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Aspiring Superintendents Academy for Women Leaders
A Partnership of ACSA and AASA

Intended Audience

This Academy is designed for women educational leaders who:

  • Are considering or actively pursuing the superintendency
  • Are exploring whether the superintendent role aligns with their leadership goals, values, and life priorities
  • Seek thoughtful preparation, mentorship, and sponsorship from experienced women superintendents
  • Value learning in community with other accomplished women leaders
  • Are committed to equity-driven leadership and system-level impact

The Aspiring Superintendents Academy for Women Leaders is a cohort-based leadership development experience designed to support, prepare, and elevate women leaders who are considering, exploring, or actively pursuing the superintendency.

Based in California and developed in partnership with ACSA and AASA, this Academy serves women leaders across California and the western region of the United States, offering a West Coast pathway aligned with AASA’s national leadership development efforts.

Building on the success of AASA’s nationally recognized Aspiring Women Leaders academy, this program responds to the unique professional, political, and personal realities women face as they contemplate and prepare for district-level leadership. The Academy is grounded in the belief that women lead best when they are deeply supported, well-prepared, and connected to a powerful professional network—and when leadership is centered in equity, access, and opportunity for all students and communities.

Program Purpose

The Academy is designed to:

  • Develop confidence, clarity, and readiness for the superintendent role
  • Support women who are exploring whether the superintendency is the right next step for their leadership journey
  • Provide authentic, experience-based learning grounded in real superintendent leadership
  • Strengthen equity-driven leadership practices that advance inclusive, just, and student-centered systems
  • Create a trusted network of women leaders who learn from and support one another
  • Strengthen the pipeline of women superintendents across California and the western United States

Program Design

The Aspiring Superintendents Academy for Women Leaders is designed and led exclusively by women superintendents.

This cohort-based experience is intentionally facilitated by current and retired women superintendents who bring lived experience, practical insight, and deep credibility to every aspect of the program.

The Academy blends:

  • In-person convenings hosted at the ACSA offices in Sacramento
  • In-person cohort engagement aligned with the ACSA Leadership Summit, offering participants meaningful connection to California’s statewide leadership community
  • In-person learning and networking aligned with the AASA National Conference on Education, providing national perspective and exposure to superintendents from across the country
  • Expert-led learning facilitated by current and retired women superintendents, ensuring participants learn directly from women who have successfully led school districts
  • Embedded mentorship and coaching, pairing participants with experienced female superintendents who provide individualized guidance, reflection, and support throughout the Academy

Through facilitated dialogue, real-world case studies, reflective practice, and peer collaboration, participants engage in learning that addresses:

  • The evolving role of the superintendent in today’s educational landscape
  • Equity-driven leadership and the superintendent’s role in advancing inclusive, student-centered systems
  • Executive leadership, governance, and superintendent–board relations
  • Navigating political, community, and organizational complexity
  • Leading systems through change with courage, clarity, and confidence
  • Sustaining leadership through mentorship, resilience, and professional support

This design ensures participants are not only learning about the superintendency—but are learning from women who have lived the role, navigated its challenges, and led equity-centered systems through complexity and change.

Participants may include district leaders from California and across the western United States who are looking for a regionally grounded, nationally connected leadership development experience.