Dr. Jacqueline Mora - New assistant district superintendent

On Oct. 2, 2017, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) welcomed Dr. Jacqueline Mora, the new Assistant Superintendent of Education Services. Dr. Mora filled the position of Dr. Terry Deloria, who moved to Daly City, California to become the superintendent of Jefferson Union High School District.According to the SMMUSD webpage, the educational services department is designed to execute the mission of the district “to help students be visionary, versatile thinkers; resourceful life-long learners; effective, multilingual communicators and global citizens.” It deals directly with students, families, and teachers to ensure all students receive the best education possible. Dr. Mora, as the head of this department, oversees all of its practices. “I hope to develop trusting relationships with our staff and families to improve the educational experience for all of our students,” Mora said. Mora brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to SMMUSD. She is bilingual in Spanish, and went to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a Bachelor of Arts in Chicano Studies. Mora continued at UCSB, receiving a master’s degree in education (focusing on teaching and learning). Additionally, she studied at UCLA and obtained a master’s degree in education, this time with a concentration on administrative and policy studies; Mora then achieved a doctorate in education from USC in K-12 leadership in urban education.Her career began in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), where she served as an assistant principal, teacher and categorical program advisor. She also was an assistant principal for elementary schools in the San Francisco, Glendale and Santa Barbara Unified school districts. Before being hired in SMMUSD, she worked as the director of English learner and parent engagement programs at the Santa Barbara Unified School District. In this role, Mora spearheaded the goals and plans for English learner education. These duties comprise just a part of her 17 years of experience in public education.One of the most determining factors in Mora’s coming to SMMUSD was the prospect of working with her long-standing colleague from the Santa Barbara Unified School District, Dr. Ben Drati, who became Superintendent of SMMUSD in the fall of 2016. “The opportunity [to] work with Drati again and support his vision for our district [drew me to SMMUSD],” Mora said. Within just a week of being in her new position, Mora has already witnessed some impressive aspects of the district, and is excited to be able to be part of such a collaborative group. “I have found that our district’s greatest strength is our team members. I have been able to see the care, commitment and compassion that our staff has for improving teaching and learning,” Mora said.Mora herself has been driven to improve education, and takes great pride in knowing that she is helping students reach their full potential. Although a veteran in her field, Mora is ready to bring fresh ideas to the table and will do what she does best: giving all students the best opportunities possible.“I think back to when I was a teacher and facilitated learning experience[s] for students and was witness to students learning a challenging concept, or when I was able to work with a parent dealing with a difficult situation and together come up with alternatives to the challenge before us, or receiving an email from a student from my first kindergarten class telling me that they decided to be a teacher because they remembered our time together,” Mora said. “These are the moments that I am most proud of. Those moments when I felt that I was of service to my community.”