Dr. Carmen Balgobin Named Finalist for NASS 2025 Superintendent of the Year

The National Association of School Superintendents (NASS) is proud to announce Dr. Carmen Balgobin, Superintendent of Volusia County Schools in Florida, as a finalist for its prestigious 2025 Superintendent of the Year award. Known for her transformational leadership and results-driven approach, Dr. Balgobin has led Volusia County Schools—one of Florida’s largest districts—through a period of unprecedented academic growth, innovation, and community engagement. 

During her tenure, Volusia County Schools earned its first “A” rating in 16 years from the Florida Department of Education, achieved a 93.7% graduation rate, and eliminated all D-rated schools. These accomplishments were the result of a systematic, district-wide approach to continuous improvement, aligning the work of all employees—from bus operators to teachers to principals—around a unified mission of student learning. 

“I’m deeply humbled to be a finalist for the 2025 NASS Superintendent of the Year. This honor belongs to our entire Volusia County Schools team, every superintendent across the country who champions public education, and organizations like NASS that provide crucial support and advocacy for superintendents," Dr. Balgobin stated. "It truly takes a village, and this work is fully realized through the engagement of our students, parents, all staff, community partners, volunteers, mentors, School Board, and stakeholders. Through collaborative partnerships and servant leadership, we’ve achieved remarkable progress with our first ‘A’ rating in 16 years. This recognition reinforces my commitment to the collective work we do to transform public education for every student we serve.” 

Dr. Balgobin’s leadership is marked by her commitment to collaboration and knowledge sharing. She regularly shares scalable frameworks for instructional improvement, strategic alignment, and sustainable district transformation with other districts. Under her guidance, initiatives such as “Synergy Walks” and clear instructional “look-fors” have strengthened instructional capacity and fostered a culture of shared accountability across more than 70 schools. 

Beyond academics, Dr. Balgobin has championed comprehensive strategies to address teacher retention, safety and security, innovative technology integration, and chronic absenteeism reduction. Her leadership has also extended to building statewide and national networks of superintendents to exchange best practices, solve shared challenges, and advance the profession. 

As a NASS member, Dr. Balgobin is committed to furthering the association’s mission by promoting community trust in education, enhancing superintendent capacity in communication and crisis leadership, and fostering peer learning networks around pressing issues such as post-pandemic recovery, workforce development, and community partnerships. 

Describing herself as collaborative, strategic, and results-oriented, Dr. Balgobin’s career reflects her belief that true academic achievement does not happen by accident—it is the product of intentional leadership, data-driven decision making, and a culture that unites every stakeholder in service of students. 

The 2025 NASS Superintendent of the Year will be announced on September 10, 2025. 

For more information, please contact Theresa Daem, Founder – National Association of School Superintendents, at tdaem@nass.us.