National School Boards Association Announces New Leadership for 2026-27
April 27, 2026
Today, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) announced that Leonard Lockhart of the Windsor Board of Education in Connecticut has been elected NSBA president for 2026-27. Becky Fles of MSAD #11 School District in Maine was elected President-elect and Dr. Sami Al-Abdrabbuh of the Corvallis Board of Education in Oregon was elected Secretary-Treasurer. NSBA’s former president, Devin Sheehan of Holyoke Public Schools Committee in Massachusetts, will serve as Immediate Past President.
“We are thrilled to welcome Leonard Lockhart as our new President,” said NSBA Executive Director and CEO Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs. “Leonard’s unique personal journey and deep commitment to student opportunity provide the perfect vision for this moment. Under his leadership, NSBA’s 2026-27 Board of Directors will be responsible for navigating a complex national landscape, ensuring that our collective voice in Washington remains a singular, powerful force for the 50 million children we serve."
“My journey to this role wasn’t a traditional one, but it is a path I share with millions of students in our classrooms today,” Lockhart said. “Having grown up in public housing, I know firsthand that the messages of hope from a community — combined with the grit of lived experience — are what fuel a child's future. As NSBA President, I am committed to ensuring that every student, regardless of their ZIP code, finds the genius, justice, and joy in their education.”
Leonard Lockhart – President
Leonard Lockhart has served on the Windsor Board of Education since 2012, holding various leadership roles including President, Vice President, and Finance Chair. At the state level, he is the Immediate Past President of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) and currently serves as Chair of the Capital Region Education Council (CREC).
At the national level, Lockhart has been a member of NSBA’s Board of Directors since 2023. He has contributed to numerous committees, including Finance, Policy, and Constitution & Bylaws, and most recently served as the association’s President-elect.
Professionally, Leonard has over 29 years of experience with Johnson Controls, where he currently serves as an HVAC Controls Systems Lead. A dedicated public servant, he has been a volunteer firefighter in Windsor since 2006, where he holds the rank of Captain. Leonard is married with four children, a daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren.
Becky Fles – President-elect
Becky Fles has served on the MSAD 11 School Board for more than 25 years, including 15 years as Board Chair. MSAD 11 serves approximately 1,900 students across the Maine communities of Gardiner, Pittston, Randolph, and West Gardiner. In addition to her leadership as Chair, Becky also chairs the Finance Committee and serves on the Negotiations Committee, helping to shape the district’s financial priorities and labor agreements.
At the state level, Becky has been a director on the Maine School Boards Association for the past ten years, working to support effective school board governance and advocate for public education statewide.
A former classroom teacher, Becky holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a specialization in reading instruction from Abilene Christian University. She is a longtime advocate for literacy and student achievement, believing that reading is the foundation for success in life and in citizenship.
Dr. Sami Al-Abdrabbuh – Secretary-Treasurer
Sami Al-Abdrabbuh, Ph.D., has served on the Corvallis School District 509J Board of Directors since 2017, currently serving his fourth term. As Board Chair, he guided the district through a period of sustained improvement in student outcomes, bringing a data-driven approach to governance, finance, and policy. At the state level, he served as president of the Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA) in 2024. He also serves as a Gubernatorial appointee to Oregon’s Fair Dismissals Appeals Board.
Al-Abdrabbuh joined the NSBA Board of Directors in 2023. He contributed to the collaborative work of revising NSBA’s mission and vision and has served on several committees, including the Legislative Committee, to advance public education priorities at the national level.
Professionally, Al-Abdrabbuh’s career spans decades in both education and industry. He began as an educational assistant for a youth STEAM program — teaching physics and mechanical engineering concepts through hands-on learning — and has since served as a college educator in project management and engineering management systems. He holds an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Oregon State University.
Devin M. Sheehan – Immediate Past President
Devin M. Sheehan has served on the Holyoke School Committee since 2010, representing both the Holyoke School Committee and the Greater Commonwealth Virtual School Committee. Over the years, he has taken on increasing leadership responsibilities within the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC), culminating in his role as President in 2019.
At the national level, Sheehan has been an active contributor to NSBA, serving on Regional Nominating Committees, chairing multiple Board Committees, and advocating consistently for educational equity. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA).
Professionally, Devin is Chief of Staff to State Senator Jake Oliveira. He holds a Bachelor's degree from Franklin Pierce University and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
NSBA’s 2026-27 roster of board members:
Dr. Melissa Beard (Tumwater School District, Washington)
Flor Diaz Smith (Washington Central Unified Union School District, Vermont)
Marvyn Jaramillo (Mesa Vista Consolidated School District, New Mexico)
Mildred Rodriguez (Holyoke Public Schools, Massachusetts)
William L. Miller (Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES, New York)
Matthew Showalter (Gratiot-Isabella Regional Educational Service District, Michigan)
Eric Stroeder (Mobridge-Pollock School District, South Dakota)
Michael Swain (Bristol Bay Borough School District, Alaska)
Kathryn Whitaker (Churchill County School District, Nevada)
Ex Officio Voting Directors:
Joel Rodriguez, Chair, Council of Urban Boards of Education (School City of East Chicago, Indiana)
Dana Mock, Chair, National American Indian and Alaska Native Council of School Board Members (Delta-Greely School District, Alaska)
Yonelle Moore Lee, Chair, National Black Council of School Board Members (Board of Education of Charles County, Maryland)
Dr. Jubal Yennie, Chair, Organization of State Association Executive Directors, (Colorado Association of School Boards, Colorado)
Ex Officio Non-Voting Directors:
Brad Banasik, Chair, Council of School Attorneys Steering Committee, (Michigan Association of School Boards, Michigan)
Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs, Executive Director and CEO, National School Boards Association (Virginia)