Each year, the National School Public Relations Association, in partnership with Finalsite, honors one outstanding professional whose leadership, service and strategic impact have strengthened school communities and elevated the field of school communication. In 2025, the honor belongs to Cindy Warner, APR, public relations and community education supervisor for Shelby County Schools in Alabama, who was recently presented with the award at the NSPRA 2025 National Seminar in Washington, D.C.
“Cindy’s work shows what happens when communication is treated as mission-critical to public education,” said NSPRA Executive Director Barbara M. Hunter, APR. “She’s helped transform her district’s communications and inspired professionals across the country with her mentorship, leadership and care.”
Over the past two decades, Warner has shaped public relations, crisis response and family engagement efforts for one of Alabama’s largest school systems, serving more than 21,000 students and 2,800 employees. Her work reflects national trends in school communication, from prioritizing student mental health and attendance to incorporating research-based messaging strategies and inclusive, multi-platform engagement.
Warner’s work exemplifies the power of school communication to build trust and support student well-being, outcomes backed by decades of research showing that active family engagement leads to higher grades, better attendance and improved emotional health.
“Having a strong communications leader is essential to building a trusting, thriving community,” said Finalsite Chief Marketing Officer Risa Engel. “Cindy's leadership proves how strategic communication can engage families, unite stakeholders, and drive stronger outcomes for public schools.”
Notable highlights from Warner’s career in school communications include:
- Led development and rollout of a districtwide strategic planthrough a multi-phase communications effort. The initiative earned a 2024 NSPRA Gold Medallion Award, the association's top honor for outstanding school communication programs, for its success in engaging stakeholders and reinforcing the district’s shared vision.
- Helped launch the Shelby Cares mental health initiative, a strategic effort to reduce stigma and promote proactive care through student-led messaging, educator training and in-school services. The communications campaign earned a 2019NSPRA Golden Achievement Award.
- Proactively strengthened the district’s brand through nationally recognized initiatives that celebrate student and staff achievements across digital, video and print platforms.
- Led media relations and crisis communication for the district for more than two decades, managing thousands of media inquiries and coordinating responses to major events, weather emergencies, student safety, legal challenges and more.
- Modernized internal and external communication tools, implementing a unified school-home platform to strengthen staff engagement and streamline parent communication across 31 schools.
- Launched a districtwide social media campaign, “Missing School is Missing Out,” to address post-COVID chronic absenteeism. The campaign used grade-specific videos and FOMO-inspired messaging to reach more than 15,000 users and generated over 9,600 video views. The district’s most recently reported chronic absenteeism rate has since shown a downward trend, decreasing from 13.84% to 13.53%, well below the current national average of approximately 19%.
- Supported the professional growth of more than 30 candidates for accreditation in public relationsthrough direct mentorship, panel service and program leadership. Co-founded NSPRA’s APR Cohort program, which supports 200+ participants annually on their path to accreditation.
Warner is also a three-time president of the Alabama School Public Relations Association, a former Southeast Region vice president for NSPRA and a dedicated volunteer and board member for multiple community nonprofit organizations.
“Cindy Warner is a trusted member of my executive cabinet and a confidant,” said Dr. Lewis Brooks, Superintendent of Shelby County Schools. “She is a reliable presence in times of (both) celebration and crisis…(and) our ability to effectively communicate has gotten exponentially better under her direction.”
In her acceptance remarks at NSPRA 2025, Warner shared her gratitude and reflected on the educators, mentors and students who shaped her journey.
“Thank you for letting me represent you as Communicator of the Year,” she said. “I promise to continue doing everything I can to elevate public education because I’m proud to be a product of it.”
