The Pandemic’s Impact On Schools
In-person Meeting – July 15, 2021
Dr. Maria Vazquez has served as the Deputy Superintendent for Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, Fla., since 2018. She oversees the majority-minority urban district’s academic planning and instruction for more than 202,000 general, special education and adult students in 202 learning sites.
Dr. Vazquez has more than 30 years of teaching and administrative experience within OCPS. She has an extensive background in curriculum and instruction, having served as an elementary teacher and as a resource teacher in reading and language arts.
Her administrative career began in 1997 as an assistant principal at two elementary schools before being named principal of a K-8 school. Under her leadership, she implemented a comprehensive reform model to increase teacher capacity and cultivate a system of shared accountability. This resulted in the school’s grade moving from C to A, and the school being recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School.
As a district leader, Dr. Vazquez has proven record of success in creating programs and systems to transform low-performing schools; increasing math and reading learning gains; increasing graduation rates for students with disabilities; and facilitating the professional development of her teams and school administrators. Previous district roles include being Executive Area Director of the West and Southwest Learning communities; Senior Director for Exceptional Student Education and Multilingual Services; Area Superintendent; and Chief Academic Officer.
Dr. Vazquez has a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida, and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and doctorate in Education from the University of Central Florida.
A frequent conference presenter, she also has participated in several Harvard Graduate School or Education professional leadership programs and the Progress Energy Leadership Development Program. She also was the recipient of a grant from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs.
Dr. Vazquez and her husband, Ulysses, have three adult children and are the happy grandparents to two boys.
Comments