NASSP News: December 2024
In August, Evelyn Edney, EdD, was elected president-elect of the NASSP Board of Directors. Edney, the principal of the Early College School at Delaware State University, in Dover, DE, has served on the board since 2001. The state’s 2021 Principal of the Year, she has served as a teacher, a student activities coordinator, an assistant principal, and a supervisor of school operations. She was also a long-time president of the Delaware Association of School Principals. Principal Leadership asked her what she’s looking forward to in her new leadership position.
Why did you want to become president-elect?
I’ve been involved with NASSP for most of my career, even before I became a school leader. I’ve attended conferences and workshops, taught at leadership camps, been very active in my state association, and served on NASSP’s national student advisory committee before joining the board. I have always been an advocate for public education, and I served on the board to be able to do it on a larger scale. I’ve had the chance to serve with some really great leaders. For the president-elect position, I thought, “I can do this, too,” so that’s why I threw my hat in the ring.
What are you looking forward to working on?
The NASSP leadership and board have worked hard to make sure we are representative of the diverse school leaders we have in this country. I want to continue connecting with leaders all over the country. One of our goals is to make sure our events and other programming bring in more people so we can all work on issues together. We’re all worried, for example, about getting enough candidates coming through the principal pipeline. We need to make sure we’re being the biggest cheerleaders for this position, so we do have enough principals and also make sure that the current teacher shortage doesn’t become an administrator shortage.
How important is it to continue to engage more school leaders in NASSP?
One of my focuses has always been on connections. I’m planning to get out there and meet with members and attend conferences and conventions of leaders from all over the country so I can hear what they are doing and encourage them to get involved more in their state organizations and at the national level. Another effective way to encourage connections is through NASSP’s great Leadership Networks. They allow leaders to connect with others who share common issues and challenges. I’m all about making sure people meet each other and that they can network and help each other address their concerns.