Ohio's Thomas Tucker Named 2016 AASA National Superintendent of the Year

  • 02/11/16

Phoenix, Ariz. – Thomas S. Tucker, superintendent of Princeton City Schools in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been named the 2016 AASA National Superintendent of the Year. Today’s announcement came at the National Conference on Education, hosted by AASA, The School Superintendents Association.

The other National Superintendent of the Year finalists were:

Now in its 29th year, the National Superintendent of the Year program, co-sponsored by AASA, Aramark and VALIC, celebrates the contributions and leadership of public school superintendents.

“This honor pays homage to the hard work the thousands of students, support staff, teachers, administrators and community members have put in to help educate our state’s children,” said Tucker during an interview with AASA last month. “This honor (as a 2016 AASA National Superintendent of the Year finalist) is not about any (one) superintendent. It’s about the work that all of our constituents are doing.” 

Tucker has served 26 years in the Kansas and Ohio public school systems. During that time, he held the positions of classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, director of secondary curriculum and superintendent.

“Superintendents are America’s foremost thought leaders when it comes to public education. With hundreds of school system leaders gathered at AASA’s National Conference on Education, we are honored to congratulate Thomas Tucker as our 2016 National Superintendent of the Year,” said Jeff Gilliam, president, Aramark K-12 Education. “We also congratulate the three other finalists as well as all of our State Superintendents of the Year. We are proud to be a founding sponsor of AASA’s National Superintendent of the Year program. This is a great way to support the individuals in our nation’s communities who are creating high-quality learning environments for our children.”

“VALIC extends its sincere congratulations to Superintendent Tucker for his outstanding contributions to public education,” said John Kevin, vice president, K-12 Markets, VALIC. “Students of today are our nation’s leaders of tomorrow. That’s why we are proud to join Aramark in honoring our 2016 Superintendent of the Year, our three other finalists, as well as outstanding superintendents across the country who are making a profound impact on the communities in which they serve.”

“On behalf of our nation’s public schools and the 50 million students they serve, we congratulate Superintendent Tucker for being named the 2016 National Superintendent of the Year,” said Daniel A. Domenech, executive director, AASA. “We also congratulate our other finalists, Superintendents Moran, Webb and Williamson, and all of our State Superintendents of the Year. In addition, I commend our sponsors for supporting a program that showcases the outstanding school district leaders who are performing exemplary work on behalf of the students in their respective districts and communities.”

The AASA National Superintendent of the Year program is open to all U.S. superintendents who plan to continue in the profession. The program also honors Canadian and other international school superintendents. The applicants were measured against the following criteria:

  • Leadership for learning – creativity in successfully meeting the needs of students in the 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, and
  • Community involvement – active participation in local community activities and an understanding of regional, national and international issues.

A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2016 AASA National Superintendent of the Year to a student in the high school from which the superintendent graduated, or the school now serving the same area.

For more information about AASA’s National Superintendent of the Year program, contact Bernadine Futrell, AASA director of awards and collaborations, at bfutrell@aasa.org.

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