Dr. Kelly Withers Named Inaugural Recipient of the Transcend Trailblazer Award
The Rowan-Salisbury School System (RSS) is proud to announce that Superintendent Dr. Kelly Withers has been named the inaugural recipient of the Transcend Trailblazer Award. This new national recognition celebrates district leaders who boldly bring research, evidence, and the voices of educators, families, and young people together to reimagine what school can be and who have the courage to build it.
Transcend is a national nonprofit that helps school communities redesign how learning happens so that all students experience “extraordinary, equitable” education. It works as a research-and-development partner to schools and districts that want to rethink their entire educational models, not just make small tweaks.
Leaders within Transcend felt that “what sets Dr. Withers apart is her conviction that the people closest to a school, its students, families, and educators, belong at the center of designing it. In 2023, [Withers] deepened that conviction through Transend’s Superintendent Fellowship, bringing community-based design to Rowan-Salisbury and beginning to build something the district had never seen before.”
Withers accepted the award on April 13, 2026, at the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego, CA, one of the largest education innovation conferences in the country. Transcend premiered a video highlighting Withers’ leadership and the transformative work taking place across RSS.
This recognition reflects Withers’ commitment to creating student-centered learning environments shaped by collaboration, innovation, and community engagement. Under her leadership, RSS has continued to evolve its approach to education, focusing on meaningful learning experiences, strong partnerships, and opportunities that empower student voice. This award underscores her belief that schools are strongest when designed with the communities they serve in mind.
“[RSS leadership wants] to understand what students are experiencing, what they need, and what is missing. From there, they go deep into the research, using evidence and data to triangulate what they are hearing and better understand what is actually happening in their community.” Transcend noted, “They then look outward, drawing inspiration from other environments and the growing science of how children learn and how schools can work differently.”
Withers’ students-first approach to every decision she makes for the school system is both simple and significant. She knows that when the focus is on what’s good for kids, the impact is a lifelong foundation for success.
“As an educator, I think your legacy is found in the adults that you see in the community. You contributed to that story. So, I hope that my legacy in particular is that this work is always about the kids and learners,” Withers said.
Withers’ recognition as the inaugural recipient of the Transcend Trailblazer Award highlights both her individual achievements and the collective progress of Rowan-Salisbury Schools.
Watch the Transcend Trailblazer video feature, about what the RSS community is building together, where students, parents, educators, and community members across the district share how Withers’ efforts to include them in decision-making for their schools impact them.
