At its annual conference Monday, Dec, 8, the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) named Portsmouth Public Schools (PPS) Coordinator of Instructional Technology and Library Media Services Jennifer Thomas as its 2025 Leader of the Year.
According to the VSTE, this award recognizes and honors a leader who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership in implementing technology to improve education.
“Ms. Thomas is a tremendous asset to our division and our continued work to keep our schools and classrooms on the cutting edge of innovation in education,” said PPS Superintendent Dr. Elie Bracy, III. “Whether leading implementation of new software or learning management systems or helping to design instructional spaces for best technological practices, she has helped make Portsmouth Public Schools home to creative and forward-thinking educational experiences that uses all the tools available today.”
As part of her award presentation, VSTE cited Thomas’s work in launching the one-to-one Chromebook initiative in PPS, placing interactive panels in every classroom and redesigning ten school libraries into vibrant learning spaces. In addition, Thomas was lead in the adoption of the division’s learning management system, Schoology, and she is currently developing the division’s guidance on how to utilize artificial intelligence in today’s classrooms.