McKenna Honored for Outstanding Leadership in Education

Related Media

McKenna - Outstanding Educator Award Winner

ALBANY, NY (04/16/2012)(readMedia)-- Dr. John E. McKenna, principal at Fletcher Elementary in the Tonawanda City School District in Erie County, has been selected as the 2012 New York State Outstanding Educator by the School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS).

This award is given annually to a SAANYS member who has made outstanding contributions in New York State schools through public education, professional organizations, and research and/or writing in the field of education.

McKenna has worked in education for more than 20 years, 17 as an administrator. A longtime veteran in the field of education, he has made many contributions along the way. Tonawanda was honored with the Blue Ribbon of Excellence from the U.S. Department of Education and the High Performing Gap Closing School Award from the New York State Department of Education.

McKenna has been actively involved in professional organizations, serving as president of the Tonawanda Administrators Association and educational chairman for the Niagara District PTA of Western New York, has been a member of the Advisory Council for the Department of Educational Administration at Niagara University and an adjunct professor at Medaille College in Buffalo. He currently serves as the vice president of the Committee to Identify and Develop Educational Leadership (CIDEL) that works cooperatively with all major colleges and universities in Western New York to develop potential educational leaders. McKenna is also a national presenter for the Hope Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing high performing leadership teams and school cultures.

According to former superintendent George Batterson, "Dr. McKenna is one of the most outstanding administrators I have had the privilege of working with. During my tenure as superintendent of schools in the Tonawanda City School District, Dr. McKenna was an exemplar of leadership as he assumed responsibility and coordinated many district programs and projects. Most notably was the Balanced Literacy Model he created that was the focus of his doctoral program at SUNY at Buffalo. This program became the model for literacy across our district and had a dramatic effect on student achievement. It was Instrumental in our district being awarded the National Blue Ribbon of Excellence. He was invited to present this program at Harvard and Oxford universities."

McKenna will be honored for his accomplishments at an awards ceremony on May 4, 2012 at the Century House in Latham, New York.

SAANYS represents nearly 7,200 school administrators, supervisors, and coordinators. As a professional association, SAANYS is committed to providing direction, service, and support to the membership in their efforts to improve the quality of education and leadership in New York State schools. SAANYS is affiliated with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). – 30 –