Curtis Cain selected as 2022 AASA National Superintendent of the Year®
Launch the media gallery 1 playerFebruary 17, 2022 (Nashville, TN): Dr. Curtis Cain, Superintendent of the Wentzville School District, was selected as the 2022 AASA National Superintendent of the Year® during the National Conference on Education hosted by AASA, The School Superintendents Association, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Although Missouri has been represented by national finalists in past years, Dr. Cain is the first Missouri Superintendent to be named the AASA National Superintendent of the Year®.
Dr. Doug Hayter, MASA Executive Director, commented, “Dr. Cain is a consummate education professional who models excellence in school leadership. His ability to communicate, collaborate on a vision for success, and keep a constant focus on the best interest of students makes him an excellent choice for this national award.”
“Curtis is a very articulate, intelligent, and child-focused Superintendent; the best trait he possesses is his caring attitude. Every time I see him, he asks how my family is doing, and I reciprocate the question and the sentiment. I am very proud he has been named the incoming Superintendent at Rockwood. I consider Curtis Cain a lifelong friend!” shared Mark Penny, Lincoln County R-III Superintendent and former MASA President.
Dr. Cain has served as Superintendent of the Wentzville School District since 2013 and is responsible for the educational performance and wellbeing of more than 17,300 students and 2,600 staff members. Dr. Cain serves on the Missouri Commissioner of Education Advisory Council, the Kansas/Missouri Superintendent Leadership Forum Advisory Board, the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Constitutional Committee, and is the current president of the Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA). In 2018, Dr. Cain completed the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) National Superintendent Certification Program. Dr. Cain was recently named as the Rockwood School District (RSD) Superintendent, and he will begin his tenure at RSD in July 2022.
Previous to his service to the Wentzville School District, Dr. Cain was the Associate Superintendent of Education Services at Shawnee Mission School District (Kansas) and the Director of Curriculum and Professional Development at Park Hill School District. Dr. Cain was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he attended Milwaukee Public Schools.
The AASA National Superintendent of the Year® program is open to all U.S. superintendents who plan to continue in the profession. The applicants were measured against the following criteria: leadership for learning, communication, professionalism, and community involvement. A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2021 AASA National Superintendent of the Year® to a student in the high school from which the superintendent graduated, or the school now serving the same area.
View the AASA News Release here.
View the MASA Superintendent of the Year Release here.
About MASA
The Missouri Association of School Administrators is the statewide association of public school superintendents and central office administrators. MASA develops and supports effective public school leaders who positively impact the lives of Missouri students.