Volusia’s Carmen Balgobin is named Superintendent of the Year by national organization

The Daytona Beach News-Journal | Mark Harper | September 11, 2025

Carmen Balgobin of Volusia County Schools has been named 2025 Superintendent of the Year by the National Association of School Superintendents.

The Volusia County Schools chief since 2022, Balgobin was credited with “transformational leadership, having guided the district to its first ‘A’ rating in 16 years from the Florida Department of Education, achieved a 93.7% graduation rate and eliminated all D-rated schools,” according to the NASS website.

“She prioritizes innovative programs like the launch of college and career technical pathways starting in middle school and the introduction of a dual language program promoting bilingualism in English and Spanish,” the NASS website states.

Reached Thursday morning, Sept. 11, by phone, Balgobin talked about acquiring a passion for education growing up in Venezuela from her parents, Balgobin and Sue, Guyanese immigrants whose descendants are from India.

“It started with that strong belief system that has been instilled in me from very young by my father,” she said. “This has been my life’s work. I am very humbled. I feel very blessed, and I attribute this recognition not just to the work that we’ve done but really to who it truly belongs. This recognition truly belongs to the entire Volusia County Schools family and community.”

Carmen Balgobin, who leads Volusia County Schools, was named 2025 Superintendent of the Year by the National Association of School Superintendents on Sept. 10, 2025, in Chicago.

“Shared leadership and those strong partnerships that we have, have always been the foundation of our work in Volusia County and it will continue to be that way,” Balgobin said.

“Also, I’m very grateful and thankful to our school board, all the cabinet members, all our district and school-based leadership team, all our school employees in our district, we have 8,200, every single one of them,” she said. “Our 60,000 students, our parents, our partners: the entire community is who it truly belongs to. I am just the recipient, but it belongs to the entire community.”