Superintendent receives inaugural Reflective Leadership Award

Fox Chapel Area School District Superintendent Dr. Mary Catherine Reljac has been named the recipient of the first-ever Reflective Leadership Award from Leading Now, a nationwide organization that supports superintendents in navigating political complexity and strengthening public trust. The award is given to a school leader who leads with clarity, purpose, and the courage to pause and go deeper. The Reflective Leadership Award is one of three inaugural Public Trust Awards. The two other awards, one for proactive leadership and one for responsive leadership, were given to superintendents in Iowa and Washington.

Leading Now believes that high-impact superintendents draw from all three dimensions of the leadership triangle: responsive, proactive and reflective. “These leaders exemplify each trait – while also modeling strength across the full spectrum.”

The goal of Leading Now is to provide superintendents with a diverse community, access to experts and practical resources to enable them to focus on what matters most – student opportunities and outcomes. The award was presented during the Leading Now professional learning summer gathering in July 2025.