Namit and Young are honored by NSBA

Namit is the assistant executive director for board and organizational development at the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA), and Young is the associate executive director of the Alaska Association of School Boards (AASB).

The awards were presented at a luncheon during the annual NSBA Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.

The award, named in honor of former NSBA Executive Director Thomas A. Shannon, is given annually to an executive director or staff member from a state school boards association who demonstrates continuing excellence.

Young has spent the past 22 years helping AASB become a fiscally sound, functional, and proactive organization.

Young helped to secure more than $40 million in financing to rebuild Alaskan schools destroyed by fire. She was instrumental in the development of the association’s long-range strategic plan and spearheaded the creation of its policy service.

Namit has accomplished much during his 27 years on the WSSDA staff, but his greatest achievement may well have been to shift the association’s board development efforts to focus on raising student achievement.

Collaboration has been a hallmark of Namit’s work. He formed productive partnerships with a variety of leading education organizations and businesses, including the Boeing Co., resulting in more than $350,000 in grant money to WSSDA for improving school board members’ leadership skills. 

Namit, a pioneer in school leader training, has developed and implemented a course curriculum for the local school board he has served for 12 years. He also led the development of online school governance courses at Seattle Pacific University.