Christina Berta, Hanover County Public Schools’ (HCPS) Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations, has earned the highest honor in the school business profession.
Berta, who has served as the HCPS assistant superintendent since June 2021, recently received the Distinguished Eagle Award from The Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO), which honors K-12 business professionals from around the world for their leadership and service to their school divisions and the school business profession.
“I am truly honored to be recognized as an ASBO Distinguished Eagle,” Berta said. “There are many school business officials that contribute to their communities daily and to be honored with this award for serving the community and doing what I love to do daily is truly humbling.”
Berta becomes just the sixth Virginia school business officer – and the first from Central Virginia – to receive the award
since its inception in 1992. As one of only three recipients of the Distinguished Eagle Award in the world, Berta will receive a $2,500 college scholarship to present to an HCPS high school student.
In announcing this year’s recipients, ASBO stated the following about Berta: “Although she started her position with Hanover County Public Schools amid the pandemic, Berta leveraged her relationship-building skills and her range of experience across the Commonwealth of Virginia to successfully address dozens of bus driver vacancies, new USDA regulations for meal service, a one-to-one computing initiative, and the district's first new school construction in 15 years. She stresses the importance of presenting facts and accurate information to build and establish trust and open dialogue.”
Berta earned her bachelor’s degree from Catawba College and her Master of Business Administration from Strayer University, and has 16 years of experience in school business management. In her current role, she serves as the Chief Financial Officer for HCPS and oversees the departments of transportation, school nutrition, school facilities, budget and finance, technology, and the Hanover Education Foundation.
“We could not be more proud of Christina for earning this well-deserved recognition, which is a testament to both her talent and her dedication to the school business profession,” said Dr. Michael Gill, Superintendent of Schools. “We are truly fortunate to have her as part of our team. In her first year with HCPS, she has both maintained and enhanced our Tradition of Excellence, leading many of the critical areas of the school division that impact our students, employees, and families daily.”
Earlier this year, Berta received the 2022 Cardinal Award from the Virginia Association of School Business Officials (VASBO), the organization’s premier honor. Berta is the first Cardinal Award recipient to represent a Central Virginia school division
since the award’s inception in 2009.
ASBO will formally recognize Berta at ASBO International's 2022 Annual Conference and Expo in September in Portland, Oregon.