Dr. Kimberly Rizzo Saunders has been working as a New Hampshire educator for 28 years. She has a wide variety of experiences in the field of education, both in the classroom and in school administration. As a teacher and adjunct professor, she has taught sixth grade through graduate students in classrooms from North Carolina to New Hampshire. As a school administrator, she has worked for the Londonderry, Hollis-Brookline, Winnisquam, and the Contoocook Valley (ConVal) school districts. Dr. Rizzo Saunders’ doctoral work focused on the areas of curriculum, assessment, instruction, professional development, and leadership. She has presented at national conferences for ASCD and Learning Forward on curriculum and instructional improvement, as well as in New Hampshire on student retention and drop-out prevention, equitable opportunities, high-school redesign, and adequate funding of education. Most recently, she presented at the WELL annual conference to encourage and support women in the superintendency. Dr. Rizzo Saunders has been the impetus behind the most recent efforts to compel the State of NH to meet their state constitutional obligation to fund an adequate education for all students. Additionally, she recently traveled to Washington DC to the AASA Legislative Advocacy Conference, meeting with the NH federal delegation to discuss federal educational legislation and, filling in for a colleague, participated in her first AASA Governance Board experience. In addition to her responsibilities as superintendent, Dr. Rizzo Saunders is an active supporter of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation which promotes type 1 diabetes research and has begun to be active in the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire. Dr. Rizzo Saunders lives with her husband Robert and their son Parker in Hopkinton, New Hampshire.
Past AASA New Hampshire Superintendent of the Year Winners:
2023 New Hampshire Superintendent of the Year: Reuben Duncan
2021 New Hampshire Superintendent of the Year: Winfried Feneberg
About the Award:
The Superintendent of the Year program, sponsored by First Student and AASA, pays tribute to the talent and vision of the men and women who lead the nation’s public schools.
State-level winners are selected on the following criteria:
-
- Leadership for Learning
- Communication
- Professionalism
- Community Involvement