Jefferson County Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin named US News ‘Best Leaders’ with Dolly Parton

Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr. has been named to the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Leaders list, joining 24 national leaders in business, education and health care, including Dolly Parton, Mark Cuban, Michael J. Fox and Jose Andres.

Gonsoulin was recognized in March 2025 as the National Superintendent of the Year. Under his leadership, the percentage of students leaving high school with necessary skills in Jefferson County has climbed to 82%. The class of 2024 graduated with more than $108 million in scholarships.

According to the US News press release, the 2025  Best Leaders edition spotlights 25 extraordinary individuals across public service, business, health care and education whose work is advancing critical sectors impacting our country and every American.

“Best Leaders were selected based on key leadership traits, including empathy, generosity, and humility. U.S. News partnered with global market research firm The Harris Poll to conduct a nationally representative survey identifying the leadership characteristics Americans value most.”

US News & World Reports

On Monday night, Jefferson County Schools celebrated the announcement with the following post.

Below is the complete US News Best Leaders list:

Business

• Dario Amodei, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder, Anthropic
• John Hope Bryant, entrepreneur, founder, chairman and CEO, Operation Hope
• Mark Cuban, co-founder, Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company; technology and media entrepreneur; star of NBC’s “Shark Tank”
• Judy Faulkner, founder and CEO, Epic Systems
• Alison Moore, CEO, Chief
• Ron Vachris, president, CEO and director, Costco Wholesale Corp.

Education

• Josefina Castillo Baltodano, J.D., founder and executive director, Executive Leadership Academy and senior associate – external relations, Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley
• Walter B. Gonsoulin, Jr., Ph.D., superintendent, Jefferson County Schools , Birmingham, Alabama
• Adam Grant, Ph.D., professor of management and professor of psychology, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
• Christine M. Keller, Ph.D., executive director & CEO, Association for Institutional Research
• Sal Khan, M.B.A., founder and CEO, Khan Academy
• Dolly Parton, chairperson, board member, The Dollywood Foundation

Health Care 

• Allyson Felix, entrepreneur and healthcare advocate
• Michael J. Fox, founder & board member, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research 
• Peter Jay Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., dean, the National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine; co-director, Center for Vaccine Development, Texas Children’s Hospital
• Carl H. June, M.D., professor in Immunotherapy; director, Center for Cellular Immunotherapies and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine 
• Vijay G. Sankaran, M.D., Ph.D., Lodish Family Chair in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital; professor of pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; attending physician, Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
• Eric Topol, M.D., chair, Department of Translational Medicine and Director & Founder, Scripps Research Translational Institute

Public Service 

• José Andrés, founder and owner, José Andrés Group; founder, World Central Kitchen
• Stephen Curry, philanthropist, co-founder, Eat. Learn. Play; NBA point guard, Golden State Warriors 
• Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, MBA, CEO, Mercy Corps
• Michael Milken, founder, the Michael Milken Foundation and FasterCures; chair, the Michael Milken Institute
• John Palfrey, J.D., president, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
• Laura J. Richardson, co-chair, National Security Advisory Council, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition; former commander of U.S. Southern Command 
• MacKenzie Scott, philanthropist and author

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