FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2012
Contact: Julie White, jwhite@acsa.org; (916) 225-8144
Two ACSA leaders have received the 2012 Women in School Leadership Award from the American Association of School Administrators.
ACSA Vice President for Legislative Action Lisa Marie Gonzales, curriculum and instruction coordinator at Santa Clara County Office of Education and Marilyn Shepherd, superintendent of the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, received the national award, which recognizes outstanding leaders who make a difference in the lives of students every day.
Gonzales and Shepherd were honored in Houston, Texas at the National Conference on Education sponsored by AASA. They were among 22 nominees from throughout the nation, and each will receive a $1,000 check and a one-year membership to AASA.
“They are both outstanding leaders and highly deserving of this national recognition,” said ACSA Women’s Leadership Network Director Julie White. “It is quite an honor that both national award recipients represent California, and it is a tribute to the incredible work in their roles as educational leaders.”
Gonzales is an outstanding educational leader whose skills in building relationships with the community lead to student success. Through her involvement with the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, she works side-by-side with business representatives and government officials to implement change in the classroom, especially in the area of visual and performing arts.
Gonzales has spent 13 years in educational administration at the elementary, middle, and high school levels and also served as director of curriculum and teacher training at the NASA Ames Research Center. She recognizes the importance of advocacy and legislative action, and strives to improve the lives of California students through her services as ACSA’s state vice president for legislative action.
Shepherd has been the superintendent of the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District since 2007. She has led the district in improving student achievement and moving toward exiting Program Improvement status, while at the same time managing the fiscal challenges imposed by the state. Her 32-year career includes being a classroom teacher, elementary and middle school principal, district-level administrator and superintendent of two school districts.
Having received ACSA’s 2011 Marcus Foster Memorial Award for Administrator Excellence, Shepherd is known for her ability to implement large-scale change. She is a risk-taker who led her district through a successful bond campaign and has begun the arduous task of overcoming fiscal challenges and improving test scores.
Co-sponsored by Farmers Insurance, the Women in School Leadership Award recognizes exceptional leadership of active, front-line female administrators who are making a difference in the lives of students every day. The award pays tribute to the talent, creativity and vision of outstanding women educational administrators in the nation’s public schools. This year, an award was given in two separate categories: superintendent and cabinet-level leader. The criteria include demonstration of strength in both personal and organizational communication, professionalism and community involvement.
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