California County Superintendents Educational Services Association Undergoes Historic Leadership Change
Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Debra Duardo has taken over as President of the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA). She succeeds L.K. Monroe, Alameda County Superintendent of Schools, who served as President from 2021-2022.
“Under Superintendent Monroe’s capable leadership, CCSESA has made incredible strides at heading in the direction that the organization needs to go, in order to equitably serve the diversity of our state, and more importantly, our students,” said Karen Stapf Walters, CCSESA Executive Director. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to know that the momentum created over the last 15 months that Superintendent Monroe was President, will be expertly carried on by the fantastic leader that is Dr. Debra Duardo.”
This is the first time that a female CCSESA President has been succeeded by another woman. It is also the first time a woman of color has succeeded another woman of color.
“I want to thank Alameda County Superintendent Monroe for her amazing leadership during a global pandemic,” Dr. Duardo said in a statement. “I am honored to work more closely with the 57 County Superintendents that support the nation’s largest educational system to learn and grow from our experiences during the pandemic. We all have a responsibility to uplift our most vulnerable youth through an equity lens that recognizes wellbeing as a critical component to student success. To do this, we will need to collectively advocate for continued support for sustainable programs that shift outcomes for all students. I look forward to the coming year!”
Dr. Duardo was appointed Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools by the County Board of Supervisors in 2016. She oversees 80 K-12 school districts serving 1.4 million students. She earned her master's degree in social work from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a doctorate from UCLA's Graduate School of Education and Information Studies.
Read more about Dr. Duardo here.
Image Credit: Los Angeles County Office of Education
