Lessons from Leaders Speaker Series: Superintendents Panel

4 p.m., Indian Wells Theater

Open to the public, no RSVP required.

Parking will be enforced at $6 per vehicle. Purchase parking permit at drive-up kiosk.

Scott Bailey, Desert Sands Unified School District ● Dr. Edwin Gomez, Coachella Valley Unified School District ● Dr. Sandra Lyon, Palm Springs Unified School District

Scott Bailey is the proud Superintendent of Schools for the Desert Sands Unified School District, which serves 29,000 students in the Coachella Valley of Southern California. Prior to his superintendency, Scott served in various teaching and administrative roles, including chief academic officer, school performance director, and school principal for Northern Nevada’s Washoe County School District. With approximately 65,000 students, the Washoe County School District, located in Reno, is Nevada’s second largest school district. Prior to his employment with Washoe County, Scott served as a reading specialist, classroom teacher, assistant principal, and principal in the Clark County School District. With approximately 314,000 students, the Clark County School District, located in Las Vegas, is Nevada’s largest school district. Throughout his distinguished career, Scott has been honored as Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year, and has received numerous senatorial, gubernatorial, and congressional recognitions. In 2010, Scott was appointed to the Baldrige Board of Examiners by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. A life-long learner, Scott has taught graduate-level courses for Nova Southeastern University, and spent several years learning corporate structures as a part-time cast member at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. Scott is certified as a Six Sigma Green Belt by the Institute of Industrial Engineers, and holds four FEMA certificates in emergency response. Scott has a proven track record of successfully embedding these “outside the box” experiences into various school improvement initiatives. He is passionate about continuous improvement, enjoys engaging in global professional learning networks, and serves on numerous local, state and national boards and committees. His quotable quote, “We need to teach students the way they want to learn, not necessarily how we were taught”. You can follow him on Twitter @scaughtsb.

Dr. Edwin Gomez, Superintendent of School for the Coachella Valley Unified School District, earned his Doctorate and M.A. from Cal State San Bernardino and his B.A. from Pitzer College. Dr. Gomez was awarded the ACSA Region 12 Administrator of the Year Award in 2014. He has taught in grades K-8, and served as a principal in a high poverty community. He has a track record of working tirelessly to meet the needs of students in the areas of equity and diversity. As a school principal, Dr. Gomez led a school out of program improvement that was subsequently nominated for a National Blue Ribbon Award. Dr. Gomez has a strong belief that building relationships founded on trust and transparency is the key to developing healthy organizations. Dr. Gomez is emphatic that a quality education gives students the opportunity to be successful in college, their career pathway, and in life.

Sandra Lyon, Ed.D., became Palm Springs Unified School District’s Superintendent of Schools on July 1, 2016. PSUSD is a Pre-K through 12 District with more than 23,000 students served at 25 schools and early childhood education sites. Now in her 30th year in education, Sandra previously served as superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, chief leadership officer for the Palmdale School District and superintendent / principal at Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes School District in the Antelope Valley.

In her 30 years in education, Sandra has been in a variety of roles: English teacher, Title 1 coordinator/at-risk teacher, assistant principal, principal at both the elementary and middle school levels, and director of curriculum, instruction and assessment. She also spent two years as a consultant for Thinking Maps, Inc., training teachers and administrators throughout the state of California.

Sandra earned her bachelor of arts in journalism from San Francisco State University and began her career in journalism and public affairs with a position with Time Magazine, then Mount Zion Medical Center. Her career aspirations then turned toward teaching and she earned her master’s degree in education – curriculum and instruction from Cal State Bakersfield, and her credential in English / language arts. She earned her Tier 1 and 2 education administration credential from Cal State Bakersfield. She recently earned her Doctorate from the University of Southern California Organizational Change and Leadership Doctoral program.

Sandra has been a member of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) since 1998 and was honored with the prestigious ACSA Region XIV Administrator of the Year award in 2014. She was recently chosen as president-elect for ACSA Region XIX. She is also a member of the Southern California Superintendents, Phi Beta Kappa, Regional Executive Leadership Center Series and the Palm Springs Leadership Association as well as other professional organizations.

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