Vision, Foresight, Leadership

Since day one of kindergarten at Adam Elementary in Santa Maria, Susan Salcido has been committed to and focused on education. Her love of learning and later teaching led her to UCSB where she received a master’s degree in education and later a doctorate from USC.

Dr. Salcido kicked off her career in education at Dos Pueblos High School as a teacher, from there she served as assistant principal of San Marcos High School and later principal of Santa Barbara Junior High School.

In 2006, she accepted the position of Director of Secondary Support Services at SBCEO, advancing to Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, then County Education Office’s Deputy Superintendent in 2017.

Dr. Salcido’s vision, foresigh,t and leadership tool bag has and continues to see our school districts through the worst disasters our county has ever endured, beginning with the Thomas Fire to the debris flow to our current state of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Salcido, not once has shied away from the hard things nor has she ever touted easy solutions to complex problems, which are common and cheap sound-bites to make when you’re looking to secure an elected position.

Public education is the most complicated institution of our public service system and rightly so since being in-charge of our children’s education is not easy, will never be easy and should never be easy. Having a competent, forward thinking, highly educated, work-with, non-party driven superintendent that can keep all the parts moving while employing the skill-set to course-correct and plan for future successes is not a skill most of us possess.

I’m forever grateful to Dr. Susan Salcido’s continued and steadfast dedication to our county schools and know, without a doubt, that she’s the very best person for this incredibly important, intense and complicated position.