About NSPRA
The Superintendents to Watch award recognizes school district leaders who have fewer than five years of experience as a superintendent and who demonstrate dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core.
Dr. Yamil Sanchez Rivera became superintendent of Southeast Delco School District in April 2024, leading a community navigating safety concerns, instability and fractured trust. His leadership has centered on using communication as both a leadership tool and a catalyst for rebuilding confidence, strengthening relationships and improving outcomes for students.
“Since assuming the superintendency in April 2024, Dr. Sanchez Rivera has demonstrated a leadership style in which communication is both the method and the mission: clear, consistent, two-way, and anchored in student success.” — Maria Edelberg, Executive Director, Delaware County Intermediate Unit
Rebuilding Trust Through Listening and Clarity
Dr. Sanchez Rivera began his tenure with a districtwide First 100 Days Listening Tour, meeting with students, families, and staff in classrooms, cafeterias, auditoriums, and community spaces. He paired listening with action by reporting back what he heard and outlining next steps, helping restore confidence in district leadership.
Key elements of this approach include:
“As a new superintendent, Dr. Sanchez Rivera listened. He was committed to understanding the challenges, triumphs and expectations of the students and families in his district.” — Danielle Guindo, Executive Director, Read Alliance
A System Built for Two-Way Communication
Dr. Sanchez Rivera has built a communication system that blends personal presence with consistent, districtwide outreach. He maintains a steady rhythm of school walkthroughs, community engagement and briefings with civic and faith-based partners, ensuring listening is continuous and feedback loops are closed.
This system includes:
“He contributes to every space he is in through thoughtful and clear communication, thorough processing of information and sharing back, and strategic alignment of resources.” — Danielle Guindo, Executive Director, Read Alliance
Communication Embedded in Strategy
Dr. Sanchez Rivera's belief that “communication is strategy” is evident throughout Southeast Delco’s new three-year comprehensive plan, completed in early 2025. Developed through an inclusive process that engaged families, staff and community members via survey and dialogue, the plan identifies four priority areas: Fostering Academic Excellence, Promoting Student and Staff Wellbeing, Establishing Student, Staff and Community Engagement Initiatives, and Enhancing Districtwide Climate.
Each of these priorities depends on effective communication not as an afterthought, but as an embedded strategy. Dr. Sanchez Rivera ensured that communication goals are reflected in every section of the plan: promoting transparency in decision-making, fostering two-way engagement and celebrating collective success. For example, the district’s engagement initiatives now include structured family outreach campaigns, media partnerships to highlight success stories and cross-departmental communication systems to align messages and actions. Communication goals are reinforced through regular leadership meetings, professional learning for administrators and consistent modeling from the superintendent himself.
Dr. Sanchez Rivera also integrated communication into key operational areas — from safety and wellness to instructional improvement. His leadership in securing a $186,102 School Safety and Security Grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency included transparent communication with staff and families about new safety technologies and supports. Likewise, the launch of the READ Alliance literacy tutoring program and the Safe Corridors initiative for the 2025–26 school year were introduced through coordinated communication efforts emphasizing collaboration and community trust.
Internally, the superintendent’s newsletters and video updates keep staff aligned to district goals, while family newsletters and social-media storytelling reinforce the district’s broader mission. Every message connects back to the four pillars of the comprehensive plan. By positioning communication as the connective tissue of strategic planning, Dr. Sanchez Rivera ensures that every initiative — academic, operational, or cultural — is built on shared understanding. His approach demonstrates that communication is not simply a support function but an essential driver of organizational change and success.
A Visible, Relationship-Driven Leader
Dr. Sanchez Rivera is the face and voice of this work. He is present in schools, community centers, and houses of worship, takes on complex conversations with openness and respect, and is often the first to communicate during sensitive moments, setting a tone of calm, facts, and care.
“Through his words and actions, he creates safe spaces where love is centered; young people are valued; and family voices are celebrated.” — Danielle Guindo, Executive Director, Read Alliance
Under the leadership of Superintendent Sanchez Rivera, Southeast Delco School District has strengthened clarity, connection, and shared responsibility as it continues to move forward.
B.A. - Mississippi State University; MPA - University of Georgia
I believe school PR/communications is what I was born to do! One of the biggest decisions a parent can make is where to send their child to school, and it’s an honor to share with our parents the engaging work that their children are doing under the guidance of world-class teachers and leaders. On any given day, in any given school, there are many stories to be told and I take that charge seriously. As school communicators played a key role in COVID-19 communications, storytelling was more important than ever – not only did I share information with parents about our protocols, but I also made over 80 visits to schools last year and told a variety of stories about how students were thriving with both in-person and distance learning options. I also worked with principals to determine best mitigation practices and helped make those pervasive, because positive action must be the foundation of what we are ultimately communicating. School public relations is incredibly complex and I love that each day brings a new challenge.
My greatest school PR success was completing 11 nationally-innovative school communication audits using a process of research, planning, implementation, and evaluation. I am now in phase two of this project and am attending school council meetings to garner feedback from parents about school-level communication and how I can better support the work of their schools. One of the most significant findings is that as students take more ownership of their learning, they also take more ownership in parent communication. Therefore, next steps are to better prepare parents for this transition and to also determine best practices from exemplar teachers and coaches at the secondary level so we can strike the right balance with parents feeling informed and fostering student independence.
My greatest school PR challenge is overcoming rigidity. Like many PR professionals, I am detail-oriented and a self-described perfectionist. It’s a blessing and a curse to see when something is one pixel off, but the greatest challenge I have faced in my 13 years in this field is to learn to be more flexible. I might have an aversion to Comic Sans or Curlz, but it’s not the end of the world if those are a font favorite elsewhere. What’s more important is the bigger picture – staff and parents feeling well-informed and students growing and learning in positive school cultures. Instead of telling someone their website isn’t formatted properly, I now make a 2-3 minute screencast if I think there’s a quick tutorial I can offer to provide ongoing professional learning. By being much more flexible, I have deepened relationships and become better at supporting the most important job that occurs in our school system: teaching.
My favorite part of my job is the relationships. I often say that there is no substitute for showing up, and that’s why I make so many school visits each year. From getting to hold a gorgeous monarch butterfly to watching a vibrant student musical to seeing 3-D printing in action from engineering students, I have witnessed countless unique opportunities, and these experiences are just a small piece of what our students get to take part in each and every day. If I didn’t take the time to form relationships, I wouldn’t know that what students value is knowing that the photos I take may show up in their yearbooks. I wouldn’t know the myriad of annual activities that teachers do across our schools because I wouldn’t have witnessed them firsthand. I wouldn’t know about the families of our principals or what they believe makes their school unique. All of that is invaluable because at the end of the day and at the end of this career, relationships are what will remain – both professionally and personally.
The communication tool I use the most is Canva! I would be a brand ambassador if they asked! I am not very mathematically-minded and it can be challenging for someone with an eye for good design – but not an eye for rulers and gridlines – to be a graphic designer. However, Canva has made it possible and I am able to create aesthetically-pleasing graphics with short turn-around times. I have trained communication ambassadors at our schools how to use it as well. Right after Canva, the tool I most use is iMovie. I am completely self-taught in videography and using iMovie and Canva together has made me someone who can add “videographer” to their list of expertise.