Donna Roper Receives Outstanding Central Office Leader Award
For Immediate Release: February 18, 2026
Contact:
Deb Henton, Ed.D., deb.henton@mnasa.org
Executive Director, MASA
Direct: 651-439-7719
(Medford, MN) - The Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA) has named Donna Roper, Director of Research, Assessment, and Generative AI Integration for St. Cloud Area Schools, the recipient of the 2026 Outstanding Central Office Leader Award (Greater Minnesota). She received this award for exhibiting a willingness to take risks, possessing strong communication skills, being a progressive change agent, and having high expectations for herself and others. Roper will be honored for her leadership, concern for students, and active involvement in professional and community affairs at a statewide recognition ceremony during the MASA Spring Conference held March 19–20, 2026, at the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest.
In her role with St. Cloud Area Schools, Roper leads work at the intersection of research and evaluation, assessment, data systems, and responsible artificial intelligence integration. Her leadership focuses on building coherent, sustainable systems that support informed decision-making and strengthen teaching and learning across the district.
Roper has played a key role in strengthening classroom assessment practices by supporting educators in using assessment as a tool for learning rather than solely for accountability. She has guided district leaders and teachers in using assessment data thoughtfully, ensuring complex student learning is understood in context and used to inform instructional practice rather than reduced to single measures.
A significant area of Roper’s leadership has been advancing the responsible and ethical use of generative artificial intelligence in education. She has focused on capacity-building, governance, and data integrity, helping the district remain forward-looking while protecting the integrity of teaching, learning, and student information. Her systems-based approach emphasizes usability, transparency, and trust in data and technology.
Beyond her district responsibilities, Roper is actively involved in professional learning and collaboration across Minnesota. She regularly contributes to MASA and statewide leadership forums, sharing tools, frameworks, and lessons learned related to assessment literacy, data systems, AI integration, and change management. Colleagues seek her guidance for her calm, solutions-oriented approach and her ability to support teams during complex, high-stakes work.
Roper’s professional background spans more than 30 years of leadership across urban, suburban, and rural school districts in Minnesota. Prior to her current role, she held district-level leadership positions, including Executive Director of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment in St. Cloud Area Schools, Director of Research and Evaluation in Edina Public Schools, and Director of Assessment in Eden Prairie Schools. Earlier in her career, she served in information systems and data leadership roles with Minneapolis Public Schools and Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Schools, building a foundation in research, assessment, and district data systems.
Roper holds a master’s in public affairs and educational policy and leadership from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities.
Each year, MASA recognizes members for their contributions to public education. MASA is a professional organization of Minnesota’s school leaders, including superintendents, assistant superintendents, directors of special education, and other central office administrators, as well as state department administrators, college and university professors, and other educators throughout Minnesota dedicated to educational leadership for students.
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