The Alabama Association of School Boards honored recipients of its inaugural A-Team Advocacy Award during the association’s Annual Convention, held at The Sheraton Birmingham Hotel in Birmingham Nov. 30 – Dec. 2. The honorees included Brenda Deramus-Coleman of the Montgomery County Board of Education and Craig Kelley of the Hoover City Board of Education. 

AASB introduced the new award earlier this year to annually recognize local school board members who successfully engage in legislative and policy advocacy in their school board service. Deramus-Coleman and Kelley were recognized Dec. 1 during an awards luncheon which featured Alabama 2023-2024 Teacher of the Year Jeff Norris as speaker.  

“The perspective of school boards is key to ensuring legislation that respects local control and focuses on the educational success of every student,” said AASB Executive Director Sally Smith. “These deserving honorees truly have gone above and beyond to elevate the voices of Alabama’s local school boards at the federal, state and local levels.”  

Brenda Deramus-Coleman 

Dr. Brenda Deramus-Coleman was elected to the Montgomery County Board of Education in 2018 and currently serves as board president. A retired educator, Deramus-Coleman has been a longtime advocate for public education. She is a regular participant in AASB’s Legislative Advocacy Days and has developed strong relationships with many local and state policymakers. Deramus-Coleman has responded to calls to action on a variety of key education issues, including education funding, early childhood education, literacy and school safety.  

“Dr. Coleman is very engaged and knowledgeable about the value of advocating for the array of needs of our educational system,” said Montgomery County Board of Education Vice Chair Cassandra Brown. “She is an effective advocate for education and is on a first-name basis with many local, state and national leaders.”  

Craig Kelley 

Craig Kelley has served on the Hoover City Board of Education since 2014. He has been a member of AASB’s Advocacy Committee and attended numerous AASB Legislative Advocacy Days. Kelley has spoken on AASB’s behalf during State House and Senate Committee meetings regarding important education legislation and has hosted state lawmakers in Hoover’s schools and central office. He also has worked to cultivate strong relationships with area PTAs, the Hoover Schools Foundation and Hoover City Council members.  

“Mr. Kelley’s ability to connect with stakeholders is unparalleled,” said Hoover Board of Education President Kermit Kendrick. “He is a devout advocate for students and leverages his knowledge of legislation and policy to engage and inform our stakeholders about the resources available to support our schools.”