Bellville ISD Superintendent Nicole Poenitzsch, Ed.D., has been nominated by the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) as Texas’ candidate for the 2025 National Superintendent of the Year award. This accolade is presented by AASA, The School Superintendents Association.
Poenitzsch has led Bellville ISD since 2019 and has been in public education since 2005. Her career began as a teacher and coach before she transitioned into leadership roles in Royal, Weimar, and Sealy ISDs. After obtaining her superintendent certification in 2012, she served as assistant superintendent of Learning & Innovation at Dripping Springs ISD before joining Bellville ISD as its first female superintendent.
“In Bellville ISD, our mission is to partner with students, parents, staff, and community to cultivate relevant learning experiences so that each individual is empowered by their unique gifts and interests,” Poenitzsch stated. “Our mission is more than just words on a wall. It is at the core of everything that we do. We have worked with our students and parents to identify our learners’ areas of interests and worked to provide five academic academies and a total of 32 programs of study aligned with our learners’ aspirations. Each avenue provides our learners with opportunities to attain industry certifications and early-college access in conjunction with earning their high school diploma. Additionally, Bellville ISD is the only district in the state of Texas with a local accountability system in place that accounts for 50% of our school ratings and is designed to measure our progress toward the learner traits identified in our locally developed portrait of a learner. Our Bellville community and Brahma Family in BISD are #BellvilleProud.”
Poenitzsch earned her doctorate from Texas A&M University, her master's degree from University of Houston-Victoria, and her bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University. She has been a member of TASA since 2008 and serves on TASA’s Future-Ready Superintendents Leadership Network Design Team. Her other affiliations include the Texas Council of Women School Executives, L.E.A.R.N., and the Texas Strategic Leadership Initiative.
In September 2024, after being named Region 6 Superintendent of the Year, Poenitzsch was awarded the title of 2024 Texas Superintendent of the Year by the Texas Association of School Boards. As a nominee for AASA National Superintendent of the Year, she will be evaluated by judges nationwide who will select four finalists. The winner will be announced at AASA’s National Conference on Education from March 6-8, 2025, in New Orleans.
