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.
Superintendent Dau leads Provo City School District with a communication-driven leadership style rooted in trust, transparency, and two-way engagement. Since becoming superintendent, she has made communication a defining part of how the district builds alignment, navigates challenges, and strengthens community confidence.
Passionate about education and the opportunities it provides to young people and to our country, Dau firmly believes in collaborating with parents and communities to maximize opportunities for all and that transparency and open communication create the foundation for success. As a daughter of immigrants, Dau's parents emphasized the importance of obtaining as much education as possible.
“In a short time, Superintendent Dau has built a communication culture rooted in authenticity, accessibility, and trust. Her work not only informs, it unites.” — Jason Cox, Deputy Superintendent, Provo City School District
A Leader Who Centers Listening and Trust
From the first day of her superintendency, Wendy Dau has modeled leadership rooted in trust, transparency, and intentionality. She approaches every interaction with the belief that people act with positive intent. This guiding principle has shaped her relationships with staff, board members, and the community, creating a climate of respect and open communication.
In her work with the school board, Superintendent Dau ensures that conversations are grounded in shared values and facts. She guides discussion with poise and openness, even during challenging decisions, inspiring school leaders to strengthen their own communication practices. Principals across the district have followed her lead, adopting the same honesty, empathy, and clarity that she demonstrates daily.
Superintendent Dau listens deeply and intentionally. She visits classrooms, attends SEP conferences, and observes teaching across the district. Known for being fully present during evaluations and staff discussions, she listens carefully and responds thoughtfully, enabling her to make well-informed decisions that benefit both students and employees. Her approach directly reflects the Core Values in the district’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, which emphasize community, belonging, and collaboration.
Using Communication to Reach and Engage the Community
Dau has created a wide-reaching, consistent communication system that keeps families and staff informed and connected. Her approach blends digital and traditional channels, including:
“Wendy clearly understands that communication is more than just getting a message out. She values two-way communication and has set up systems to hear from teachers, support staff, principals, parents, and community members.” — Jennifer Partridge, Board of Education President
Making Communication a Strategic Priority
Dau ensured communication is not just a practice but a measurable strategic goal. The district’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan includes a specific objective to improve communication about decision-making, resource allocation, and facilities management by 15 percent over five years as measured by stakeholder survey data. Communication goals are tracked through cabinet reviews, cross-departmental operations meetings, and public reporting via podcasts, videocasts, newsletters, and board updates.
Leading From the Front
Dau personally helps to drive the district’s communication efforts. She meets weekly with the communications team, reviews district messaging, speaks directly to families and staff, and engages actively on social media and in the community. She also created structures that ensure two-way dialogue remains central to decision-making and that excellence is celebrated such as:
“One of the most remarkable aspects of her leadership is her hands-on approach to communication. She doesn't simply delegate messaging—she actively creates it.” — Jason Cox, Deputy Superintendent, Provo City School District
Through her leadership, communication in the district has become more proactive, inclusive, and strategic. Every message, meeting, and platform reflects her belief that strong communication builds trust and strengthens community.
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.