Gerardo Leal has been selected as the new principal of Park Place Elementary School. Leal began his career in education in 2002 as a third-grade teacher at HISD’s Robinson Elementary School. Prior to that, he served as a family literacy grant program coordinator at Park Place. He continued to develop his instructional leadership skills as an assistant principal at Deady Middle School before becoming the principal at Neff Early Learning Center, where he has served for the past six years. Leal earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of St. Thomas, his Master of School Administration from Lamar University and completed his doctoral degree in Professional Leadership from the University of Houston.