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. Kelly May-Vollmar has led Desert Sands Unified School District with a communication-driven leadership style that connects equity, innovation and student-centered decision-making. Since becoming superintendent in 2022, she has focused on ensuring that “students come first” while using communication to build trust, align systems and bring the community along through change.
“During her almost four years as superintendent, Dr. May-Vollmar has consistently demonstrated an exceptional commitment to communication, community engagement, and innovative leadership.” — Tiffany Norton, Chief Innovation and Information Officer, Desert Sands Unified School District
Using Communication to Drive Equity and Innovation
Dr. May-Vollmar’s leadership centers on the belief that “resources must be distributed based on need, not uniformity,” a philosophy that has reshaped how the district supports schools and students. She positioned DSUSD as a national leader in responsible artificial intelligence use by launching one of the nation’s first K–12 AI initiatives and building a communication program that brought staff, students and families into the process. Her forward-thinking approach ensures that technology serves as a tool for equity and empowerment rather than a barrier.
Key elements of that communication effort included:
Making Two-Way Communication a District Standard
Dr. May-Vollmar has embedded communication into the district’s strategic framework, elevating it from a support function to a core pillar of organizational success. She leads with transparency, accessibility and active listening, using multiple structures to ensure voices across the district are heard and valued. That commitment is reflected in a set of structured, two-way communication channels that keep students, staff and leaders in regular dialogue, including:
"In blending innovative communication with timeless principles of relationship-building, Dr. Kelly May-Vollmar has established a model for how educational leaders can successfully introduce change. Her program illustrates that when communication is intentional and inclusive, even the most complex initiatives can become opportunities to strengthen trust and move a district forward."
— Tamara Wadkins, Public Information Officer, Desert Sands Unified School District
Her outreach extends beyond the school walls to the broader community. Through annual State of Education events, ongoing media engagement and partnerships with civic and business leaders, Dr. May-Vollmar ensures that DSUSD’s progress and priorities are widely understood. She skillfully balances traditional approaches like community forums with modern strategies, including digital updates and video storytelling, to reach stakeholders where they are.
A Visible, Relationship-Driven Communicator
Dr. May-Vollmar's commitment to developing strong leaders is a hallmark of her work. She recognizes the critical role principals play in shaping school culture and student success. To strengthen site leadership, she designed a coaching program for every new principal. This targeted, job-embedded professional development provides mentorship and tools to navigate the complexities of principalship. The investment has improved school climates and translated into measurable gains in student achievement in language arts and math.
Equally impactful is her bold “Students First” initiative, which reframes all district decision-making. Every policy, program and operational adjustment is considered through the lens of student academic, social and emotional well-being. This framework has reshaped DSUSD’s culture, ensuring that student outcomes remain at the forefront of every conversation, from curriculum adoption to budget allocation. By institutionalizing this mindset, Dr. May-Vollmar has united teachers, principals and cabinet members under one guiding principle: students come first.
May-Vollmar is personally involved in the district’s communication efforts, especially during moments that matter most. She calls principals directly during incidents, shares updates with families, captures and submits photos from school visits, and ensures that students and staff are recognized across district platforms.
In 2024, Dr. May-Vollmar was named a Women of Distinction Award recipient by the District Administration Institute, recognizing her outstanding leadership, innovative thinking and unwavering commitment to elevating women and girls through education, communication, and opportunity.
“The beauty of Dr. May-Vollmar’s leadership lies in her humility. She brings others along on every journey. While she is the visionary behind many of these ideas, she is the first to emphasize that their success comes through collaboration.” — Francinni Zabata, Director of Community Engagement & Educational Foundation, Desert Sands Unified School District
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.