Aldine ISD Superintendent Dr. LaTonya M. Goffney announced over the summer that after an exhaustive search, Dr. Faviola Cantú and Dr. Javier Villarreal are the new Chief Academic Officer and Chief of Schools, respectively.
Goffney cited Villarreal’s experience gained in his most recent role as chief of human resources and his previous roles as a school assistant superintendent, principal, assistant principal, and counselor, which will serve him and AISD well as he leads in his new role.
Cantú most recently served as a school assistant superintendent. She has been able to immediately continue the work done to implement and support the curriculum at all levels. Her varied experiences in Aldine and other districts will allow her to oversee the core areas of teaching and learning while ensuring that there is districtwide coherence, differentiated learning for students and teachers and that we are continuously improving based on data.
ADDITIONAL CHANGES THAT TOOK PLACE OVER THE SUMMER
Chief Transformation Officer Dr. Adrian Bustillos will oversee additional programs — CTE, advanced academics, virtual school, and performing and visual arts. Streamlining these cross-functional departments will impact schools more and enhance students’ choices and opportunities.
Chief of Staff Sheleah D. Reed oversees Communications, Family and Community Engagement, and Government Relations and will also support Athletics. School Assistant Superintendents have been realigned to better support campuses.
While these changes officially took effect on July 1, the transitions began immediately.
“We continue to make progress on the transformative work we started when we rolled out our strategic plan, A New Way Forward, in July 2019. We have an abundance of talent within our leadership team and staff across the district. I’m incredibly grateful for the tremendous work you do each day and your commitment to maintaining the level of excellence we encourage our students to strive for every day.”
Goffney stated that organizational restructuring enables the district to become more efficient and responsive to the needs of students and staff members.
CORE LEADERSHIP TEAM CHANGES
Chief of Schools — Dr. Javier Villarreal
The Chief of Schools drives educational excellence across all AISD schools. The Chief of Schools leads the district’s academic performance by ensuring schools adhere to the district’s vision and strategic direction for instructional leadership, school culture, and school improvement initiatives. The Chief of Schools will lead efforts to build high quality schools that provide high-quality learning that engages all students and staff. The Chief of Schools collaborates closely with the Chief Academic Officer and other leaders across the organization to improve instructional quality and school cultures to create a high-performing learning organization that ensures students will graduate ready for college, career, and life.
Chief Academics Officer — Dr. Faviola Cantú
The Chief Academic Officer oversees the academic programs and policies of the district. The CAO works with a team of educators to develop curriculum, manage budgets, and ensure that students receive an education that meets or exceeds the district and state standards. The CAO develops new initiatives or strategies to improve student performance. It might include creating partnerships with other organizations or businesses in the community, implementing new technology into classrooms, or revamping entire curricula to meet all students’ needs better.
Chief Human Resources Officer — Marcia Herrera
The Chief Human Resources Officer is responsible for developing and executing human resource strategy to support the organization’s overall business plan and strategic direction, specifically in succession planning, talent management, change management, organizational and performance management, training and development, and compensation. The CHRO provides strategic leadership by articulating HR needs and plans to the executive management team, shareholders, and the board of directors.