The Denver Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education has selected Susana Cordova, a member of the Chiefs for Change Future Chiefs program, as the district’s next superintendent. Cordova currently serves as deputy superintendent in DPS and is a lifelong resident of the community. She was chosen to lead the district after a nationwide search and will succeed Tom Boasberg, a member of the Chiefs for Change Board of Directors, who left DPS in October after nearly a decade as superintendent.
“Susana Cordova is the ideal leader for Denver Public Schools,” Chiefs for Change CEO Mike Magee said. “She knows the community, its schools, and its children—and she will be an outstanding superintendent. With deep roots in Denver and a strong commitment to equity and civil rights, Susana will reach out to families and work closely with them to strengthen the city’s schools. We applaud the Board of Education for selecting such a community-focused leader dedicated to providing an excellent education for every child.”
Cordova began her career as a bilingual education teacher and has almost 30 years of experience serving as a teacher, principal, and district administrator. She is a member of the second cohort of the Chiefs for Change Future Chiefs program. Chiefs for Change, a bipartisan network of state and district education chiefs, created the Future Chiefs program to develop the next generation of education leaders. The program is designed to address the lack of practical preparation for the complex job of leading state and large urban school systems. It also aims to diversify a field that remains disproportionately white and male despite the fact that most teachers are women and the majority of today’s public school students are children of color. Through the Future Chiefs program, Chiefs for Change identifies some of the most talented, diverse emerging leaders, integrates them into a community with current chiefs, and gives them a set of experiences, placement supports, and preparation that will enable school systems to choose skilled, ready leaders.
To hear Cordova explain what will be important to her as superintendent, please watch this video—and to learn more about the Future Chiefs program, please see this piece.
