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.
Since becoming superintendent of Bound Brook School District in 2022, Dr. Alvin L. Freeman has led the district with a communication-centered approach rooted in inclusion, visibility, and two-way engagement. In a community where more than 70 percent of students speak a language other than English at home, he has focused on creating systems and relationships that ensure every voice is heard and valued.
“Since his arrival, Dr. Freeman has demonstrated the dynamic, fast-paced leadership and communication-centric approach that this award celebrates, profoundly transforming the way our district engages with its community.” — Richard Jannuzzi, President, Board of Education, Bound Brook School District
Building Connection Through Communication
Freeman has reshaped how Bound Brook connects with families and the broader community by combining technology, visibility and personal interaction. A hallmark of his leadership is being present, both online and in person, using communication as a tool for relationship-building. Dr. Freeman is invested in the community and ensures that all voices have a seat at the table. His approach turns communication into collaboration, using feedback he receives as a springboard for actionable items.
Key elements of his approach include:
“Dr. Freeman possesses an exceptional ability to listen intently, ensuring every voice, from parent to teacher to community elder, feels heard and valued.” — Richard Jannuzzi, President, Board of Education
Making Two-Way Communication a District Standard
Freeman integrated communication goals into the district’s 2024–2029 strategic plan, ensuring that transparency, accessibility, and community voice guide how Bound Brook operates. The plan launched with a focus on redesigning the district website and expanding access to information in families’ preferred languages, reinforcing equity and inclusion as core priorities. Dr. Freeman has committed to ongoing public updates through newsletters, social media, and community-wide storytelling so stakeholders can track progress toward district goals.
Understanding the importance of reaching every resident, Dr. Freeman is also developing a bi-annual printed newsletter to be delivered to all Bound Brook households in the 2025-26 school year. The first newsletter, set for delivery in January, includes human-interest stories to show how the district is meeting its goals, including increasing family engagement, improving facilities, expanding extracurricular activities and building community partnerships. It will be printed in English and Spanish, ensuring that stakeholders, regardless of language, understand the district’s vision.
A Visible, Relationship-Driven Leader
Freeman’s leadership is defined by visibility and human connection. He regularly visits schools, attends community events, greets families and celebrates students and staff in both physical and digital spaces. His approach emphasizes empathy, presence and open dialogue as essential leadership practices.
Dr. Freeman also makes engagement with staff a priority. He visits schools regularly, participates in staff meetings and uses communication tools to acknowledge accomplishments. At the start of the school year, Dr. Freeman shared a video message, highlighting major staff milestones, from vacations to weddings, baby announcements and big moves. The personal touch of this message demonstrated his belief that the district’s greatest strength lies in its people. Dr. Freeman reinforces a culture of belonging that extends far beyond the classroom.
At Board of Education meetings, Dr. Freeman focuses on the district’s purpose, which centers on its people. Each meeting begins with a presentation of the Students and Employees of the Month, a tradition that celebrates excellence and reinforces district pride. It sets a positive tone for the evening, framing the conversation and reminding all attendees why the work matters. Dr. Freeman makes time in his week to interact face-to-face with the school community, meeting with students at each of the schools.
“As Walt Whitman said of painter Thomas Eakins, 'Eakins is not a painter; he is a force.' The same must be said of Dr. Freeman: “Freeman is not a superintendent; he is a force.” An aura determined to use every conversation, every photo, every post to remind staff, parents, and students of the singular greatness within their personal human journey.” — William David Ross, Director of Data, Planning, Research & Evaluation, Bound Brook School District
Under his leadership, Bound Brook School District has strengthened two-way communication, increased community engagement, and built a culture of connection grounded in trust and shared purpose.
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.