The School Superintendents Association (AASA) has announced three candidates, including one from North Carolina, who will compete for votes from February 19 – March 12 to become the national organization’s President-Elect.
Dr. Rodney Shotwell, Superintendent of Rockingham County Schools, is one of three contenders vying for the office of President-Elect. He began his career in education as a high school history and economics teacher and coach and subsequently served as an assistant principal, high school principal, and Superintendent of Macon County Schools
before joining Rockingham County Schools in 2006 as Superintendent, where he serves currently. Dr. Shotwell was named the 2012 North Carolina Honor Administrator of the Year by the North Carolina Music Educators Association and the 2012 North Carolina Superintendent of the Year by the North Carolina School Community Health Alliance. In 2015 he was named the 2015 A. Craig Phillips NC Superintendent of the Year. NCASA
honored him with the 2016 Raymond Sarbaugh Leadership Award for state-wide leadership in service in public education. Dr. Shotwell was appointed to the AASA Governing Board in 2013 and served continuously until 2019, when he was appointed to the AASA Executive Committee. In February 2020 he was re-elected to a 3-year term on that committee.
Candidate Dr. Theron Schutte has served as a teacher, coach, teacher-leader, assistant principal, principal, and superintendent in Iowa throughout his 36-year career as an educator. For the past 16 years he has served as superintendent in Iowa public schools and since July 2016 has served the Marshalltown School District in Iowa, from which he
was a high school graduate. Dr. Schutte has been honored as Iowa Middle Level Educator of the Year, has received the High Performer Award from Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), is Past President of the School Administrators of Iowa (SAI), and has served non-consecutive terms on the Executive and Governing Boards of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) for the past 12 years.
The final candidate is Dr. Shari Camhi, Superintendent of Schools of the Baldwin School District in New York State. She possesses over 30 years of experience working in school
districts in NY and consulting in rural, suburban, and urban schools across the country. She has not followed the conventional path in education, having worked in private industry as a manager of training and development in the field of technology, a visiting “expert” in educational technology overseas, adjunct professor, technology director, assistant
superintendent, and currently, Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Camhi has been named a Leader to Learn From by Education Week and is a recipient of the International Society for
Technology in Education (ISTE) Sylvia Charp Award for district innovation in technology. She has been recognized as a “New Superintendent to Watch” by the National School Public
Relations Association (NSPRA), selected among only 25 nationwide for her efforts in technology and communication. Dr. Camhi is a member of the Governing Board of AASA and a member of the American Association of Community Colleges’ Commission for College Readiness.
During the AASA Governing Board meeting on February 16, candidates will have a chance to address the Board before electronic voting opens to all eligible members beginning February 19th. In the coming weeks, members eligible to vote will receive emails from AASA with additional information, including messages from the candidates.
The victor assumes office as President-Elect on July 1 and takes over the presidency one year later.
NCASA is North Carolina’s state affiliate of AASA.
