Luis Landa has been selected as the new principal of Sutton Elementary School. Most recently, he served as assistant principal at Austin High School and teacher specialist at Patrick Henry Middle School. Landa taught at McReynolds Middle School, where he was a lead teacher, department chair, and teacher of the year. For the last two years, he has served on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Teacher Advisory Council, where he provided support on national education initiatives. Landa earned a B.S. in biology from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from the University of St. Thomas. He is in the process of completing his Ed.D. in educational leadership from the University of Houston.
Category Archives: Staff updates
HISD schools office organized by region under 7 chief school officers
HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza recently announced the reorganization of the district’s schools office. HISD’s 287 schools have been divided by region and placed under the stewardship of seven chief school officers, all of whom report directly to Deputy Superintendent Dr. Samuel Sarabia. Continue reading
Bryan Bordelon named new principal of Sharpstown International School
Bryan Bordelon has been selected as the new principal of Sharpstown International School. He began his teaching career as an English Language Arts teacher at Scarborough High School in 2007. Bordelon served as an ELA Teacher Development Specialist, the principal of Mandarin Immersion Magnet School, and assistant principal of Westbury High School. Most recently, Bordelon was an assistant principal at Austin High School. He graduated from the University of Texas and holds a master of arts in Chinese studies from the University of Michigan and a master of arts from the University of Texas in educational administration.
Travis Johnson named new principal of Hartsfield Elementary School
Travis Johnson has been named the new principal of Hartsfield Elementary School. His educational career at the Houston Independent School District began at Codwell Elementary School, where he served as a teacher and team leader. Currently, Johnson serves as the assistant principal at Blackshear Elementary School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Science Education from Langston University and completed his graduate studies in Educational Administration at Prairie View A&M University. He is the proud parent of two HISD students.
Alecia Bell named new principal of Gregory Lincoln Education Center
Alecia Bell has been named the principal of Gregory Lincoln Education Center. Bell has served Houston Independent School District students for over 13 years. Currently, she is the principal at Hartsfield Elementary School. Prior to her tenure at Hartsfield, she served as Dean of Instruction at Hartman Middle School. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Prairie View A&M University and completed her master’s degree in educational administration at Capella University. She also is completing her doctoral studies at Texas A&M University.
Dr. Tabitha Davis named new principal of Billy Reagan K-8 Education Center
Dr. Tabitha Davis has been named principal of Billy Reagan K-8 Education Center. Dr. Davis graduated from Worthing Senior High School and earned a bachelors degree in Business Administration from Houston Baptist University. She holds a masters in Business Administration from University of St. Thomas, a masters in Education Administration from Lamar University, and a doctor of education from University of Houston. Continue reading
HISD names new deputy superintendent
Samuel Sarabia
Houston ISD Superintendent Richard Carranza has selected Chief School Officer Samuel Sarabia as the district’s new deputy superintendent.
Dr. Sarabia, a 29-year veteran educator, has spent his entire public education career working at HISD. He currently serves as chief school officer in the HISD Office of School Support for the district’s south area. He previously served as a chief school officer over elementary schools.
“Dr. Sarabia has been a well-respected and dedicated leader at HISD for more than two decades,” Carranza said. “He carries a robust background in public education and school administration with a remarkable track record in leading student-focused learning and increasing achievement for students of all backgrounds. I am excited to work with him closely as we focus on making HISD a world-class school district.” Continue reading
Melissa Alvarez-Centeno named new principal of Red Elementary
Melissa Alvarez-Centeno has been named the principal of Red Elementary School. Growing up, she attended HISD schools, and during her 22 years of employment with the district, she has had many roles, including teacher’s assistant, bilingual teacher, academic tutor, literacy coach, instructional coordinator, teacher specialist, and assistant principal. She has a passion for working with diverse student populations and has developed the skills required to enhance educational opportunities for all students. Alvarez-Centeno holds a bachelor of arts in Elementary Education with a specialty in Bilingual Education from the University of Houston-Downtown and an M.ED. in Educational Administration from Sam Houston State University. She is married and has two children.
HISD names new chief academic officer
Houston ISD Superintendent Richard Carranza has selected Chief School Officer Grenita Lathan as the district’s new chief academic officer.
“HISD is very fortunate to have Dr. Lathan on our team,” Carranza said. “She is a strong leader with a reputation for improving outcomes for students and engaging our families and school communities. She has a deep understanding of effective classroom teaching, student-focused instruction, and school leadership that will help our students and educators succeed. I am confident that her depth of knowledge will continue to move HISD into a consistently high-performing public school district.” Continue reading
Jesse Herrera named new principal of The Rusk School
Jesse Herrera has been named the new principal of The Rusk School. Most recently, he served for more than three years as the chief operating officer for the national office of AVANCE, an innovative family education and support center dedicated to empowering families to break the cycle of poverty. For eight years before that, Herrera served as the principal of Sanchez Elementary School, which earned the state’s top academic rating for student performance under his leadership. Before that, Herrera served as assistant principal at Crespo and Park Place elementary schools. He is a Houston native with a bachelor of fine arts in Radio/Television/Film from Sam Houston State University and a masters of education in Administration and Supervision from the University of Houston. Herrera and wife Natalie have two sons.