Congratulations to Cindy Warner, APR

2025 NSPRA National School Communicator of the Year

Each year, the National School Public Relations Association, in partnership with Finalsite, honors one outstanding professional whose leadership, service and strategic impact have strengthened school communities and elevated the field of school communication. In 2025, the honor belongs to Cindy Warner, APR, public relations and community education supervisor for Shelby County Schools in Alabama, who was recently presented with the award at the NSPRA 2025 National Seminar in Washington, D.C.

“Cindy’s work shows what happens when communication is treated as mission-critical to public education,” said NSPRA Executive Director Barbara M. Hunter, APR. “She’s helped transform her district’s communications and inspired professionals across the country with her mentorship, leadership and care.”

Over the past two decades, Warner has shaped public relations, crisis response and family engagement efforts for one of Alabama’s largest school systems, serving more than 21,000 students and 2,800 employees. Her work reflects national trends in school communication, from prioritizing student mental health and attendance to incorporating research-based messaging strategies and inclusive, multi-platform engagement.

Warner’s work exemplifies the power of school communication to build trust and support student well-being, outcomes backed by decades of research showing that active family engagement leads to higher grades, better attendance and improved emotional health.

“Having a strong communications leader is essential to building a trusting, thriving community,” said Finalsite Chief Marketing Officer Risa Engel. “Cindy's leadership proves how strategic communication can engage families, unite stakeholders, and drive stronger outcomes for public schools.”

Notable highlights from Warner’s career in school communications include:

• Led development and rollout of a districtwide strategic plan through a multi-phase communications effort. The initiative earned a 2024 NSPRA Gold Medallion Award, the association's top honor for outstanding school communication programs, for its success in engaging stakeholders and reinforcing the district’s shared vision.
   
• Helped launch the Shelby Cares mental health initiative, a strategic effort to reduce stigma and promote proactive care through student-led messaging, educator training and in-school services. The communications campaign earned a 2019 NSPRA Golden Achievement Award.
   
• Proactively strengthened the district’s brand through nationally recognized initiatives that celebrate student and staff achievements across digital, video and print platforms.

• Led media relations and crisis communication for the district for more than two decades, managing thousands of media inquiries and coordinating responses to major events, weather emergencies, student safety, legal challenges and more.
   
• Modernized internal and external communication tools, implementing a unified school-home platform to strengthen staff engagement and streamline parent communication across 31 schools.
   
• Launched a districtwide social media campaign, “Missing School is Missing Out,” to address post-COVID chronic absenteeism. The campaign used grade-specific videos and FOMO-inspired messaging to reach more than 15,000 users and generated over 9,600 video views. The district’s most recently reported chronic absenteeism rate has since shown a downward trend, decreasing from 13.84% to 13.53%, well below the current national average of approximately 19%.
   
• Supported the professional growth of more than 30 candidates for accreditation in public relations through direct mentorship, panel service and program leadership. Co-founded NSPRA’s APR Cohort program, which supports 200+ participants annually on their path to accreditation.

Warner is also a three-time president of the Alabama School Public Relations Association, a former Southeast Region vice president for NSPRA and a dedicated volunteer and board member for multiple community nonprofit organizations.

“Cindy Warner is a trusted member of my executive cabinet and a confidant,” said Dr. Lewis Brooks, Superintendent of Shelby County Schools. “She is a reliable presence in times of (both) celebration and crisis…(and) our ability to effectively communicate has gotten exponentially better under her direction.”

In her acceptance remarks at NSPRA 2025, Warner shared her gratitude and reflected on the educators, mentors and students who shaped her journey.

“Thank you for letting me represent you as Communicator of the Year,” she said. “I promise to continue doing everything I can to elevate public education because I’m proud to be a product of it.”

Read a full recap of the 2025 School Communicator of the Year Award presentation at the NSPRA National Seminar in the July 22 issue of the Seminar Scoop newsletter.

Explore Cindy Warner’s 2025 School Communicator of the Year finalist profile to learn more about her career, leadership and lasting impact on school communication.

In addition to Warner, finalists for the award were also recognized as part of this year’s national award program:

Donnie Belcher Executive Director of Communications and Engagement Minneapolis Public Schools Minneapolis, Minn. Minnesota School Public Relations Association Read more about Donnie.

Anakaren Cárdenas Ureño Director of Communications Laguna Beach Unified School District Laguna Beach, Calif. California School Public Relations Association Read more about Anakaren.

Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez, APR Executive Administrator for Partnerships, Marketing and Communication Region One Education Service Center  Edinburg, Texas Texas School Public Relations Association Read more about Arianna.

The four finalists were selected from a pool of 26 exceptional professionals nominated by their state or regional NSPRA chapters for the national honor. All nominees were first recognized as their chapter’s Communicator of the Year. You can find a full list of all school communicators who were submitted as nominees for the national award from their state or regional chapter at https://nspra.co/4fljR8c.