Citing a commitment to transparency and enhancing relationships with stakeholders through a variety of avenues, the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) has named Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell as its 2025 winner of the Bob Grossman Leadership in School Communications Award.
The award is given annually by NSPRA to recognize outstanding leadership in school public relations and communications. It honors Robert L. Grossman, a past NSPRA past president who believed that the support and commitment of top education leaders is vital to successful school communication.
“I’m very grateful to NSPRA for this award, which truly represents the efforts of so many,” Dr. Bedell said. “The work of schools and school districts is difficult, and it is only through helping everyone see that their voice has value – that they can Belong, Grow, and Succeed, as our Strategic Plan states – that we can become the premier school district we believe we can be.”
Dr. Bedell has set a tone of transparency since he began his term as Superintendent in 2022. In that first year, he hosted a 16-session Listening and Learning tour, with three sessions conducted in Spanish. It drew more than 1,000 people and built a base of respect and confidence throughout the community.
He also hosted a 10-session Community Conversations tour with Cabinet members in his second year and a Partners in Progress tour this year to continue to provide outlets for the community to have access to school system leadership.
“Dr. Bedell’s leadership reflects the very ideals championed by Bob Grossman: that effective school communication begins at the top,” NSPRA wrote in its announcement of the award today.
Dr. Mary Dadone, a longtime community education advocate for marginalized students, said that Dr. Bedell’s efforts have changed perceptions of the school district.
“Dr. Bedell has brought us hope, courage, clarity of focus, trust, improved relationships and notable academic improvement,” she wrote in a letter of support for his nomination. “He has been a model of transparency.”
Insisting that a new Strategic Plan be a “community plan,” Dr. Bedell created a steering committee of more than 60 people to help draft the document, which was approved by the Board of Education in 2023.
“I just believe that people can’t help you get you where you want to go if they don’t know where you are and to establish that you have to tell the good, the bad, and the ugly,” Dr. Bedell said. “We have done that since my first day here and I have been very fortunate to have a team in our Communications Division and beyond that has worked very hard to tell those stories.”
Dr. Bedell has been no stranger in the community. His frequent presence at school activities, athletic contests, and events across the county have made him readily accessible to families. He is a regular participant in student mentoring sessions and his school visits always include built-in time to converse with staff and students about issues important to them.
Dr. Bedell has also worked to streamline and strengthen the district’s communications efforts. A systemwide reorganization incorporated the Office of School and Family Partnerships with Communications and Design & Print Services, allowing efforts to reach parent groups and international families to be more equitable, closely aligned and effective. With his support, there has also been a concerted effort to increase outreach to multilingual families. As an example, AACPS now has Facebook pages in six languages.
To help keep the community informed, Dr. Bedell also provides public video updates through “Thursday Thoughts” segments that are posted online.