Nominees Announced for 2021 Superintendent of the Year Award

For release: July 1, 2021        
Contact: Joan Randall, 512.340.2983
soty@tasb.org
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(Austin) — Regional winners of the annual Superintendent of the Year (SOTY) award have been announced. Sponsored by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), the SOTY program has recognized exemplary superintendents for excellence and achievement in educational leadership since 1984.

Regional superintendents of the year nominated by regional selection committees are:

  • Hafedh Azaiez*, Donna ISD, Region 1 
  • Conrado Garcia, West Oso ISD, Region 2
  • Courtney Hudgins, East Bernard ISD, Region 3
  • HD Chambers, Alief ISD, Region 4
  • Mike Gonzales, Port Neches-Groves ISD, Region 5
  • Keith Smith, Madisonville CISD, Region 6
  • Rickey Albritton, Gilmer ISD, Region 7
  • Sidney Harrist, Atlanta ISD, Region 8
  • Michelle Cline, Throckmorton Collegiate ISD, Region 9
  • Michael Hinojosa, Dallas ISD, Region 10
  • Susan Bohn, Aledo ISD, Region 11
  • Brandon Hubbard, Chilton ISD, Region 12
  • Mark Estrada, Lockhart ISD, Region 13
  • Jason Cochran, Eastland ISD, Region 14
  • Dave Lewis, Rochelle ISD, Region 15
  • Jimmy Hannon, Highland Park ISD-Potter County, Region 16
  • H.T. Sanchez, Plainview ISD, Region 17
  • Samuel Wyatt, Rankin ISD, Region 18
  • Rosa Vega-Barrio, Tornillo ISD, Region 19
  • Jeanette Ball, Judson ISD, Region 20.

Candidates are chosen for their strong leadership skills, dedication to improving educational quality, ability to build effective employee relations, student performance, and commitment to public involvement in education. Local nominees are submitted to a regional selection committee, which chooses one nominee to send to the state selection committee.

The state committee will interview regional winners on August 27-28 and select five state finalists. The Superintendent of the Year will be announced in September at the 2021 Texas Association of School Administrators/TASB Convention.

*Donna ISD was the nominating district. This month Azaiez begins his role as superintendent of Round Rock ISD.

TASB is a nonprofit association established in 1949 to serve local public school boards. School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state. The districts they represent serve more than 5.4 million public school students.