Champions of Change

Champions of Change: Latino Educators

The White House honors local "Champions of Change" who are doing extraordinary work to educate the next generation of Americans.

Amelia Castañeda is the Alexandria Center Director for Higher Achievement, an organization dedicated to closing the opportunity gap for middle school youth. In this role, Amelia works closely with...

Susana Cordova is Chief Schools Officer of Denver Public Schools (DPS). She is a life-long Denver resident and has worked at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She has also held...

Patricia Cortez is a teacher at Alianza Elementary School, a charter school with a two-way bilingual immersion program in Watsonville, California. She has been at the school for 18 years. As a...

Dr. Daniel King is the Superintendent of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, which serves more than 32,000 students in the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Dr. King has...

Dr. Gonzalo La Cava is the Area Superintendent for Fulton County Schools’ Central Learning Community, a grouping of schools surrounding the city of Atlanta. More than 18,000 students attend 23...

Leonel Popol is a Bilingual Counselor at the Francis L. Cardozo Education Campus in Washington, DC. Nearly 29 years ago, Leonel came to the United States with $300 in his pocket, limited knowledge...

Pedro A. Rivera is Superintendent of the Lancaster School District in Pennsylvania. His district serves a diverse student body of 11,500 students, 84% of whom are economically disadvantaged and...

Shana Runck is the Assistant Vice President of Community Relations and Financial Capabilities with the New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union. In this role, she has worked to promote financial...

Pat Sánchez is Superintendent of Adams County School District 14 in Colorado. Pat holds more than 23 years of administrative experience and has chosen to serve disadvantaged communities by working...

Anibal Soler, Jr. is Principal of East High School, the largest urban high school in Rochester, New York, serving a population of 1,700 students. In 2000, Anibal began his career in urban...