Eden Prairie Schools is proud to announce that Dirk Tedmon, APR, our executive director of marketing and communications, has been named recipient of the inaugural National School Communicator of the Year Award by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA), an organization that represents more than 2,900 school communicators nationwide!
“I have worked with quite a few communications leaders over several decades, and I can think of no one better to honor as the National School Communicator of the Year,” said Dr. Josh Swanson, superintendent of Eden Prairie Schools. “Our district has a history and tradition of excellence, but this does not happen by chance. Communication and engagement are critical to our ongoing success.”
“Dirk is a true leader in school communications,” added Trent Allen, APR, president of NSPRA. “His dedication to strengthening the connection and engagement between schools and communities is driven by his passion for student success.”
Presented in partnership with school software company Finalsite, the award is designed to recognize the outstanding leadership and contributions of an active, front-line school communicator. Presented for the first time in 2024, the winner of the award was announced during the NSPRA 2024 national seminar held July 14-17 in Bellevue, Washington.
"Finalsite is proud to partner with NSPRA to recognize the exceptional efforts of school communication professionals," said Risa Engel, chief marketing officer at Finalsite. "This award underscores the profound impact of their work, shining a light on the innovation, creativity and strategic thinking that define the best in school communications."
A nationally-recognized school public relations practitioner, Tedmon continually works to advance local and national conversations on education. At this year’s NSPRA seminar, he served as a speaker on navigating the generative artificial intelligence frontier and managing threats and crises with a comprehensive, empathetic response.
“Dirk is a changemaker and trailblazer,” said Shawn Hogendorf, president of the Minnesota chapter of NSPRA, known as MinnSPRA. “Through his adept communication skill, he fosters a culture of collaboration and transparency. He does not shy away from asking questions or having conversations to better understand a challenge and determine what is best for the district community. He deeply and actively listens to stakeholders' needs and pain points, and then identifies solutions and tackles challenges head on.”
Under Tedmon’s leadership, the district’s marketing and communications department was recognized by NSPRA in 2023 with a Gold Medallion Award, the field's top recognition for superior school public relations programs and campaigns grounded in strategic communication best practices. The award honored the district’s work around building community support and understanding for the renewal of a capital project levy, and revoking and replacing an operating levy, guaranteeing five years of financial stability for Eden Prairie Schools.
Tedmon is also a two-time NSPRA Golden Achievement Award winner for his work around crisis communication. Under his guidance, Eden Prairie Schools was also honored by NSPRA for implementing a strategic communication plan resulting in the highest student enrollment the system had experienced in nine years, increasing community ratings of school district quality, decision-making, communication, overall satisfaction and engagement (ranging from 5 percent to 23 percent increases).
In his acceptance remarks, Tedmon encouraged colleagues to continue grounding their work in the “why,” but also urged them to look to the example of people who don’t dwell on asking why, such as Superintendent Swanson, the Eden Prairie Schools cabinet, Grace Becker, the district’s director of marketing and communications, and others.
“So many of you who are doing this great and difficult and rewarding and exhausting and beautifully complicated work every day, instead of sitting in why, choose to keep moving forward and make a meaningful impact on the students, families, staff and communities you serve,” Tedmon said in remarks when accepting the award.
Tedmon has served as a volunteer board member for MinnSPRA since 2020, most recently as president in 2023-24. He is the co-founder of the chapter’s Good Trouble PR initiative, which serves to develop and train a network of school PR professionals who continuously strive to “get into good, necessary trouble” to disrupt systemic inequity and racial injustice. He also was a White House representative for the U.S. Federal Government LGBT Appointee Caucus from 2012 to 2015.
After four years in the Office of Presidential Correspondence for The White House overseeing messaging and outreach, Tedmon began his career in school communications in 2015 as media relations coordinator for Minneapolis Public Schools, where he co-led a crisis communications team and developed strategic communication plans for district initiatives and events with an intentional equity foundation and focus. He then served as director of communications and marketing for the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota before being named the executive director of marketing and communications for Eden Prairie Schools.
Congratulations on this outstanding achievement, Dirk!