What I believe:
I believe that an equitable, inclusive public education system is the essential foundation of our democracy. This belief also serves as the cornerstone of the values that guide my school leadership. My commitment to equity challenges me to seek and to listen carefully to the voices that are hardest to hear and to bring them into the conversation, into community. I value inclusion because it invites us to imagine what it will take for every one of our children and their families to feel that they belong inside our schools and know how they can thrive. I bring a high level of cultural competence gained from the breadth of experience working deeply in many different urban and suburban communities so we can hear their stories and understand their needs. I am practiced at looking clear-eyed at data that tell us who we are serving—and not serving—and what our impact is as we make hard decisions about where to focus our resources.
I also believe that my role as an administrator is to lead listening and learning. My actions set the tone for my school’s culture and the behavior of teachers, staff members, and parents grappling with the challenges of the pandemic and social inequalities. I believe that a school is an intentional community reflecting and responding to what happens in the world we live in, and for this reason my leadership relies on relationships, collaboration, and growing capacity in others. By the time I finished thirteen years leading one school community as an elementary principal, seeing my first Kindergarteners rise fully to high school graduation, I had built long relationships with families, hired most of the staff, and established a collaborative, professional culture that continues to withstand many challenges. Making decisions with long-term transformation, sustainability and impact in mind is something I have had to learn how to do and has become core to my leadership. This commitment sets the conditions necessary for every student to learn, grow and thrive.
What I’ve done (so far):
For over three decades, I have been working at every level of our public education system to ensure excellence for every child. My career has spanned classrooms in West Philly, suburban Boston (Newton & Acton), Salvador (Brazil…my father is Brazilian), Manila (Philippines), Kirkland (Washington), and my hometown, Seattle. I am deeply invested deeply in working directly with students and families and have served in roles from substitute parapro to superintendent intern.
For over 20 years, I served as a building-level administrator for Seattle Public Schools, first as Assistant Principal at TOPS K-8, and then as principal at Schmitz Park Elementary/Genesee Hill Elementary and then at Thornton Creek Elementary School.
In 2016, he was named principal co-chair of Peer Assistance and Review Panel (PAR) for Seattle Public Schools. He served in this founding role for five years, dedicated to forging a meaningful and sustainable structure for labor-management cooperation and collaboration.
I am currently a doctoral student in Educational Leadership at Washington State University, where I am also completing my superintendent certification. My research interests include teacher/principal evaluation, anti-racist pedagogy, community/family engagement, school finance/budgeting (truly!) and education for democratic citizenship.
Current Connections in Educational Leadership 