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Dr. Pam Deering, Assistant Superintendent of Mid-Del Public Schools, and a longtime Norman resident, has been named 2009 Oklahoma Assistant Superintendent/Central Office Administrator of the Year by the Oklahoma Association of School Administrators (OASA), Steven Crawford, executive director of OASA has announced.

Dr. Deering, who was one of twenty 2009 District Administrators of the Year, was named the state winner during the Annual Summer Conference hosted last week in Oklahoma City by the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA).

Deering, who is formerly from Elmore City, is the daughter of George and Maxine Dale of Elmore City.

"Our association has added a new category this year which is in addition to the superintendents' recognition program. It is an opportunity for us to recognize assistant superintendents and other central office administrators who are outstanding leaders in their school districts and communities," Crawford stated.

"We congratulate Assistant Superintendent Deering for being chosen Oklahoma's Assistant Superintendent of the Year," Crawford said. "She is an excellent role model for her profession and a dedicated administrator serving youth and public education in Oklahoma," the executive director added.

Deering expressed her appreciation for being recognized by her colleagues. "I am humbled to receive this award and the recognition that it brings to the work of central office administrators. With the support of our boards of education and under the leadership of our superintendents, central office a instruction and fiscal services, play a vital role in the success of our school districts. Reducing the administrative burdens for our principals and teachers so that they have more time for leadership and learning is a major goal. On behalf of central office administrators, I want to thank CCOSA' s leadership for creating this category of recognition for a group of administrators who are also dedicated to ensuring "learning for all students," she said.

Deering, Assistant Superintendent of Fiscal Services and Treasurer of Mid-Del for the past 13 years, has 36 years of experience in education. She is directly responsible for the Fiscal Services Division serving approximately 14,500 students in 27 school sites, including a Career Technology Center with budgets in excess of $100 million. She leads a staff of 22 personnel with full responsibility for the treasury, budgeting, accounting, purchasing, payroll, and other financial programs.

Before she was hired at Mid-Del, Deering was the executive director of budget and finance for Moore Public Schools for one year. Other supervisory positions in financial management include Oklahoma City Public Schools from 1988-1993, and the Oklahoma State Department of Education from 1977-1988. She began her education career as a special education teacher in Texas in 1973.

The school administrator is active in several professional organizations. She is a member of the Oklahoma Association of School Administrators, Cooperative Council of Oklahoma School Administration, Oklahoma Association of School Business Officials, and International Association of School Business Officials. She is state president of the Oklahoma Association Serving Impacted School and serves nationally as the president of the National Council of Impacted Schools. . She is active in Midwest City Rotary Club serving as co-chair of the student Rotarian program. Pam's husband, Myles Deering, serves as Major General in the Oklahoma National Guard and is currently Adjutant General of the State.

Also announced this past week, Debbie Arato, Superintendent of Moore Public Schools, was been named Oklahoma's 2009-10 Superintendent of the Year by the Oklahoma Association of School Administrators (OASA).

Superintendent Arato, who was one of 20 finalists across the state, was recognized during the OASA awards banquet.

Arato is now eligible for the national Superintendent of the Year competition. She will be recognized for her state award at the American Association of School Administrators Conference on Education in Phoenix next February.

The Oklahoma Association of School Administrators is under the umbrella of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration. CCOSA is an incorporated, non-profit organization serving over 2800 superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, and central office administrators.