Leaders explored the theme “Rooted in Belonging: Learning, Leading & Evolving” during the conference, held Sept. 16-18 in Irvine.

The planning committee also presented this year’s Ray Curry Award, which is given annually to an HR administrator who most exemplifies the leadership of one of ACSA’s founders, Ray Curry.

This year’s Ray Curry Award winner is Kameelah Green, director of Personnel Services, with New Haven Unified School District.

In this role, Green manages a comprehensive portfolio that includes personnel services, labor relations, recruitment and retention, employee relations, Title IX compliance, and the district’s teacher induction program.

With her people-first leadership philosophy, Green strives to ensure every employee feels respected, supported, and valued. She also works to build strong personnel systems that remove barriers, cultivate leadership, strengthen relationships, and create opportunities for people to thrive.

“I believe Human Resources should be one of the district’s greatest strategic assets — building systems that serve people while creating organizations where employees can do their very best work,” Green said. “People are the heart of every successful school system. When we invest‌ in employees, we improve outcomes for every student.”

Since joining the district in 2022, Green has modernized the district’s HR systems, making improvements such as paperless onboarding, expanding recruitment partnerships, and leading the first job description revisions in 20 years.

Her commitment to developing tomorrow’s leaders includes establishing the district’s first leadership pipeline for future principals, L.E.A.D. Cohort.

Guided by the belief that employees who feel valued creates schools where students feel valued, Green has established a culture of care in New Haven USD through employee recognition efforts, Wellness Wednesdays, and career advancement support.

Colleagues say her greatest professional quality is her ability to build trust.

“Personnel leadership often places administrators at the intersection of competing interests, difficult conversations, legal complexities, and emotionally charged situations,” said Zetha Nobles, director of Equity Access and Achievement for New Haven USD, in her nomination. “Green has earned that trust through consistency, transparency, fairness, and authenticity.”

Understanding that personnel work is most effective when departments work collaboratively, Green has also established ongoing payroll and personnel collaboration meetings that strengthened communication between departments and improved coordination around leaves of absence, retirement systems, credentialing, and employee services.

Green’s innovative ideas have also helped close significant staffing shortages in her district, particularly within special education. As a result of her comprehensive efforts, the district reduced special education paraeducator vacancies from approximately 60 positions when she began in 2022 to only 12 by January 2026.

“During my career, I had the privilege of working alongside many outstanding educational leaders. Very few possess the unique combination of strategic thinking, technical expertise, emotional intelligence, and genuine humanity that Kameelah demonstrates every day,” said Derek McNamara, former assistant superintendent of Personnel with New Haven Unified School District. “She has elevated the practice of personnel administration in our district while serving as a trusted advisor, mentor, collaborator, and advocate for employees at every level of the organization.”