Second Annual 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

San Antonio, Texas – February 17, 2023 – AASA, The School Superintendents Association, is pleased to honor the 2023 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 San Antonio, Texas.

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.

“Given our steadfast commitment to equity and excellence, we, as ambassadors of public education, need to support and prepare the Latino and Latina leaders who are seeking top-level education administration positions,” said Daniel A. Domenech, executive director, AASA. “It is with great pleasure that I congratulate these outstanding educators who are graduating from our program. I wish them the best in their endeavor to reach the superintendency and excel once they get there.”

The 2023 AASA Aspiring Superintendents Academy® for Latino and Latina cohort graduates are:

• Monica Anzo, associate superintendent, Alisal Union School District, Salinas, Calif.
• Blanca Baltazar-Sabbah, associate superintendent, Salinas Union High School District, Salinas, Calif.
• Nelson Campos, principal, Waukegan Community Unit School District 60, Waukegan, Ill.
• Anna Marie Candelario, director of individualized education services, Evanston/Skokie School District 65, Evanston, Ill.
• Ivan R. Carvajal, director of community education and outreach, Creighton School District, Phoenix, Ariz.
• German Cerda, assistant superintendent, Campbell Union High School District, San Jose, Calif.
• Laura Cortez, assistant superintendent, Greenfield Union School District, Greenfield, Calif.
• Gabriel A. Gonzales, associate superintendent, Albuquerque Public Schools, Albuquerque, N.M.
• Raquel Gonzalez, principal, Chicago Public School District 299, Chicago, Ill.
• Eunice Humphrey, principal, Prince George’s County Public Schools, Upper Marlboro, Md.
• Karen Lobos, executive director, Rainier Prep, Seattle, Wash.
• Yolanda Mendez, assistant superintendent, Newark Board of Education, Newark, N.J.
• Laura E. Mijares, interim superintendent, Archuleta School District, Pagosa Springs, Colo.
• Robert Molina Lopez, director of student support services, Kankakee School District 111, Kankakee, Ill.
• Kimberly A. Boccanfuso, principal, Lindenhurst Union Free School District, Lindenhurst, N.Y.
• Nelyda Perez, assistant superintendent, Matawan Aberdeen Regional School District, Aberdeen, N.J.
• Benny T. Rodriguez, principal, Buckeye Union High School District, Buckeye, Ariz.
• Lysette Torres, director of equity and instruction, Meriden Public Schools, Meriden, Conn.
• Dania Vazquez, head of school, Boston Public Schools, Boston, Mass.
• Cynthia Webber, principal, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District, Fort Worth, Texas

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.

For additional information about the Aspiring Superintendents Academy® for Latino and Latina Leaders, visit the AASA website or contact Mort Sherman, AASA senior associate executive director, at msherman@aasa.org.

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, health and wellness, technology and school safety. 

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

###

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.