ill.)
- Constance R. Clark-Snead, superintendent, Westbury Union Free School District (N.Y.)
2011:
- Arlene C. Ackerman, superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia (Pa.)
- Diane E. Reed, associate professor and co-director of the Educational Leadership Program at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y
2010:
- Barbara DeHart, professor in the school of educational studies and director of the urban leadership doctoral program at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, Calif.
- Barbara L. Jackson, professor emerita, Fordham University, N.Y.
- Judith Johnson, superintendent, Peekskill City School District, N.Y.
- Dianne Boardley Sube, first woman president of Saint Augustine鈥檚 College in Raleigh, N.C
2009:
- Lois Harrison-Jones, past-president of the National Alliance of Black School Educators
- Sarah D. Jerome, superintendent, Arlington Heights School District 25 (Ill.)
- Wilfredo T. Laboy, superintendent of Schools in Lawrence, Mass.
- Charol Shakeshaft is professor and chair of the Department of Education Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va.
2008:
- Randall Collins, superintendent, Waterford, Conn.
- Terry B. Grier, superintendent, Guilford County School district, Greensboro, NC
- Frances Jones, executive director of the Piedmont Triad Education Consortium.
- Helen C. Sobehart, associate provost/associate academic vice president at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Penn.
2007:
- Benjamin Canada, associate executive director of district services for the Texas Association of School Boards
- Arthur Stellar, superintendent, Taunton Public Schools, Mass.
2006:
- Joyce A. Dana, assistant professor at St. Louis University, St. Louis, Mo.
- Beverly L. Hall, superintendent in Atlanta, Ga.
- Michael Kremer, superintendent in Hopkins, Minn.
- Robert S. Peterkin, director of the Urban Superintendents Program at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
- Chris L. Wright, superintendent in Florissant, Mo.
2005:
- Rosa A. Smith, president and CEO of the Schott Foundation
2004:
- Janet Baker, superintendent in Hamilton, Ohio
- Michael L. Johnson, superintendent of Bexley City Schools, Ohio
- I. Sue Shepard, interim dean of education at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
