Barbara Hunter
Barbara M. Hunter, APR, became the executive director of the National School Public Relations Association in November 2020. Prior to joining NSPRA, she spent five years as the president/CEO of Hunter Communications LLC, based in Alexandria, Va.
She also spent 14 years as the chief communications officer in two school districts in Northern Virginia鈥擜lexandria City Public Schools and Fairfax County Public Schools, the 10th largest in the nation.
She started her career in school communications at AASA, the School Superintendents Association, as editor of The School Administrator magazine. Barbara also served as the director of communications for the National School Boards Association.
Under her leadership and with a phenomenal staff and board, NSPRA has grown significantly in metrics and impact on public education. With today鈥檚 membership of nearly 3,000 nationwide, NSPRA is the go-to source for best practices and professional development in school communications for all school leaders.
Barbara was the inspiration behind and a primary contributor to NSPRA鈥檚 Rubrics of Practice and Suggested Measures, which now serves as the standard for evaluating school communication programs. She has earned dozens of awards and national recognition, including a Silver Anvil Award of Excellence from the Public Relations Society of America and a Gold Medallion from NSPRA for a community engagement campaign on changing school start times.
She holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in communications and management from Hood College and a master鈥檚 degree in public relations management from The American University. In addition, she holds accreditation in public relations (APR) and has served as the NSPRA Mideast Region vice president as well as president of the Chesapeake chapter of NSPRA. Currently, she serves as chair of the Learning First Alliance, a powerful group of national education associations that advance trust, investment and equity in public education for each and every learner.
