Duff wins IMESD Leadership Award
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, May 13th, 2026 in Columbia Basin Top Stories More Top Stories
MISSION – InterMountain Education Service District Superintendent Mark Mulvihill has given the 2026 Crystal Apple Leadership Award for excellence in education to Milton-Freewater Unified School District Superintendent Aaron Duff.
Every year IMESD honors one school administrator from its 17 districts. This year, Duff was selected for a number of achievements including consistently achieving high school graduation rates of over 90 percent; shepherding through a much-needed bond project to update facilities and a state-of-the-art elementary school; and realizing how important communication is in telling MFSD’s story and in fostering trust and collaboration.
Duff started working in the district in 2004 as an agriculture and technology teacher at McLoughlin High School. He became the principal of Freewater Elementary in 2012, was named business and operations director in 2017, and became superintendent in 2019.
“Aaron has demonstrated a strong commitment to ensuring that all students find a place to belong and succeed and fostering student organizations that offer opportunities for a diverse student population,” Mulvihill said at the awards ceremony at Wildhorse Rivers Event Center earlier this week. IMESD photo (L-R) Superintendent Mark Mulvihill poses with Aaron Duff at the award ceremony on Monday.
