Seven principals join NASSP Board as Peter Kruszynski of Lancaster (NY) Middle School assumes role of President-Elect

Chicago, IL – Peter Kruszynski, principal of Lancaster Middle School in Lancaster, NY, has been elected to serve as President-Elect of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Seven school leaders from across the country were also elected to serve four-year terms on the 24-member NASSP Board of Directors.

Kruszynski has spent the last 18 of his 36 years in education as principal of Lancaster Middle School, where he has actively supported the professional growth of all the assistant principals who have worked with him by collaborating with them and being available to assist or consult on sensitive or controversial topics. Of the nine assistant principals who have worked at his school, five are currently principals and one is at the district office. His efforts have helped to create a principal pipeline in his own district, cultivating leaders that then continue to serve students throughout the district community.

Kruszynski has been an NASSP board member as well as a board member for the School Administrators Association of New York (SAANYS). He was president of SAANYS from 2009–2010 and president of the Lancaster Administrators and Supervisors Association from 2000-2015. In 2012, Kruszynski was named Western NY Middle School Principal of the Year and this year, he earned the NYS Outstanding Educator Award. He has a BS, MS, and Certificate of Advanced Study and New York State Administrative Certification from the State University College at Buffalo.

“Research has shown how essential principal leadership is to student success,” Kruszynski said. “I am honored to be NASSP’s president-elect and to serve our nation’s amazing school leaders who are working to ensure that all students succeed in fulfilling their greatest potential.”

The seven additional school leaders elected to the board for two-year and four-year terms include:

  • Raashad Fitzpatrick, Principal, Gaffney High School, Gaffney, SC
  • Alan Long, Principal, Jefferson County High School, Louisville, GA
  • Raquel Martinez, Principal, Isaac Stevens Middle School, Pasco, WA
  • Margaret Robinson, Assistant Principal, Har-Ber High School, Springdale, AR
  • Gwendolyn Taylor, Principal, Huntington Middle School, Warner Robins, GA
  • Becky Waters, Principal, Moorcroft Senior High School, Moorcroft, WY
  • William Ziegler, Principal, Pottsgrove High School, Pottstown, PA

The new board members were elected during the association’s Member’s Assembly, held this year at the National Principals Conference in Chicago, IL, July 11-13. All board terms are effective July 12, 2018, as is Kruszynski’s post of president-elect. Kruszynski will be serving under NASSP President Christine Handy until July 12, 2019, when he will succeed to the NASSP presidency.

For a complete roster of the NASSP Board of Directors, please visit www.nassp.org/who-we-are/board-of-directors.

About NASSP

The National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) is the leading organization of and voice for principals and other school leaders across the United States. NASSP seeks to transform education through school leadership, recognizing that the fulfillment of each student’s potential relies on great leaders in every school committed to the success of each student. Reflecting its long-standing commitment to student leadership development, NASSP administers the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, National Elementary Honor Society, and National Student Council.