The purpose of the current study was to explore how superintendents in small, rural districts in Texas utilized the various resources of professional networks to navigate leadership during the crisis caused by COVID-19. When faced with a crisis, superintendents lead the district's response and provide guidance and reassurance for the school community. Without additional district level administrators, superintendents in small, rural districts lean on connections with both professional organizations and professional colleagues for information, resources, and support. The current study was a qualitative phenomenological study which sought to examine their lived experiences and resulting perspectives about interaction with state and regional agencies, organizations, and local colleagues during the pandemic. The researcher conducted in-person interviews with 13 participants and analyzed their responses for emerging themes for interaction prior to COVID-19 which included the preference for informal professional networks, formal networks that feel informal, and minimal interaction with statewide networks. Themes regarding how interaction with professional networks changed during the pandemic included basic operations with profound consequences, an increased emphasis on making decisions locally, and increased interaction with formal professional networks. Themes also emerged among participants' suggestions for future support during a crisis which were to consider the limited resources of small, rural districts and provide more inclusive communication. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]