Heather Snyder, coordinator of the Office of Student Health Services, was recently recognized with two statewide awards from two different groups.
The Virginia Association of School Nurses recognized Snyder as the 2025 Outstanding School Nurse Administrator of the Year, honoring her excellence in nursing administration and coordination of health programs.
The Virginia Nurses Foundation honored her with its Leadership Excellence Award, recognizing her contributions to public health nursing practice and leadership in professional organizations.
Snyder has served as coordinator of the Office of Student Health Services since 2021. In that role, she oversees health services for 64,000+ students in 68 schools and serves as the school system’s liaison to the Chesterfield Health Department and the Virginia Department of Education.
Her recent innovations include creating 17 in-school immunization clinics in schools where they were most needed; partnering with Communities In Schools of Chesterfield to begin an in-school dental program; and implementing Project ADAM Heart Safe Schools. In addition to improving student health, the programs of the Office of Student Health Services also reduce absences.
Snyder joined Chesterfield County Public Schools in 2010, when she was hired as Carver Middle’s special education nurse. Before joining CCPS, her jobs included serving as a public school nurse in Maryland, caring for medically fragile children in a specialized preschool and working in a pediatric rehabilitative hospital.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from Notre Dame of Maryland University, she went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.