Award: Elementary Co-Administrator of the Year Name: Sherry Villaneda Title: Vice Principal, Kammann Elementary School, Salinas City Elementary School District Region: 10 ACSA highlights: Member since 2010; regular attendee of ACSA Mid-State Conference, Every Child Counts Symposium, New and Aspiring Principals Institute and ACSA Salinas Valley Charter PD events. Sherry Villaneda is a big believer in positivity. Her efforts to create a positive school community and work on implementation of a PBIS framework are just the beginning. She has taken on the remarkable job of pairing students with “cheerleader” coaches, and works closely with students and teachers to set and stick to both long- and short-term goals. This year, thanks in part to her efforts, her school was recognized by the California PBIS Coalition with a Silver PBIS Implementation Award.  Villaneda has been an educator for more than 20 years. During that time, she has built a robust school community with an environment that helps students, teachers and families to thrive. She helped to develop the first ever “March Against Bullying” in her school community, which included an essay contest and design contest culminating in a well-attended rally.  “Mrs. Villaneda is truly interested in our students personally and in their journey toward success,” said Katie Duer, Academic Coach at Henry F. Kammann Elementary School. “Mrs. Villaneda’s uncanny ability to get things done along with her positive attitude and her commitment to professionalism makes it a joy to work alongside her.” What is your favorite book on leadership?   “What Great Principals Do Differently” by Todd Whitaker and “Leverage Leadership” by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo. “Lead Like a Pirate” by Beth Houf and Shelley Burgess is also on my “to read this summer” list. What is your favorite quote about leadership?   “Great leaders don’t set out to be a leader. They set out to make a difference. It’s never about the role. It’s always about the goal.” – Michael Josephson What are some of your favorite apps?  Google Calendar, Google Keep and Pinterest. What’s your best strategy for work/life balance? I tie up loose ends at work so I don’t have to think about it at home. I make time for my family a priority, not an afterthought, and do some of the weekday meal prepping on Sunday. What are the top five life hacks that you would recommend for a new administrator? 1) Use Google Calendar to organize your time. 2) Use Google Keep to prioritize your to-do list. 3) Set short-term goals and get them done. 4) Find the talents/strengths in others and tap into those. 5) Try to get eight hours of sleep a night. What made you want to become a school administrator?  As a teacher, I was always involved in leadership roles at my school and for my district. I liked being involved in the process of making decisions for the benefit of the students. Administrators I’ve had in the past would tell me that I should get my administrative credential. Eventually, they were offering the program here in Salinas through San Jose State University, and so I decided to enroll. At the time, my daughters were 2 and 5, and I was teaching kindergarten, so it was challenging to balance everything, but at the same time, it was great to have adult discussions about something I am so passionate about: education. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve overcome to get where you are?  Getting my administrative credential and master’s in educational leadership while teaching and raising my young daughters. 

What are you most proud of accomplishing?   My husband and I have been together for 34 years (married for 26). I’m grateful for the longevity of our marriage. It isn’t always easy to be driven in your career and also maintain a healthy, loving relationship. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college. I worked 30-35 hours a week, applied for and received scholarships, grants and loans to help me put myself through college. I took anywhere from 18-21 units a semester and was able to maintain a high GPA. I have three younger brothers who also went to college and I think that is quite an accomplishment considering my dad dropped out in eighth grade and my mom completed only a few community college courses.  My parents instilled in us the importance of furthering our education, and my mom helped us with homework every night and took us to the library almost every week.  Who is someone who inspires you?  The person who inspires me the most is my dad. He didn’t have the most ideal life. He spent the first two years of his life in an orphanage. When his mother was finally able to take him back home, he ended up growing up with a very difficult stepfather. In the eighth grade, he dropped out to help support his mom. When he was old enough, he enlisted in the Air Force and was able to work his way up to chief warrant officer. He started out by stocking shelves at the base commissary, but due to his work ethic and keen sense of business/finance, he very quickly took on leadership roles. He became director of operations for all things entertainment on the base (all the clubs, bowling alley, gyms, etc.). I was so proud of him and everyone looked up to him.  When he passed in August of 2017, many of the people who had worked for him over the years reached out to us and had wonderful stories to share.  Growing up, my dad listened to me, gave me great advice along the way and believed in my ability to accomplish great things. What was the best ACSA event you have attended?   I attended the Institute for New & Aspiring Principals last summer. I met and was inspired by some great leaders and I learned a lot. The theme of the 2019 Leadership Summit is “Lead Well:  Equity and Excellence.” What projects are you working on which have equity as their focus?  Almost 50 percent of our school population are English language learners. My focus for next year is to try and engage more of the families in our school community. Their voices need to be heard when we are making decisions that affect their children.