18
IASA News in Brief
Elgin District U46
Superintendent Dr.
José M. Torres was
named a recipient of
the 2014 Dr. Effie H.
Jones Humanitarian
Award by the
American
Association of
School
Administrators
(AASA). Torres is
one of three
educators from
across the nation
who received the award at the recent AASA
National Conference on Education in Nashville,
Tennessee.
The award honors leadership in educational
equity and excellence and was named after the
late Effie Hall Jones, an educator and AASA
associate executive director, and a champion of
women and minorities in educational leadership,
according to a release from the district.
“I am extremely humbled and honored to
receive an award named after a true hero for
equity and social justice,” said Torres. “I share
Dr. Jones’ commitment to ensuring that we
pursue equity and excellence for all students in
our school system. We will continue to work hard
to remove educational barriers and offer
opportunity to learn for all students.”
AASA recognized Torres for addressing
persistent gaps in achievement by establishing
an Office of Equity and Social Justice, the first of
its kind in District U46. Other achievements
toward equity include Torres’ creation of the Ten
Boys mentorship initiative and the
Superintendent Scholarship Program, in which
Torres donated his own funds to provide financial
assistance for students who are the first in their
families to attend college.
According to AASA, Jones dedicated her
career to closing the academic, health and social
gap for children, as well as increasing the
number of women and minority school system
leaders. She was profiled in the film “Women at
the Top” for her work with women who aspired to
become superintendents.
In addition to Torres, 2014 recipients of the
Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award include
Margaret Grogan, a professor of education in the
School of Educational Studies at Claremont
Graduate University in Claremont, Calif.; and
Caroline Hunter, a former chemist and retired
school administrator in Cambridge, Mass.
Egyptian Region awards Presidential Citations
The Egyptian Region of the IASA has issued Presidential Citations to Dr. Robert Buser, a retired
professor from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and Larry Cornett, the chief executive officer
of the Jefferson County YMCA.
Each year, IASA encourages regions to present Presidential Citations to individuals who have
made significant contributions to public education even though they may not be professional
educators. Dr. Buser was cited for being involved in teaching, mentoring and supporting educational
leaders for more than 40 years. Cornet was honored for promoting expansion of programs for
students and collaborating with schools in Jefferson County.
Elgin’s Torres named winner of AASA’s
Dr. Effie Jones Humanitarian Award
