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July 15, 2022New York Superintendent Gladys Cruz Named AASA President-Elect
Gladys Cruz, district superintendent of Questar III BOCES in Castleton, N.Y., has been elected as the 2022-23 president-elect of AASA, The School Superintendents Association, the nation’s premier organization representing the more than 13,000 public school superintendents nationwide.
The Questar III BOCES region of Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene counties includes 22 school districts, which range from a one-room schoolhouse serving about 20 K-1 students in North Greenbush to school systems serving nearly 4,000 students in East Greenbush and Troy. The school system delivers more than 275 educational and administrative services. It also provides statewide services to more than 640 school districts in New York and nearly every BOCES in the state.
“Being a member of AASA’s executive committee means having access to the latest research, programs and policies to elevate school system leaders and having a voice in the national conversation about public education,” said Cruz. “There is much to do as school superintendents, and I intend to represent my colleagues across the country and support their efforts to provide life-changing experiences.”
Cruz serves as a commissioner of AASA’s Learning 2025 Network: A National Commission on Student Centered-Equity-Focused Education. Additionally, she serves as a lead teacher of the AASA Aspiring Superintendents Academy® for Latino and Latina Leaders and a mentor in the AASA National Superintendent Certification Program®. She is also a member of the New York State Council of School Superintendents.
“With the growing challenges facing our school districts, Gladys Cruz will provide the kind of leadership our superintendents need to foster future-focused best practices that will infuse the learning opportunities our students deserve,” said Daniel A. Domenech, executive director, AASA. “Her experience in our Leadership Network programs can only help continue to drive superintendent success, innovation and growth, while shaping the future of public education.”
Cruz earned her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of Albany. She earned two master’s degrees — one in curriculum development and instructional technology from the University of Albany and one in bilingual education from the Universidad del Turabo in Caguas, Puerto Rico.
Shari L. Camhi, superintendent of the Baldwin Union Free School District in Baldwin, N.Y., was also sworn in today as the 2022-23 president of AASA. The installation ceremony was held in conjunction with AASA’s Legislative Advocacy Conference in Washington, D.C.
