Judy LoBianco Named One of
Education Week's 2018 Leaders To Learn From
SHAPE America President Judy LoBianco is among an elite group of school district leaders recognized in Education Week‘s annual Leaders To Learn From report — released in print and online. Compiled for the past six years, the report recognizes 12 exceptional leaders working to enact — and inspire — transformational change in the nation’s school districts.
Education Week's inclusion of LoBianco puts a national spotlight on innovative health and physical education district leadership.
"Leaders of America’s school districts bear awesome responsibilities for educating and nurturing all of our children for the opportunities and challenges ahead. To do so successfully requires vision, commitment, and risk-taking. These 12 leaders are single-minded about finding solutions and trying new approaches, all in pursuit of excellence for the students, teachers, and communities they serve,” said Lesli A. Maxwell, assistant managing editor at Education Week and the executive project editor for Leaders To Learn From. “Too often, stories about the hard work and successes of these K-12 public servants don’t get told.”
Read Education Week's full list of Leaders To Learn From in the official press release.
This recognition is not just mine. Any leader will tell you that success is a result of the collective experiences of the team around you. My South Orange-Maplewood staff, my SHAPE America colleagues, and my family all fuel my continued passion for realizing a world where every child experiences the impact of health literacy and physical literacy in every one of our nation’s schools. — SHAPE America President, Judy LoBianco
Livingston School District, Livingston, NJ
Judy LoBianco is the president of SHAPE America and the supervisor of health and physical education for the more than 5,900 students in the Livingston School District in Livingston, New Jersey. She is responsible for curriculum development, equipment and program purchases as well as staff professional development.
LoBianco’s colleagues credit her with being instrumental in raising the level of expectations for teaching — by demanding that physical education in schools have dedicated teachers who are held accountable and by creating evaluation methods specifically tailored for physical education and health.
Throughout her career, LoBianco has held leadership positions on numerous projects, including serving on the former National Association for Sport and Physical Education Convention Committee, where she reviewed dozens of proposals for the former annual AAHPERD National Convention. At the state level, she served as president of the New Jersey Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NJAHPERD), from 2008-2009. In 2013, she served as president of the Eastern District of AAHPERD, now SHAPE America, which represents 13 states from Maryland to Maine, including the District of Columbia, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Among her awards are the SHAPE America Honor Award, which recognizes individuals for their personal integrity, devoted service to the profession, and noteworthy contributions to the advancement of health and physical education, and the Channing Mann and Everett L. Hebel Awards, both of which salute excellence in administration and supervision in physical education. Additionally, in 2017 her school district received two Active Schools National Recognition Awards.
LoBianco completed her bachelor’s degree in health and physical education and her master’s degree in physical education at Montclair State University (formerly Montclair State College) .
She officially took the reigns as president of SHAPE America at the conclusion of the National Convention & Expo in Nashville, March 20-24.