Alexandria, Virginia—May 29, 2025—With a commitment to preparing school leaders to help provide high-quality and aligned early learning, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools (CLAS), and the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education (ADECE) are pleased to announce 40 school leaders have recently completed the NAESP Pre-K–3 Leadership Academy®.  

The participants represent the eighth Alabama cohort to participate in the award-winning professional learning program that provides principals and educators with a job-embedded experience in developmentally appropriate early learning leadership practices.

“NAESP is proud of our partnership with Alabama in providing early childhood education training to school leaders,” said NAESP Executive Director L. Earl Franks, Ed.D., CAE. “These educators are committed to Alabama’s youngest learners and inspire us with their dedication. Congratulations to the 2025 Pre-K–3 Leadership Academy graduating cohort.”

The academy has directly supported Alabama’s school leaders in deepening their knowledge of the needs of young children and sharpening their skills as instructional leaders of early learning, a critical missing component in aligned early learning systems. NAESP’s foundational competency guide, Leading Learning Communities: A Principal’s Guide to Early Learning and the Early Grades (Pre-K−3^rd Grade), provides the framework for the NAESP Pre-K-3 Leadership Academy.

The Alabama cohort focused on competencies such as developing and fostering partnerships with families and communities, ensuring equitable learning opportunities, promoting a culture of continuous improvement, and building professional capacity across the learning community. In addition to coursework, cohort members participated in a culminating Capstone Project that allowed them to apply their learning to a problem of practice within their school or district. 

The academy is funded by the ADECE through Governor Kay Ivey’s Strong Start, Strong Finish education initiative and by the federal Preschool Development Grant, Birth through Five.  

“The Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools is proud to partner with NAESP and the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education to provide this valuable professional development opportunity,” said Vic Wilson, Ed.D., executive director, Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools. “We congratulate the graduates and look forward to seeing the impact they will have on Alabama’s early childhood education landscape.”

“We are excited to welcome this group to the growing number of leaders who are committed to supporting the environments and methods by which young children learn most effectively,” said Acting Secretary of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education Jan Hume. “This network of leaders being built across the state as a result of this program is a vital piece of the foundation for children’s success throughout their school careers.”

The academy has shown great success in bridging the gap between early childhood programs and early elementary schooling. Results from an implementation study conducted by the Southern Regional Education Board indicate that 90 percent of respondents reported that the academy helped them to “better meet the needs of vulnerable children.” Participants also reported growth in Pre-K–3 leadership competencies such as ensuring developmentally appropriate teaching and using multiple measures of assessment to guide growth in student learning.

NAESP and our partners at CLAS and the ADECE congratulate these Pre-K–3 Leadership Academy participants, who received their certification as a Pre-K–3 Credentialed Leader:

• Paul Agnew, Principal, Nan Gray Davis Elementary School
• Amy Atkins, Principal, Carbon Hill Elementary/Junior High School
• Jonathon Barron, Assistant Principal, Union Hill School
• Nick Bolding, Principal, Brindlee Mountain Primary
• Kelia Browder, Principal, Union Springs Elementary School
• Merideth Buzbee, Dyslexia Therapist, Sumiton Middle School
• Margaret Collins, Assistant Principal, West Smiths Station Elementary School
• Heather Collum, Curriculum and Instruction, Sheffield City Schools
• Julie Cordell, Principal, Sloman Primary School
• Kendra Dowski, Pre-K Lead Teacher, Parkside Elementary School
• Shana Ervin, Principal, Jackson-Steele Elementary School
• Amelia Evans, Assistant Principal, Madison Cross Roads Elementary School
• Julie Flippo, Assistant Principal, L.E. Wilson Elementary School
• Tina Garst, Principal, Jerry Lee Faine/Dothan City Schools
• Cheritta Hayes, Principal, McCalla Elementary School
• Emily Herbert, Assistant Principal, New Brockton Elementary School
• Dalton Holyfield, Principal, Southern Choctaw Elementary School
• Kristi Hopper, Principal, Boaz Elementary School
• Antonia Ishman, Principal, Booker T. Washington K-8 School
• Chakema Jackson, Assistant Principal, Rocky Ridge Elementary School
• Michelle Jones, Principal, Valley Junior High School
• Kristi July, Principal, Covenant Academy of Mobile
• Laura Lamb, Principal, Barkley Bridge Elementary School
• Lisa Long, Assistant Principal, Huffman Academy
• Nicholas Looney, Pre-K Director, Athens Elementary School
• Amy Lowe, Reading Specialist, Covenant Academy of Mobile
• Jessica Norwood, Principal, G.W. Trenholm Primary School
• Stephanie Parker, Assistant Principal, Huffman Academy
• Larry Roberson, Principal, Lauderdale County Elementary School
• Tiffany Scissum, Principal, Brewbaker Primary School
• Sheneta Smith, Principal, Howell Graves Preschool
• Cilia Smith, Principal, Kate Duncan Smith DAR Elementary School
• Matthew Syesta, Teacher, Threadgill Primary School
• Michele Thomason, Assistant Principal, K-3 West Smiths Station Elementary School
• Marc Tracy, Principal, Sweet Water High School
• Ashley Uhrig, Assistant Principal, Good Hope Primary School
• Chandra Watkins, Principal, West End Academy
• Marcus West, Principal, Livingston Junior High School
• Kimberly Williams, Principal, Saraland Early Education Center
• Barry Wilson, Principal, Sumiton Elementary School

The leadership academy advisors were:

• Camille Wright, Consultant, Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education
• Paula Bruno, Principal, Indian Valley Elementary School
• Tanya Guin, Pre-K Director, Walker County Public Schools
• N. Waller Martin, Principal, Brookwood Elementary School
• Dena Mayfield, Retired Pre-K Principal
• Haley Moore, Principal, Curry Elementary School
• Kara Scholl, Principal, South Shades Crest Elementary School
• Tracey Wray, Ed Specialist, Office of School Improvement, Alabama State Department of Education

For more information about the NAESP academy, contact NAESP Associate Executive Director, Professional Learning, Gracie Branch, Ph.D., at gbranch@naesp.org.  

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About NAESP
Established in 1921, the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) leads in the advocacy and support for elementary and middle-level principals in the United States and internationally. NAESP supports principals as the primary catalysts for creating lasting foundations for learning through policy and professional learning, advocacy, programs, and resources for effective instructional leadership. For more information about NAESP, please visit www.naesp.org.