10/20/2026
Congratulations to South Woods Elementary Community Partnership School Director, Kaneika Nimmons, on being named the 2026 statewide CPS Director of the Year.🏆
This well-deserved recognition celebrates her outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to making a meaningful difference in the lives of students, families, and the community.
We are proud to share the nomination that highlights her exceptional contributions and the impact of her work.
Her nomination reads as follows:
Director Nimmons exemplifies exceptional leadership through her deep commitment to her community, ability to build and leverage partnerships, development of high-performing teams, and consistent focus on creating meaningful opportunities and removing barriers for students and families.
Director Nimmons’ leadership is uniquely informed by her personal connection to the Hastings community. Having grown up in Hastings, she brings an authentic understanding of the community’s strengths, needs, and opportunities. This connection drives her commitment to removing barriers and ensuring that South Woods students and families have access to resources and experiences that can positively influence their futures.
One of the clearest examples of her leadership and measurable impact is her work surrounding Children’s Week at the Capitol in Tallahassee. For four consecutive years, Director Nimmons has created opportunities for South Woods students to participate in this experience. In her first year, she coordinated participation for 32 students and their chaperones. Over the past two years, participation has grown to 55 students annually across three student groups. This growth reflects her ability to identify opportunities, advocate for students, build partnerships, and secure the resources necessary to make participation possible.
Director Nimmons has leveraged her strong community relationships and advocacy skills to secure grants and donations from civic organizations, community leaders, and private donors, directly increasing the number of students who can participate in these experiences. She understands that partnership development is not simply about obtaining resources, it is about using relationships strategically to expand opportunities for students and address identified needs within the school community.
Her leadership also extends to strong stewardship of the resources available to South Woods. She is intentional about ensuring that funding, donations, partnerships, and community resources translate into meaningful programs and services for students, families, and educators. The South Woods clothing closet, affectionately known as the “She-Shed,” is a notable example of this resourcefulness. The She-Shed provides students and families with access to needed clothing and resources in a welcoming and dignified environment and demonstrates Director Nimmons’ ability to turn community support into a tangible service for families.
Director Nimmons is equally effective in developing the people around her. She has empowered her Coordinators to take ownership of their respective pillars, encouraging them to innovate, build partnerships, and grow their programs. Under her leadership, South Woods has developed impactful mentoring opportunities and Medical Ambassador programming, providing students with opportunities to build relationships, explore future possibilities, and develop aspirations beyond their immediate surroundings. Her leadership creates the conditions for her Coordinators to lead, grow, and make meaningful contributions to the CPS mission.
Her influence is also evident beyond South Woods. Within the North Coastal Region, Director Nimmons is widely respected by her fellow Directors and serves as a trusted resource and informal leader among her peers. Directors regularly seek her perspective and guidance, demonstrating the level of confidence her colleagues have in her knowledge, judgment, and experience. She contributes to the strength of the broader CPS network by willingly sharing ideas, experiences, and solutions.
Director Nimmons has also established a strong partnership with South Woods school leadership. Her principal identifies the CPS team as a key contributor to the school’s success and a true partner in addressing the needs of the school community. This alignment reflects Director Nimmons’ ability to ensure that CPS is not operating alongside the school, but is integrated into the school’s strategy for supporting students and families.
At the heart of Director Nimmons’ leadership is her belief that exposure creates opportunity and opportunity expands potential. She intentionally advocates for experiences that broaden students’ perspectives, connect them with community leaders, and expose them to possibilities beyond their immediate environment. Whether securing resources for Children’s Week, developing innovative student programs, or ensuring families have access to basic resources, she consistently asks how CPS can remove barriers and create greater opportunities for the students she serves.
Director Kaneika Nimmons demonstrates the qualities outlined in the Director of the Year criteria: exceptional leadership, notable outcomes, vision, guidance, and commitment. Her leadership has expanded student opportunities, strengthened community partnerships, empowered her team, increased access to resources, and established South Woods CPS as a valued and integrated partner within the school community.
Her impact is not measured only by the programs she leads, but by the opportunities she creates the people she develops, the partnerships she strengthens, and the barriers she removes. Director Nimmons represents the very best of Community Partnership School leadership and is highly deserving of recognition as Director of the Year.
