Every student can succeed. It’s a promise our schools make — and Parvin Ahmadi has been relentless throughout her career to make sure that schools deliver on that promise.

Her passion for equity is a deeply held personal belief, one that fuels her tireless efforts to create inclusive environments, advocate for policies that level the playing field, and empower marginalized voices.

Ahmadi is one of two recipients for this year’s ACSA Exemplary Woman in Education Award. Ahmadi, who recently retired as superintendent of Castro Valley USD after a 36-year career in education, and Cali Binks, superintendent of Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint USD, will accept their awards at the 2025 Women in School Leadership Forum, held Sept. 17-19 in Santa Rosa.

As a child from Iran who attended schools as an exchange student in Iowa, Ahmadi says her experience as an English learner sparked her desire to create better learning environments for all students.

Ahmadi went on to become a teacher, principal and director of elementary education in Fremont USD before becoming superintendent of Pleasanton USD in 2010. When she was hired to lead Castro Valley USD in 2015, Ahmadi was known for her efforts to ensure all needs are met and all voices are heard. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her high visibility and accessibility fostered trust with the public. She led with decisive action to secure resources, recognizing the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on underserved students.

In 2017, following a hate speech incident at the high school, Ahmadi called upon the entire community to come together to ensure every student and adult feels safe in schools and in the community. This was the beginning of the Castro Valley Community Alliance, made up of various organizations and individuals in Castro Valley, working together to connect, learn, and ensure that all people, especially those historically marginalized, feel safe, welcome, and valued. The CV Community Alliance continues its strong commitment to this vision.

Ahmadi is also on the board of Moms Against Poverty (momsagainstpoverty.org), a global nonprofit organization whose mission is to lessen the incidence and effects of poverty for impoverished children around the world.

Her unique ability to build bridges and forge alliances has made her a powerful force in creating systemic change in education. She was appointed to the State Assembly Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Childhood Education, where she helped develop a blueprint for children ages 0-5 in California. In 2019, she joined the East Bay Coalition for Public Education, which advocated for improving the quality of public education.

As ACSA president in 2023-24, she advocated for the needs of school leaders and California’s nearly 6 million students. She shares her insights as a presenter at professional development events and panel discussions hosted by ACSA and other institutions such as UC Davis, CSU and MIT Sloan School of Management, where she collaborated with Peter Senge. She continues to share her leadership expertise with the next generation as an executive coach and as an instructor in the Educational Leadership program at CSU East Bay. Ahmadi has also taught Masters in Governance courses for CSBA since 2022.

Though her influence can be felt far and wide, Ahmadi is described as a down-to-earth, selfless leader, with a genuine desire to make a difference. Her authentic leadership style, her integrity, and her generosity have made her a leader who is deeply admired and respected across the state.

We asked Ahmadi for her thoughts on leading in today’s climate and what makes women great leaders of change.

Why did you become an educator? I always loved working with and helping people. Teaching was always exciting to me because it required creativity and filled my thirst for knowledge.

What has been one of your proudest accomplishments as an administrator? One of the things I am very proud of is that I advocated for equity and justice throughout my entire career. People who worked with me knew where I stood, and I was truly fortunate to be surrounded by people who were unwavering in their commitment to children. The challenge remains the same; despite the many positive steps we have all taken toward eliminating outcome gaps, we continue to see disparities. The roadblocks faced by marginalized groups continue to be embedded in our educational systems. We must do better.

What are your favorite strategies for ensuring student, staff and family voices are heard? Listen to them! Hear them! Make sure they know you genuinely care. Create affinity spaces to hear from people. Identify every barrier that hinders people from being heard and work hard to remove them. Sometimes it is a simple gesture or act, and at times it requires changing an existing mental model. Be intentional in this work and address implicit bias ingrained in the system in order to prevent those historically marginalized from being at the table where decisions are made.

What advice do you have for educational leaders advocating for the needs of students in our polarized political climate? Take time to learn about the political landscape and recognize how power and privilege play into shaping policies. Ask yourself who benefits from a policy and do not be afraid to speak the truth. Nothing in this world is worth compromising our humanity. Nurture your compassionate heart and take good care of yourself. Do things that feed your soul and remember what you signed up for as an educator; students as your number one priority! Do not ignore those who disagree; ask them questions, hear them out, and be brave and always speak truth to power. Polarized or not, we must do right by children, every single one!

I’m curious about your thoughts on women as changemakers — what makes women such great leaders for change? Perhaps being disadvantaged and having to fight for our rights throughout history in general, and recognizing there is still a glass ceiling demand of us to be action oriented and want to create change for the better. What defines each and every one of us is how we interact with the world around us. Regardless of our gender, seeing the harsh realities in today’s world, we cannot be silent watching people be stripped of their humanity. Great women leaders create brave spaces for everyone to do their best work. They lean into things and create community. They are empathetic, yet willing to be bold and unapologetic speaking up about injustice.

As you end your service as a district leader, what advice do you have for women who are just beginning their administrative careers? Be your authentic self. Recognize that serving children is a tremendous privilege. Seek mentors and do not be afraid to ask questions. None of us have all the answers, and we always learn from one another. Take time for yourself and do something you enjoy every day, even if it is just for a few minutes. Surround yourself with people who are committed to doing the right things for students, and always share your appreciation as this work cannot be done by one individual. It is teamwork every step of the way.