An Arizona superintendent, Delaware computer science department chair, and Maryland coordinator of library information services were selected as this year's top winners.

T&L magazine recently announced three winners and 16 runners-up in its 24th annual leader of the year awards program. The winners are:

Manuel L. Isquierdo
Superintendent, Sunnyside Unified School District
Tucson, AZ

In his position since 2007, superintendent Manuel L. Isquierdo is widely credited with helping transform Sunnyside USD from a "dropout factory" into the district for students seeking a better education. Using research that showed the value of classroom technology in reducing dropout rates, he worked with principals, teachers, and counselors to develop Project Graduation: The Digital Advantage, a program involving community participation and the widespread use of mobile computing.

David W. Brown
Chair, Computer Science Department
The Charter School of Wilmington, DE

David Brown has been a teacher, department chair, vice president of technology, and technology director before becoming computer science chair. Although he's only been at CSW for only 15 months, he has already revamped the computer science curriculum and written and received a grant to install new facilities including a state-of the-art research lab in which students can work on higher-level technology projects.

Della Curtis
Coordinator of Library Information Services
Baltimore County Public Schools, MD

From the professional-development courses she teaches to the webcams she put into every library, Della is dedicated to the use of technology to empower students to develop their full learning potential. This longtime visionary, who has been involved in ed tech since 1981, received 19 nominations for this year's Leader of the Year.

Source: 2011 Leaders of The Year Announced by Tech & Learning Magazine