Inaugural Class of Educators Honored for Completing AASA’s Aspiring Superintendents Academy® for Latino, Latina Leaders

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
James Minichello
703-774-6953
jminichello@aasa.org

AASA continues its commitment to serving and supporting underrepresented leaders    

Nashville, Tenn. – February 19, 2022 – AASA, The School Superintendents Association, is pleased to honor the first-ever class of superintendents and other administrators that have successfully completed the Aspiring Superintendents Academy® for Latino and Latina Leaders. The announcement was made at the organization’s National Conference on Education, in Nashville, Tenn.

Members of the academy have engaged in a yearlong professional learning experience with an insightful blend of theory and practice through online webinars and a virtual platform administered by highly skilled, nationally recognized Latino and Latina educational leaders and mentors.  

“With our vision and commitment to equity and excellence as a backdrop, we, as ambassadors of public education, need to support and prepare the Hispanic leaders who are seeking top-level education administration positions,” said Daniel A. Domenech, executive director, AASA. “It is with great pleasure that I congratulate the outstanding educators who are graduating from our program. I wish them the best in their endeavor to not only reach the superintendency, but to thrive on the job.”     

The 2022 AASA Aspiring Superintendents Academy® for Latino and Latina  cohort graduates are:

• Stacie Almaraz, principal, Tolleson Union High School District 214, Tolleson, Ariz.

• Sandra Arreguín, assistant superintendent, Niles Township High School District 219, Skokie, Ill.

• Christina Boston, principal, Tolleson Union High School District 214, Tolleson, Ariz.

• Juan Cabral, assistant superintendent, Val Verde Unified School District, Perris, Calif.

• Luis Correa, director, curriculum and multilingual services, Gurnee School District 56, Gurnee, Ill.  

• Clariza Dominicci, principal, Chicago Public School District 299, Chicago, Ill.

• Jolene Galpin, chief executive officer, ARISE Schools, New Orleans, La.

• Jessica Gomez, principal, Colton Joint Unified School District, Colton, Calif.

• Mayra Gómez, board chair, Gresham-Barlow School District, Gresham, Ore.

• Verenice Gutierrez, director, educational equity and access, Salt Lake City School District, Salt Lake City, Utah

• Tommy Henley, director of schools, School District of Lancaster, Lancaster, Pa.

• Corina Herrera, executive director, student services, J. Sterling Morton High School District 201, Cicero, Ill.

• Laura Koehler, principal, Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District, Grapevine, Texas

• Tiffany Lillie, assistant superintendent, Framingham Public Schools, Framingham, Mass.

• Lizeth Lopez, principal, El Centro Elementary School District, El Centro, Calif.

• Felipe Mandurraga, principal, Tolleson Union High School District 214, Tolleson, Ariz.

• Jusmar Maness, deputy chief of schools, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, N.C.

• Maria Elena Meza, director of state and federal programs, Northside Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas

• Alicia Miguel, instructional improvement officer, Kansas City Public School District 500, Kansas City, Kan.

• LeAnne Salazar Montoya, assistant professor, educational policy and leadership, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nev.

• Robert Quinones, director, leadership and engagement, Casa Grande Elementary School District 4, Casa Grande, Ariz.   

• Daisy Rodriguez, assistant superintendent, Arlington Central Schools, LaGrangeville, N.Y.

• Mark Rollice, assistant principal, Lynwood Unified School District, Lynwood, Calif.

• Pedro Roman, assistant superintendent, Newburgh Enlarged City School District, Newburgh, N.Y.

• Sonia Ruiz, principal, Berwyn North School District 98, Berwyn, Ill.

• Jose Silva, principal, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, Nev.

• Mallory Umar, associate principal, Glendale-River Hills School District, Glendale, Wis.

The program includes modules and focus areas, including: 

• Knowing Yourself and Your Leadership Strengths and Areas of Growth 

• Leading for Equity with Urgency: Unique Challenges Facing Latino and Latina Superintendents in Confronting Bias, Limited Access and Opportunity, and Inherent Structural Inequities. 

Regarded as the most comprehensive professional learning and networking event for school superintendents and administrators, AASA’s National Conference on Education is addressing the most critical issues affecting public education today, including leading through the COVID-19 pandemic, equity in education, social and emotional learning, personalizing education, technology and school safety.   

Click here to access Conference Daily Online for more information about the conference.  

For additional information about the Aspiring Superintendents Academy® for Latino and Latina Leaders, visit the AASA website.  

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About AASA
AASA, The School Superintendents Association, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit www.aasa.org.