Kevin Armstrong, principal of DuPont Hadley Middle School in Old Hickory, Tennessee, took the helm as 2024-2025 NAESP president, after serving as vice president in 2022-2023 and president-elect in 2022-2023. Armstrong is third male of color to serve as NAESP president in its rich 103-year history.

When running for the position of vice president at NAESP, Armstrong cited three key concerns he plans to focus on now that he’s serving as president of the association:

• Finding effective strategies to offset learning loss in ways that don’t penalize principals, teacher, and students;
• Talking to policymakers about wages, compensation packages, new recruitment strategies, and opportunities for educators to have student loans waived for receiving advanced degrees in the field of education; and
• Advocating for mental health supports to be the norm in schools.

“I believe that NAESP, as an association, will continue to be at the forefront of addressing these challenges as we work collaboratively to turn the corner on these topics and others,” said Armstrong. “[I’m grateful for] the opportunity to lead NAESP in this charge.”

Passing of the Gavel at UNITED

Armstrong accepted the NAESP president’s gavel from 2023-2024 NAESP President Liza Caraballo-Suarez during UNITED: The National Conference on School Leadership in Nashville. Signifying his ascension to the role, Armstrong related his own trajectory with the momentous history of his hometown of Nashville. 

Everything I knew as a child was concentrated in an area less than 11 miles from where I stand. You see … I am Nashville! It’s taught me all I know. Like Nashville, I do not look like what I have been through. Nashville has overcome a 100-year flood, devastating tornadoes, and a tragic school shooting which claimed the lives of six innocent souls, including a fellow school administrator protecting her flock.

Like Nashville, I too have gone through trials and tribulations to come out the backside of life’s storms greater than I once was. And just like Nashville has been here for me, I will be here fighting for, supporting, and most important, listening to our nation’s principals.

This opportunity would not have been possible without my village. I would first like to thank my parents, Lewis, and the late Shirley Armstrong, for their guidance and love of their only child. Their dedication, sacrifice, and allowing their baby boy to dream big helped elevate me to podiums such as this one.

Armstrong went on to thank those who influenced his career, mentioning his wife and family, his school community, and supporters from NAESP and the Tennessee Principals Association like past presidents Caraballo-Suarez and Nancy Meador.  

Representing All Principals

True to his word, Armstrong will continue to support school leaders by representing them on a national scale. Recently, Armstrong has been appointed as an inaugural member of the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse External Advisory Board, which will provide recommendations to the federal government on ways to enhance K-12 school safety and security.

Follow Armstrong on social media at @DrKDArmstrong.