Georgina Castilleja has been selected as the new principal of Clifton Middle School. Castilleja attended HISD schools and began her career in education as a teaching assistant before becoming a reading and English language arts teacher at Liberty Newcomer High School and Pershing Middle School. She has served as a curriculum and content specialist, manager of secondary ELA Teacher Development Specialists, and most recently, dean of instruction at Sharpstown High School. Ms. Castilleja earned her bachelor’s degree in English and her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from University of Houston.
Author Archives: HISD Communications
Diego Linares named new school support officer for Northwest Area
Diego Linares, a native of Bogota, Colombia, has been named School Support Officer for the Northwest Schools Office. Dr. Linares began his career as a bilingual teacher in Alief ISD, where he also served as a high school assistant principal. He served as an elementary school principal in the Stafford Municipal School District before being recruited by HISD to serve as principal of Scarborough High School. He led Scarborough out of improvement–required status by meeting TEA standards and receiving distinctions in mathematics and science. Dr. Linares earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Universidad Santo Tomas in Bogota, a master’s degree in educational leadership from University of Houston at Clear Lake, and a doctorate in educational leadership from University of Houston. He also completed the Educational Entrepreneurship Program at the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University.
Siomara Saenz-Phillips named new school support officer for West Area
Siomara Saenz-Phillips has been selected as school support officer for the West Area. She most recently served as the West Area Director. Saenz-Phillips has taught at all levels, from elementary through high school – both outside of and within HISD. She has a vast array of leadership experience, including as the lead principal who led the turnaround work at Jefferson Elementary School. Under her leadership, Jefferson grew from TEA “Improvement Required” to “Met Standard” and continues to show impressive gains in closing the student achievement gap. Saenz-Phillips holds a bachelor’s degree in Government from the University of Texas – Pan American. She earned a master’s degree in Education Administration and Supervision as a Title III Fellow in the Urban Principals Program at the University of Houston and has begun her doctoral studies at the University of Houston.
Cornelius Anderson named new principal of Wesley Elementary School
Cornelius Anderson has been selected as the new principal of Wesley Elementary School. Anderson has been an educator for 16 years and has served in various roles, from paraprofessional to principal. He began his career in Garland ISD as a special education paraprofessional and dyslexia facilitator before joining Denton ISD as a kindergarten teacher, dean of instruction, and assistant principal. Since 2014, he has served as the principal at Stafford Intermediate School in Stafford MSD and was named district administrator of the year for 2015-2016. Anderson earned his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Texas Woman’s University, master’s degree in educational leadership from American College of Education, and completed the superintendent certification program at Sam Houston State University.
Faith Fugit named new principal of Elmore Elementary School
Faith Fugit has been selected as the new principal of Elmore Elementary School. Fugit has been with HISD since 2004, serving as a teacher and a human resources recruiter prior to moving into school administration. For the last four years, she has been an assistant principal, first at Elmore during the transition of the former North Forest ISD and most recently at Westbury High School. Fugit earned her bachelor’s degree in English and master of arts in teaching from Trinity University. In 2013, she completed the University of Texas Collaborative Urban Leadership Project, where she earned an additional master’s degree in educational administration.
Keeley Simpson named new school support officer for Southwest Area
Keeley Simpson has been selected as school support officer for the Southwest Area. Since 2007, she has served as the principal of West Briar Middle School and was named the district’s Secondary Principal of the Year for 2016-2017. Simpson has been an educator for 15 years and has served in various roles. She began her career in Texarkana ISD as a history teacher before joining HISD as a teacher, assistant principal, associate principal, and dean of instruction at Lamar High School. Simpson earned her bachelor’s degree in history and master’s degree in educational administration from Texas A&M University. She currently is working on her doctorate at the University of Texas, with graduation slated for May 2018.
LaTonya Hodge named new principal of Fondren Middle School
LaTonya Hodge has been selected as the new principal for Fondren Middle School. Hodge has been an educator for 14 years and has served in various roles, from teacher to manager. She began her career in HISD as an elementary and middle school teacher before joining Pasadena ISD as a counselor. Hodge also has served as the assistant principal of Burbank Middle School and currently serves as the manager of graduate teaching fellowship at KIPP Houston Public Schools. She earned her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary students and master’s degree in counseling from Prairie View A&M. She earned her doctorate from the University of Houston in teaching and teacher education.
Isaac Daniels named new principal of Hobby Elementary School
Isaac Daniels has been selected as the new principal of Hobby Elementary School. Daniels has been an educator for 11 years and has served in various roles, from teacher to assistant principal. He began his career in HISD as a science teacher before becoming a teacher development specialist to support teachers in science, math and English language arts. Since 2016, he has served as the assistant principal at Gregory Lincoln Elementary Center. Daniels earned his bachelor’s degree in pre-medical biology from Texas Southern University and his master’s degree in educational leadership from University of St. Thomas.
Benjamin Hernandez named new principal of Marshall Middle School
Ben Hernandez has been selected as the new principal of Marshall Middle School. Hernandez currently is the principal at Sherman Elementary School. He has served in HISD for over 20 years and began his career in education in 1997 as a physical education teacher at Bonner Elementary. He also has served as a bilingual teacher at Lantrip Elementary School and a teacher development specialist for the Apollo 20 schools. Hernandez has held district leadership positions as project manager for the EdPlan learning management system and academic program manager for the TIF 3 and TIF 4 federal grants. He is an inaugural member of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Teacher Advisory Committee and a recipient of the White House Champion for Change award. Hernandez earned both his Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Educational Administration and Supervision degrees from the University of Houston. He currently is attending the University of Texas at Austin as part of the Cooperative Superintendency Program.
Alicia Craig named new principal of Foerster Elementary School
Alicia Craig has been selected as the new principal of Foerster Elementary School. Craig is currently the principal of Fondren Elementary School. She began her career in 1995 as sixth-grade self-contained teacher. Throughout her career in Alief ISD, she also served as a content specialist and an assistant principal. Craig received her bachelor’s degree in Science-Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas State University. She earned her master’s degree from the University of Houston in Educational Management.