Stellar Award Finalists

Betzabeth Reussow
Principal, Colonial High

Betzabeth Reussow champions collaborative transformation and community support as principal of Colonial High. Focusing on data-driven instruction and targeted interventions, she led graduation rates to 95% and college and career acceleration to a decade-high 75%. Reussow expanded wraparound services by partnering with the UCF Unlimited Potential Initiative, Elevate Orlando and Englewood Kidz Zone. Principal Leader Rolando Bailey said Reussow “is intentional in uniting the spirit and culture of both campuses” so students at the ninth-grade center feel fully integrated in the high school experience. She ensures every student is supported, connected, and empowered to succeed in college, careers and life.

Andrew Agudo 
Principal, Horizon Middle

With 20 years in education, including nine as a principal, Andrew Agudo leads through visibility, collaboration, and a "people-first" mindset. Since taking the helm at Horizon West Middle, Agudo has fostered a safe, supportive culture while driving historic academic growth and earning a Florida School of Excellence designation. He champions diverse opportunities through arts, athletics, and extracurricular programs. Whether checking in daily with students, empowering staff through a collaborative OCPS Guiding Coalition, or partnering closely with families, Agudo leads by example. He models the school’s "Hornets Unite" spirit, ensuring every student feels valued, supported, and inspired to succeed.

Cruz Diaz
Principal, Rosemont Elementary

Serving Rosemont Elementary since 2021, Principal Cruz Diaz has guided a transformative turnaround, elevating Rosemont to an "A" rating, only the second in its history. Diaz’s student-centered approach reduced discipline referrals by 96% through initiatives like Rosemont Risers and youth athletics. Diaz coaches many students in after-school sports, believing the principal should serve alongside families in their community. He increased enrollment from 555 to 654 and achieved staff retention of more than 85%. Through personal mentorship, active partnerships and dedication, he inspires excellence, showing students that adversity does not define their future.

Shamica Chambers
Assistant Principal, Rock Lake Elementary

While serving as assistant principal at Rock Lake Elementary, Shamica Chambers also provides instructional leadership to Mollie Ray Elementary through the Master Principal Program. Guided by her "SPICE" philosophy—Safety, People First, Integrity, Collaboration, and Excellence—she oversees special education and programs for English-language learners. Her leadership around data-driven literacy boosted school performance from a "C" to an "A" while sustaining over 70% ELA proficiency. With more than 15 years in education, she builds strong family partnerships through Beaver Boost Academy and mentors via OCPS Girls with Ambition.

Holly Watts
Assistant Principal, Rolling Hills Elementary 

As assistant principal at Rolling Hills Elementary, Holly Watts exemplifies collaborative leadership and commitment to student success. Watts drives schoolwide improvement through proactive behavior frameworks and targeted academic interventions. She led a schoolwide intervention program in which students received targeted support from almost every adult on campus. This strategy achieved historic growth, boosting student ELA proficiency by 14 percentage points and math by 22 percentage points over two years, while cutting discipline referrals by more than 50%. A dedicated mentor to new administrators, Watts cultivates strong community partnerships where families feel supported, proving team-focused leadership empowers every child to thrive.

Rosie Williams
Assistant Principal, West Orange High 

Since joining West Orange High in 2022, Assistant Principal Rosie Williams has demonstrated collaborative leadership and focused on student achievement. Her work building instructional capacity played a central role in propelling the school to earn and maintain an “A” grade for three consecutive years. Under her guidance, Biology proficiency rose from 70% to 84% and U.S. History proficiency reached 85%. A district lead mentor for new assistant principals and a member of the District Guiding Coalition, Williams doubled parental involvement and ADDitions volunteers by actively engaging PTSO, SAC, and local businesses in schoolwide initiatives. Her compassionate leadership ensures every student feels valued and supported.

Kimberly Harrell
Senior Manager, Communications and Records, District Police

Kimberly Harrell brings 30 years of public safety dispatch experience, including nine with OCPS, where she leads the 24/7 emergency communications center. She drives key safety and technology improvements, including connecting the district’s dispatch system with automated AI notifications to send real-time incident alerts to school leaders. Beyond technology, Harrell focuses on team development through her Apex Program, a mentorship initiative created to support and guide staff. As Harrell said, "Leadership means listening to the people doing the work, building relationships, and never accepting 'the way we've always done it' as a reason not to improve."

Celeste Hunter
Senior Administrator, Division of Learning

As Senior Administrator for Middle & K-8 Schools, Celeste Hunter turns data into clear strategies that boost student achievement. She directly supports 12 middle schools and oversees data forecasting across 48 schools. Her mid-year performance model achieved 90% accuracy, helping increase A- and B-rated middle schools from 60% to 83%. By collaborating with curriculum and digital learning teams, she helped expand advanced coursework to nearly 8,500 students, driving acceleration rates to a five-year high. Additionally, her targeted interventions enabled two cadre schools to meet federal standards and exit school improvement status. She then shared best practices with schools districtwide.

Mandy Butterfield
Senior Director, Secondary Curriculum and Instruction

Mandy Butterfield, senior director of secondary curriculum and instruction, demonstrates collaborative, transformative leadership. Under her guidance, participation in Secondary Facilitated Planning Days tripled despite limited resources. She launched the district’s first Guiding Coalition, bringing diverse educators together to enhance Professional Learning Communities and instructional coherence, and created the Bridge Builder Awards. By integrating multi-departmental expertise, embedding literacy cross-content and fostering partnerships with higher education, Butterfield dismantles barriers, elevates educator voice and builds capacity. According to Dr. James Russo, senior executive director of curriculum and digital learning, “her approach has strengthened trust between schools and district leadership while increasing educator investment” in initiatives.