Awards

Division A gives out three awards annually in recognition of members’ achievements and contributions consistent with the Division’s purpose and priorities and AERA’s policies and priorities. The three awards are as follows.

Outstanding Dissertation Award

This award is given by the division to recognize outstanding dissertation research appropriate to the field, including the leadership, organization and administration of schools and the preparation of educational leaders. Studies embracing both traditional and alternative conceptualizations and methodologies are welcomed.

Outstanding Dissertation Award

2026 -- Dr. Tanya E. DaMommio, Assistant Professor , Texas State University
2026 -- Dr. Anna Jackson, Assistant Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University (Honorable Mention)
2024 -- Dr. Meghan Comstock (Awardee), The University of Pennsylvania; Dr. Racquel L. Armstrong (Honorable Mention), The Ohio State University; Dr. Kimberly L. Sterin (Honorable Mention), Drexel University
2023 -- Dr. Cheyenne E. Batista (Awardee), Firefly Worldwide, Inc.; Dr. Kate Kennedy (Honorable Mention), RAND Corporation; Dr. Sarah Odell (Honorable Mention), The Hewitt School
2022 -- Dr. Joonkil Ahn (Awardee), doctorate from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Dr. Mariama Nagbe (Honorable Mention), doctorate from The University of Texas at Austin; Dr. Portia Newman (Honorable Mention), doctorate from Virginia Commonwealth University
2021 -- Dr. René Espinoza Kissell (Awardee); Dr. Julie M. Kallo (Honorable Mention); Dr. Alexis Patrice Little (Honorable Mention)
2020 -- Dr. Phillip A. Smith, Columbia University (awardee); Dr. Mollie McQuillan, Northwestern University (Honorable Mention) ; Dr. Shaneé Washington, Boston College (Honorable Mention)
2019 --
2018 -- Laura E. Hernández (awardee); Anne Lackritz (Honorable Mention); Amanda Heffernan (Honorable Mention)
2017 -- Lauren Bailes
2016 -- Steven Courtney
2015 -- Huriya Jabbar
2014 -- John Meyer
2013 -- Jessica Rigby
2012 -- Catherine O'Brien
2011 -- Anish Sayani
2010 -- Mary de Leon-Denton and Karen Moriyama
2009 -- Vicki Park

Emerging Scholar Award

This award is given by the division in recognition of a pre-tenure scholar who is in the first five years of her his/her career in the professorate and who has made outstanding contributions to the field of leadership, administration, or organizational theory.

Emerging Scholar Award

2026 -- Dr. Huang Wu, Assistant Professor, University of Missouri - Kansas City
2026 -- Dr. Cynthia Gallardo, Assistant Professor, Texas A&M International University (Honorable Mention)
2024 -- Dr. Osly J. Flores, (Co-Awardee), University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Dr. Jeff Walls, (Co-Awardee), Washington State University
2023 -- Dr. Nakia Gray-Nicolas, Queens College & Dr. Mollie T. McQuillan, University of Wisconsin-Madison
2022 -- Dr. Elizabeth Leisy Stosich, Assistant Professor, Fordham University
2021 -- Dr. Miriam Ezzani; Dr. Jason Salisbury
2020 -- Dr. Carrie Sampson – Assistant Professor, Arizona State University (doctorate from UNLV) & Dr. Yinying Wang – Assistant Professor, Georgia State University (doctorate from University of Cincinnati)
2019 -- Dr. Yi-Hwa Liou, National Taipei University of Education; Dr. Jessica G. Rigby, University of Washington; Dr. Rachel Roegman, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
2018 -- Dr. Angela Urick
2017 -- Dr. Terrance Green
2016 -- Dr. Melissa Martinez
2015 -- Dr. Morgaen Donaldson and Dr. Moosung Lee
2014 -- Dr. Sarah Diem
2013 -- Dr. Jill Koyama
2012 -- Dr. Alex Bowers
2011 – Dr. Sonya Douglass Horsford
2010 – no award
2009 – Dr. George Theoharis

Excellence in Research Award

This award is given by the division in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field of administration, organizational theory, or leadership.

Excellence in Research Award

2026 -- Dr. Carol Mullen, Professor, Virginia Tech University
2026 -- Dr. James Spillane, Professor, Northwestern University (Honorable Mention)
2024 -- Dr. Meredith I. Honig (Co-Awardee), University of Washington; Dr. Muhammad Khalifa (Co-Awardee), The Ohio State University; Dr. Sarah Diem (Honorable Mention), University of Missouri-Columbia
2023 -- Dr. Khalid Arar, Texas State University
2022 -- Dr. Michelle Young, Dean, School of Education, Loyola Marymount University
2021 -- no award
2020 -- Dr. Charol Shakeshaft, Virginia Commonwealth University
2019 -- no award
2018 -- no award
2017 -- no award
2016 -- Martha McCarthy, Loyola Marymount University
2015 -- Megan Tschannen-Moran, William and Mary
2014 -- Phillip Hallinger, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
2013 - no award
2012 - Perry Zirkel, Lehigh University
2011 – Kenneth Leithwood, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
2010 – no award
2009 - Joseph Murphy, Vanderbilt University

Foster-Polite Winners

2026 -- Carrie A. Mitchell, University of Texas at San Antonio
2026 -- Jennifer Gaul, University of Washington
2026 -- Charo Darwin, Claremont Graduate University
2026 -- Leslie, Ellis, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign