pasadena 2026

Superintendents Summit

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the langham huntington

December 16-18, 2026

pasadena, california

An Invitation-level experience for District leaders

Bring one challenge.
Leave with a blueprint.

The best results in a district are never an accident. They come from a leader who names the challenge, builds the plan, and sees it through. These three days in Pasadena are built for exactly that. You’ll work a real challenge from your own district alongside fellow superintendents, hear from leaders who’ve done it, and leave with a plan you’re ready to run. It’s hands-on from start to finish.

What this summit focuses on

Success by Design

Think about the challenge you keep coming back to. Maybe it’s attendance, student outcomes, or getting the board, the classroom, and the plan pulling in the same direction. Success by Design starts with one question: how do you build the result you want instead of waiting for it to happen? You’ll learn a clear framework for turning that challenge into a plan, and you’ll use it on yours before you leave..

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What Makes this
Summit Distinct

Three things set this summit apart.

  • First, you hear from practitioners who put intentional design to work in their districts and can show how the results came about.
  • Second, you don’t just listen. You join a design sprint and mastermind built around a pressing challenge, and you work it in real time with your peers.
  • Third, you leave with something finished: a strategic plan, a blueprint made for your district that you can start implementing the week you’re home.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Hear from leaders who put
intentional design to work

Marlon Styles

Speaker, Author,
Education Consultant

Dr. Tahira DuPree Chase

SUPERINTENDENT
Westbury Union Free School District

Amy Dujon

VICE PRESIDENT
Education | ARC Network

Partners supporting the Superintendents Summit.

These organizations support the work of district leaders and the conversations that happen here.

Venue Highlights

Explore The Langham Huntington

The Langham Huntington is a historic Pasadena landmark set on landscaped grounds, with palm-lined paths, open lawns, and views toward the mountains. It gives three days of focused work a setting worth the trip. Between sessions, you can walk the grounds, share a meal with colleagues, or take an hour to think.The Langham Huntington is named for railroad tycoon Henry Huntington and has been a Pasadena landmark for over a century. The hotel sits on 23 acres of gardens on a knoll above the San Gabriel Valley, with a Japanese garden and the famous Picture Bridge.

District Administration’s National Awards Program

The December Superintendents Summit is more than a leadership gathering. It’s where we celebrate the best in the field.

Each year at our December summit, District Administration hosts the DA Awards of Distinction gala — recognizing the K-12 leaders and districts doing work that deserves a national stage. Four award categories honor outstanding programs, visionary leaders, women driving equity and outcomes, and the year’s top superintendent. Winners are announced on stage, in front of peers from across the country.

If your district is doing something exceptional — or if you know someone who is — this is the recognition they’ve earned.

Award Categories

December 16-18, 2026

Your district’s next win starts in Pasadena

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Attending for the
first time?

Welcome. Guests are invited to join the summit and see what it’s like to work alongside district leaders focused on the same results you are.

Many of DALI’s most committed members attended their first summit as a guest — and joined before they left. When you experience what it means to be in a room built exclusively for district leaders, membership tends to make itself an easy decision.

Explore membership justification letter