For more information, contact:
                                                                                                  Denise L. Berkhalter
                                                                                  dberkhalter@alabamaschoolboards.org

AASB Leader Announces Retirement

Montgomery, AL — (March 12, 2007) — A longtime advocate for schoolchildren and public education has announced her retirement.  Dr. Sandra Sims-deGraffenried will retire as executive director of the Alabama Association of School Boards effective June 30 after serving more than 40 years in public education. 

“Of all my work experience,” Sims-deGraffenried said, “working with school boards and school board members has been the most rewarding and enjoyable of my career.”

A former teacher, counselor, and central office supervisor, Sims-deGraffenried has led AASB for 19 years.  Sims-deGraffenried first joined the AASB staff in 1985 as assistant executive director.  She became executive director in 1988, breaking ground as the first female executive director of a major Alabama education organization and the first female school boards association executive director in the Southeast.  While at the helm of AASB, Sims-deGraffenried strengthened the association’s finances, solidified membership, increased the association’s visibility in the advocacy and legislative arena, and developed an extensive professional development program for school board members.

She earned respect at the Alabama State House for persistently defending schoolchildren and local control of public schools.  But her hardest-fought and longest battle centered on the need to limit state education funding to public schools and colleges.  That effort included a lawsuit challenging the state’s funding of private schools, charities, and other non-public, non-education programs at a time when public schools lacked adequate funding for educational necessities.  Though the effort was not altogether popular, lawmakers did eventually remove virtually all such schools and programs from the Education Trust Fund. 

In 2004, the AASB leadership recognized Sims-deGraffenried for the success of the long running campaign by awarding her the Champion for Children Award.  She also has been recognized twice by the American Society of Association Executives – first with a national award in governmental relations and later with one for statewide training programs she developed for school board members.  The Thomas A. Shannon Leadership Award for excellence in school board association leadership annually recognizes one staff member of a state association for extraordinary efforts performed on behalf of their association.  It is a prestigious award among school board associations and considered the pinnacle of achievement.  In 2005, Sims-deGraffenried was the recipient of NSBA’s Thomas A. Shannon Leadership Award.   

In addition to her service to school boards across the state, Sims-deGraffenried has served the National School Boards Association in numerous capacities.  She has been chairman of NSBA’s Liaison Committee, an ex officio member of the NSBA Board of Directors, and twice served as Secretary-Treasurer of the NSBA/Southern Region. 

Recognized as a foremost leader and expert in public K-12 education, Sims-deGraffenried serves as Education Commission of the States Commissioner and as a board member of the Southern Regional Education Board.  She has also served on the board for the Southeastern Regional Vision for Education.

Sims-deGraffenried was married to the late Ryan deGraffenried.

The Alabama Association of School Boards represents all the state’s local school boards.  Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Montgomery, AASB provides members with a wide array of services, including boardmanship training seminars, risk management programs, legal assistance, and policy research. 

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