Region One Executive Administrator Named Finalist for National School Communicator of the Year

EDINBURG, TX – Region One Education Service Center Executive Administrator for Partnerships, Marketing and Communication, Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez, has been named a finalist for the National School Communicator of the Year Award by the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA). This prestigious honor recognizes individuals whose leadership, strategic expertise and unwavering commitment have made a transformative impact on the school systems and the communities they serve.

Each year, NSPRA’s National School Communicator of the Year Award honors one individual from the school public relations profession. In 2025, 26 professionals were nominated by their state or regional chapters for this national honor. In May, four finalists were named.

With a 19-year career in school communications, Vazquez-Hernandez has built systems that inform, connect and empower, positioning communication as a strategic function central to educational leadership.

At Region One, she has transformed the agency’s communications office into a regional resource. She expanded services to help districts strengthen their own communication efforts, launched a new professional development network for school communicators and developed a menu of low-cost services to increase access for smaller, under-resourced schools. Through her work, high-quality public relations support is now available to some of the state’s most vulnerable school systems.

“Arianna is a builder of teams, partnerships and transformative communication,” said Region One Executive Director Dr. Daniel King. “Her communication and outreach efforts are the heartbeat of all the organizations and communities she serves.”

According to Patti Pawlik-Perales, Executive Director of the Texas School Public Relations Association, Vazquez-Hernandez’s communication philosophy is rooted in service, ensuring all staff understand the “why” behind initiatives and that stakeholders receive accurate, timely and accessible information, especially during critical times.

“Arianna exemplifies what it means to lead with both strategy and heart,” said Patti Pawlik-Perales, Executive Director of the Texas School Public Relations Association. “Her commitment to mentoring others, advancing the profession and supporting Texas schools is unmatched.”

The National Communicator of the Year will be announced this July at the National School Public Relations Association Seminar in Washington, D.C.

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About Arianna Vazquez Hernandez:

Arianna Vazquez-Hernandez, APR, CPC, serves as the Executive Administrator for Partnerships, Marketing & Communication at Region One Education Service Center. She is an experienced Executive of Communications with a demonstrated history of success in the public relations and communications industry. Skilled in News Writing, Crisis Communications, Editing, Feature Writing and Strategic Planning, she has served the deep South Texas K-12 community for the last 19 years as public information officer and executive director at both Hidalgo ISD and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD. She attributes her success in school public relations to her background in news media and journalism, as well as her numerous mentors that have guided her through her tenure in public education.

A strong marketing professional with the Universal Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) and a graduate of the Texas Christian University’s Certified Public Communicator Program, she represents her community and her region as the 2024-2025 Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) President. Arianna previously served as Vice-President At-Large and Gulf Coast Vice President for eight years and was named the 2018-2019 “35 Under 35” National School Public Relations Association Recipient and a 2019-2020 Life-Changer of the Year Nominee by the National Life Group. She is also a member of the Public Relations Society of America and the American Advertising Federation-RGV, where through her involvement and current professional position, she continues to support public education efforts and contributes to new initiatives and programs to bridge gaps to post-secondary and workforce success.

Arianna received her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications-Journalism from then University of Texas-Pan American, now UTRGV, and her Master’s of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University.