Alexandria, Virginia—June 10, 2025—The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the Nebraska Department of Education are pleased to announce 23 school, district, and community leaders have recently completed the NAESP Pre-K–3 Leadership Academy®. The participants represent the fifth Nebraska cohort to participate in the award-winning professional learning program that provides principals and other school leaders with a job-embedded experience in developmentally appropriate early learning leadership practices.

The participants represent the fifth Nebraska cohort to participate in the award-winning professional learning program that provides principals, school or community leaders with a job-embedded experience in developmentally appropriate early learning leadership practices.

“NAESP is proud to partner—for the fifth year—with the Nebraska Department of Education in supporting educators as they boost their skills to provide a seamless continuum of learning for students age 3 to age 8,” said NAESP Executive Director L. Earl Franks, Ed.D., CAE. “NAESP congratulates these 23 Nebraska educators who have earned the distinction as a Pre-K–3 Credentialed Leader. Their commitment to uphold high ethical standards and take part in ongoing professional learning in the practice of early childhood instructional leadership will inspire those around them and positively impact on the students they support.”

The academy has directly supported Nebraska’s school and community 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 Nebraska 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 participants who completed Nebraska’s NAESP Pre-K-3 Leadership Academy have increased their leadership capacity as well as their knowledge of early childhood education,” said Deborah Frison, Ed.D., deputy commissioner at the Nebraska Department of Education. “They have shown their commitment to our youngest learners. Nebraska is fortunate to have these dedicated, capable leaders in our state.”

The academy is already showing 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 the Nebraska Department of Education congratulate these Pre-K–3Leadership Academy participants, who received their certification as a Pre-K–3 Credentialed Leader:

• Eric Arneson, Principal, Hemingford Public Schools
• Apryl Beck, Principal, Tekamah-Herman Community Schools
• Heather Beekman, Assistant SPED Director, Fremont Public Schools
• Kylie Cook, Director of Education, Belmont Community Center
• Tara Cooper, Principal, Neihardt Elementary, Millard Public School
• Kelsey Dayan, Behavior Facilitator, Papillion La Vista Community Schools
• Micaela Dobbins, EC Instructional Lead, Conestoga Elementary, Omaha Public Schools
• Tara Fries, Principal, Southwest Public Schools
• Megan Gilkey, Principal, Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca Public Schools
• Keri Hart, Principal, Laurel Concord Coleridge School
• Kane Hookstra, Principal, Southern Public Schools
• Roxane Humphrey, Partnership Education & Special Services Manager, ESU 13 Head Start
• Claire Kayton, Principal, Boone Central Schools
• Amanda Kline, Education Officer, Blue Valley Community Action
• Courtney Maas, PK-2 Principal, Wayne Community Schools
• Katie Maloley, Instructional Coach, Early Learning Academy, Lexington Public Schools
• Matt McLaughlin, Superintendent, Leyton Public Schools
• Jesse Neugebauer, Principal, Gering Public Schools
• Kim Roberts, Principal, Central Elementary School, Fairbury Public Schools
• Kendra Ross, Reading Specialist, Walthill Public Schools
• Ashlie Stone, Principal, Columbus Public Schools
• Jessica Ternus, Preschool Teacher, Madison Public Schools
• Ben Wright, Principal, Ainsworth Community Schools

The leadership academy advisors were:

• Patti Drewes-Hynek, Supervisor of Early Childhood Services, Papillion La Vista Community Schools
• Megan Flohr, Principal, Eagle Elementary School, Waverly School District
• Amy Kroll, Director of School Improvement and SPED, Weeping Water Public Schools
• Megan Schmidt, Principal, Bright Futures, Kearney Public Schools
• Tiffany Shonerd, Leadership Professor, Doane University
• James York, P-6 Principal, O’Neill Elementary School

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.