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The Superintendents to Watch award recognizes up to 25 school district leaders each year who have fewer than five years of experience as a superintendent and who demonstrate dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core.
Dr. Antwon M. Sutton embodies the qualities of a forward-thinking leader and communicator, possessing a clear vision of academic excellence and a well-conceived strategy to actualize it. His strong command of language and understanding of school administration ensures that information is conveyed with clarity and conciseness. His approach, characterized by a blend of frankness and diplomacy, fosters cooperation and trust. Dr. Sutton assumed his role as Superintendent of the Chester County School District in July 2020, amidst the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of his foremost priorities was the appointment of a dedicated public information officer. This appointment was instrumental in effectively communicating his initiatives throughout the school district. The superintendent shared his inspiring vision and objectives with the entire community, igniting enthusiasm and hope amid the pandemic’s several challenges. Despite the high prevalence of COVID-19 across the district, he diligently maintained a visible presence in schools and throughout the county, actively engaging with the public. This consistent engagement solidified his reputation as an approachable and visible leader. By regularly visiting the schools under his purview, he remains well-informed about administrative issues, student progress, and facility needs. Dr. Sutton places particular emphasis on two key aspects of communication: community engagement and school recognition. He frequently utilizes his personal Twitter/X account, known as “Supe Says,” to share his reflections, highlight noteworthy staff and student accomplishments, and provide updates on community partnerships and outreach programs. In collaboration with the District’s Director of Marketing and Communications, Dr. Sutton crafted a comprehensive strategy and a set of standard operating procedures that delineate the methods by which the school district engages with its various stakeholders. During meetings, Dr. Sutton is a dedicated listener, showing a profound consideration for diverse viewpoints. He establishes robust relationships with several local businesses and civic groups, strengthening school district ties with the wider community. Moreover, he maintains an open line of communication with school district staff, teachers, and students, promoting direct contact with him when the need arises. Dr. Sutton recognizes the importance of fostering a positive working relationship with local news media and frequently provides written statements or interviews on various topics related to education. He ensures that both CCSD employees and the Chester County community remain well informed through a variety of communication channels, such as videos, publications, events, the district website and mobile app, and social media. In closing, Dr. Sutton’s commitment to the welfare of students is unyielding and supported by his integrity. During interactions with the public or school district staff, he maintains constant transparency about district operations and the imperative need to improve school facilities. His steadfast adherence to moral and ethical principles quickly established him as a role model for educators, parents, students, and the community at large.
Dr. Sutton launched a communication program that significantly improved access to timely school district information for stakeholders. In the summer of 2020, after conducting several feedback sessions, he introduced quarterly virtual town hall meetings, which had not existed before his arrival in July 2020. These meetings offered the public direct access to the superintendent and district administrators, who provided updates and shared goals from various departments. Afterward, the public could submit questions via Facebook, which were answered live, allowing people to see their concerns addressed in real time. Additionally, the superintendent initiated a "Board Highlights" document distributed to all district stakeholders, ensuring timely communication about board meetings. Previously, stakeholders had expressed frustration that it took up to a month for school board meeting minutes to be approved and posted online. In response, the superintendent began issuing board meeting highlights on the evening the meeting concluded, sharing this information with parents, staff, the media, and the broader community. This improvement was a significant step forward for the county in providing easy access to school board updates. The superintendent also introduced live-streaming of the district’s board meetings after hiring a full-time Public Information Officer (PIO). This allowed community members to watch the meetings from home or at their convenience via the district’s YouTube channel. The superintendent worked closely with the PIO to ensure these documents were well-organized on the district’s website, improving accessibility for all stakeholders. Dr. Sutton regularly collaborates with the PIO, providing feedback and engaging in brainstorming sessions to develop new marketing and public relations initiatives. Dr. Sutton also prioritizes building positive relationships with the local news media, frequently offering written statements or participating in interviews on a variety of education-related topics.
As superintendent, Dr. Sutton has worked to fully integrate communication goals and strategies into the school district’s strategic plan to ensure transparency, engagement, and alignment with the district’s overall vision. These communication goals are not separate initiatives but are woven throughout the strategic plan to support key district priorities such as academic achievement, equity, and community involvement. To achieve this, the nominee collaborated with the Public Information Officer (PIO) and district leadership to create a comprehensive Communications Plan, which outlines clear strategies for maintaining open, timely, and effective communication with all stakeholders. These strategies include regular school visits throughout the county, and group and one-on-one meetings with key stakeholders such as principals, community leaders, district leadership, teachers, and support staff. Additionally, cabinet meetings are held with parents, students, educators, and support staff, along with neighborhood tours to engage with community members and both in-person and virtual town hall meetings. The communication goals are shared through direct emails to stakeholders, town hall meetings, social media platforms, and the district’s website. These communication goals are shared through multiple channels, including direct emails, town hall meetings, social media, and the district’s website. This multi-platform approach ensures that all stakeholders, whether parents, students, staff, or community members—have access to important updates and can engage with the district’s ongoing efforts to improve education. Additionally, through regular feedback sessions and public forums, the nominee ensures that communication is a two-way process, where stakeholder input helps shape ongoing district policies and initiatives.
Dr. Sutton actively fosters two-way communication by regularly meeting with key community leaders, including representatives from local service organizations, businesses, faith-based groups, post-secondary institutions, city and county officials, economic development leaders, and the Chamber of Commerce. He also participates in athletic and community events, allowing him to establish a presence in the community and engage directly with stakeholders. To keep employees and the public informed, the Superintendent utilizes a variety of channels, including videos, publications, events, and social media. For example, videos are available on the district’s website and YouTube channel. Multimedia presentations are created for community meetings, budget discussions, and internal leadership gatherings, while photographs enhance all publications, presentations, and the district website. Press releases are distributed to local media partners and made publicly accessible online through the district's website. Chester County School District will continue to leverage platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Thrillshare Alerts to deliver real-time news about the district and schools to the community. These social media pages serve as essential tools for conveying information about school closures, emergencies, positive news, and events. They also aim to engage the community on local, state, and national education topics, while showcasing student and staff achievements through pictures and posts.
B.A. - Mississippi State University; MPA - University of Georgia
I believe school PR/communications is what I was born to do! One of the biggest decisions a parent can make is where to send their child to school, and it’s an honor to share with our parents the engaging work that their children are doing under the guidance of world-class teachers and leaders. On any given day, in any given school, there are many stories to be told and I take that charge seriously. As school communicators played a key role in COVID-19 communications, storytelling was more important than ever – not only did I share information with parents about our protocols, but I also made over 80 visits to schools last year and told a variety of stories about how students were thriving with both in-person and distance learning options. I also worked with principals to determine best mitigation practices and helped make those pervasive, because positive action must be the foundation of what we are ultimately communicating. School public relations is incredibly complex and I love that each day brings a new challenge.
My greatest school PR success was completing 11 nationally-innovative school communication audits using a process of research, planning, implementation, and evaluation. I am now in phase two of this project and am attending school council meetings to garner feedback from parents about school-level communication and how I can better support the work of their schools. One of the most significant findings is that as students take more ownership of their learning, they also take more ownership in parent communication. Therefore, next steps are to better prepare parents for this transition and to also determine best practices from exemplar teachers and coaches at the secondary level so we can strike the right balance with parents feeling informed and fostering student independence.
My greatest school PR challenge is overcoming rigidity. Like many PR professionals, I am detail-oriented and a self-described perfectionist. It’s a blessing and a curse to see when something is one pixel off, but the greatest challenge I have faced in my 13 years in this field is to learn to be more flexible. I might have an aversion to Comic Sans or Curlz, but it’s not the end of the world if those are a font favorite elsewhere. What’s more important is the bigger picture – staff and parents feeling well-informed and students growing and learning in positive school cultures. Instead of telling someone their website isn’t formatted properly, I now make a 2-3 minute screencast if I think there’s a quick tutorial I can offer to provide ongoing professional learning. By being much more flexible, I have deepened relationships and become better at supporting the most important job that occurs in our school system: teaching.
My favorite part of my job is the relationships. I often say that there is no substitute for showing up, and that’s why I make so many school visits each year. From getting to hold a gorgeous monarch butterfly to watching a vibrant student musical to seeing 3-D printing in action from engineering students, I have witnessed countless unique opportunities, and these experiences are just a small piece of what our students get to take part in each and every day. If I didn’t take the time to form relationships, I wouldn’t know that what students value is knowing that the photos I take may show up in their yearbooks. I wouldn’t know the myriad of annual activities that teachers do across our schools because I wouldn’t have witnessed them firsthand. I wouldn’t know about the families of our principals or what they believe makes their school unique. All of that is invaluable because at the end of the day and at the end of this career, relationships are what will remain – both professionally and personally.
The communication tool I use the most is Canva! I would be a brand ambassador if they asked! I am not very mathematically-minded and it can be challenging for someone with an eye for good design – but not an eye for rulers and gridlines – to be a graphic designer. However, Canva has made it possible and I am able to create aesthetically-pleasing graphics with short turn-around times. I have trained communication ambassadors at our schools how to use it as well. Right after Canva, the tool I most use is iMovie. I am completely self-taught in videography and using iMovie and Canva together has made me someone who can add “videographer” to their list of expertise.