Matt Sears gets #celebratED as the new Chief Connector at RootEd in Durham Public Schools, connecting Durham’s diverse community directly with the needs of its schools and classrooms! He also serves as a School Planning & Transportation Research Scholar for North Carolina State University’s Institute for Transportation Research and Education. Prior to this, Matt served as Chief of Partnerships for the Durham Public Schools Foundation, and as Director of Educational Programs a

Marcia Baldanza gets #celebratED as the new Palliative Care Educator at The George Washington University Hospital! Before this, she served as an Assistant Professor at Marymount University and as an Area Director for School Reform and Accountability-Instructional Superintendent for The School District of Palm Beach County. We are grateful for all the ways she helps to make her communities better places for everyone, and we wish her all the best in this exciting new role! The

Dr. Nalani Butler gets #celebratED for being awarded promotion and tenure at Kennesaw State University! She has been serving as an Associate Professor there since 2019, and she also serves as a Conflict Resolution Consultant for NB Global Consulting. Prior to this, she was a Liaison for WellStar College and an Assistant Professor at the University of Tampa. We honor her for all the ways she makes a difference in her community, and we cheer her on as she continues on her leade

Dr. Emily Miles gets #celebratED as a new Assistant Superintendent for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools! Prior to this, she served as Executive Director and Principal in the same district, and as an Adjunct Professor at the Queens University of Charlotte. In 2019, Emily was named the district’s Principal of the Year leading Sterling Elementary School. We celebrate her for her continued ascent into district leadership, and we anticipate great things from her in this new role

Shellon Samuels-White gets #celebratED for presenting “When Imagination Meets Innovation: Storytelling as a Pathway to STEAM–SEL Habits of Mind” at Church Teachers College’s Special Education Conference in Mandeville, Jamaica, where teachers engaged in rich dialogue around storytelling, creativity, and inclusive practices that support the whole child. Shellon is the Student Assessment Officer and a lecturer at The Mico University College in Kingston Jamaica and a Worthy Educa

Scott Freiberger gets #celebratED as a new Elementary Assistant Principal at the Academy of the City Charter School in Woodside, New York! He previously served as an Assistant Principal for the East Ramapo Central School District in Spring Valley, New York and as an MLL/ELL District Administrator with the New York City Department of Education. We celebrate him for being appointed to this new position and we know he will do great things at the Academy of the City! Academy of t

Matthew Karabinos gets #celebratED as the new Emerging Technology and Project Specialist at Appalachia Intermediate Unit 08 in Altoona, Pennsylvania! Previously, he has served as an Elementary Teacher for the Williamsburg, Pennsylvania Community School District and for Holy Trinity Catholic School in Altoona, Pennsylvania. We salute Matthew in taking on this new role, and we wish him all the best! Appalachia Intermediate Unit 08 Williamsburg Community School District Holy Tri

Dr. Larissa Westerfield gets #celebrated for being named the principal of Rock Springs Middle School in the Rutherford County Schools in Murfreesboro, Tennessee! Previously she served as coordinator of Teaching and Learning for the district’s instruction department, and as an elementary principal, assistant principal and classroom teacher. We honor her for all of the ways she serves her community, and we are excited for next steps in her new role! Press Release Rutherford Cou

Austin Hundley gets #celebrated as the new principal of Auburn Middle School in the Fauquier County, Virginia Public Schools! He brings fifteen years of experience in education as a teacher and a coach. We congratulate him on this new role and we look forward to hearing great things! Press Release Auburn Middle School Fauquier County Public Schools X

Dr. Shonda Matia Harris-Muhammed gets #celebratED as the new Acting Superintendent of Southampton County Schools in Courtland, Virginia! She has served as executive director for the Northside Coalition for Children in Richmond and as the Coordinator of Pupil Personnel in Spotsylvania County, Virginia Public Schools. We applaud her for everything she does serving public education, and we wish her all the best in this new role! Southampton County Schools Northside Coalition f

Marnie Hazelton gets #celebrated for being named a 2026 Leader of Distinction, and for her District Administration (DA) for the 2026 recognition of Englewood Public School District as a District of Distinction for Academic Acceleration by District Administration (DA). We salute her for the continued recognition of the important work she is doing in her district, and we are excited to see what she gets done in 2026! District Administration Englewood Public School District Wor

Matthew Yonkey gets #celebrated as the new Assistant Superintendent of Administration for the Fauquier County, Virginia Public Schools! Prior to this appointment, he was serving as principal a Auburn Middle School. He brings more than 20 years of leadership and experience in education as a building leader and a music educator. We celebrate Matthew for this new leadership role, and we honor him for all of his service in education! Press Release Fauquier County Public Schools A