Supervisor of the Year

The goal of the Tennessee Supervisor of the Year program is to recognize and celebrate the wealth of excellent district leaders that exist across the state. Each year an outstanding public school supervisor earns distinction as the Tennessee Department of Education Supervisor of the Year (SOY).  This honor is reserved for leaders who demonstrate superior abilities in:

·         managing and motivating students and faculties;

·         evoking high standards;

·         demonstrating a commitment to excellence;

·         implementing innovative programs; and

·         having a track record of exceptional gains in student learning.

Supervisors of the Year are selected competitively through four cycles: district, region, grand division, and state. 

Supervisors selected at each cycle receive local recognition and awards underwritten by local sources. State recognition and awards include a banquet honoring the nine region-level Supervisors of the Year.

2024-25 Supervisor of the Year

Of nine Supervisor of the Year finalists representing Tennessee’s eight CORE regions, as well as the Shelby County-Municipals area, Dr. Cathy Pressnell in Murfreesboro City Schools was selected as the 2024-25 Tennessee Supervisor of the Year.

Dr. Cathy Pressnell began her career in 2010 at West Chester Elementary School in Henderson, Tennessee, where she served as a third grade teacher and leader. In 2017, she became the Director of Literacy for the Tennessee Early Literacy Network, and since then she has served as the Director of Educator Engagement for the Tennessee Department of Education and the academic coach at Salem Elementary in Murfreesboro. She is now the Reading Coordinator for grades 3-6 for Murfreesboro City Schools; creating a Summer Literacy Institute and co-creating the Teacher Advisory Council are among her most notable accomplishments in this role.

In 2016, Dr. Pressnell was selected as the Tennessee Teacher of the Year, serving as an ambassador for public education. Nationally, she is a recipient of the NEA Educator in Excellence Award and an NEA Foundation Global Teacher Fellow. Closer to home, she has served on Governor Haslam's Teacher Cabinet, Commissioner McQueen's Teacher Advisory Council, the Tennessee Early Literacy Council, and numerous assessment committees with the Tennessee Department of Education. Her writing has been featured in publications including EduScholastic, Literacy & NCTE, Education Week, The Tennessean, and ASCD Educational Leadership.

Dr. Pressnell's love of literacy began in high school when her senior English teacher, Mrs. Joyce Helmick, taught her to write and changed her life forever. She is a fierce advocate for teacher voice in policy, and her greatest accomplishments will always come from classrooms where teachers and students create works of excellence and beauty that contribute to a better world.

Benefits of Participating in the Tennessee Supervisor of the Year Program

What are the benefits to supervisors?

By participating in the Tennessee Supervisor of the Year program, district leaders have the opportunity to:

• be celebrated and honored for making exceptional district-wide gains with students,
• expand knowledge of education policy and participate in local, state, and national policy discussions,
• serve as spokesperson and advocate for the education profession, and
• become inducted into an amazing network of statewide awardees, and become connected to an impactful, ongoing body of work that engages you as a professional long after an awardee’s service year.

What are the benefits to schools and districts?

By participating in the Tennessee Supervisor of the Year program, districts have the opportunity to:

·       attract local, state, and national attention,

·       allow the district’s honorees to serve as a voice for the education profession, thus elevating the district and attracting educators and leaders to the district, and

·       celebrate excellence in education by honoring hard working, successful district leaders.

What does the Tennessee Supervisor of the Year do?

·         Respond to and fulfill Tennessee Supervisor of the Year speaking requests, presentations, etc.

·         Share their expertise with the department.

·         Identify and advocate for educational issues.

Eligibility & Selection Process

A Supervisor of the Year nominee must:

• Have a minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in public schools.
• Have a minimum of one (1) year of experience as an administrator.
• At all levels of recognition, must be employed as a supervisor in a Tennessee public school system.

Directors of schools will nominate one supervisor from the district using the online Principal and Supervisor of the Year Nomination Form.

This honor is earned by demonstrating superior abilities in:

• managing and motivating students and faculties;
• evoking high standards;
• demonstrating a commitment to excellence;
• implementing innovative programs; and
• having a track record of exceptional gains in student learning

The 2024-25 nomination deadline is Dec. 16, 2024.

Projected 2025-26 Timeline

Application Resources

·            2025-26 Tennessee Principal and Supervisor of the Year Process Overview (click here to watch): This short video provides an overview of the 2024-25 Tennessee Principal and Supervisor of the Year process and what you can expect from each stage in the selection process.

·            2025-26 Approaching the Part I Principal and Supervisor of the Year Application (click here to watch): This one-hour webinar will dive more deeply into the components of the part I Principal and Supervisor of the Year application.

·            Approaching the Part II Principal and Supervisor of the Year Application (click here to watch): This one-hour webinar will dive more deeply into the components of the part II Principal and Supervisor of the Year application.

·            Part I Application PDF: This document contains all questions listed in the electronic application. Districts are encouraged to use this document as a foundation for their own district-level Supervisor of the Year applications. Applicants are encouraged to use this document to draft and revise application responses prior to submitting via the online form.

·            Supervisor of the Year Guidebook Part 1: Applicants are encouraged to use this document to draft and revise application responses prior to submitting via the online form.