Superintendent Certification

Principal Standard Texas Educator Certificate

Secondary English Provisional Texas Educator Certificate

I have served communities throughout Texas as an educator for over 25 years. It has been my privilege to impact students who now embracing and emerging as change agents in our world.

Was selected into the Cooperative Superintendency Program. This selective program introduced me into servant leadership skills that would enhance my skills as a leader amongst leaders

The University of Texas at Austin

This was my essential development as a leader that allowed me to emerge into my development as a leader of students and teachers

Texas Woman's University

My return for a post-bachelorette in English with a minor in education as a second career began my path for the next 25+ years in education

The University of Texas at El Paso

This was my first degree that helped build my tenacity and resilience as a learner.

My role as the ESSER Effective Officer (EEO) is to implement and support the outcomes and metrics designed by a cross-functional team throughout the district. This effort is funded through the over $132 million of federal funding that is being used to impact the four core cornerstones of our return from COVID. These cornerstones are comprised of 1) a safe return to in-person instruction, 2) learning recovery, 3) social and emotional learning, along with mental health, and 4) 1:1 technology and connectivity.

EEO - ESSER Effectiveness Officer

I helped bring stability to a tumultuous time with two leadership changes to start the school year. During this time, I served in the acting role to support the hopes of closing out the pandemic school year. While collaborating with multiple divisions during this supportive time, I helped to reimagine several projects, which included: 1) eliminating out of school suspensions for the 2021-2022 school year 2) innovating a student engagement tracking dashboard with a focus on 12th graders that will lead Dallas ISD to have the highest graduation rate in its history and 3) innovating a leadership tracking platform that allows for team members to better source top internal talent and future needs. Through this work, the continuous improvement towards mitigating learning loss required piloting 46 schools through a calendar redesign, focusing academic improvement on NWEA MAP, and supporting an extended day for 60 schools. I innovated the principal residency program for future leaders to predetermine future needs and campus changes three years into the future.

Acting Chief of Schools

My thoughts of leadership have transcended on several levels. As the first-ever Black superintendent in West Texas, I have had to work to take a community that wasn't ready on several fronts to help see the radical transformative potential of Midland ISO. My entrepreneurial thought process and risk-taking are at the forefront of significant change and organizational management as a leader. Our primary goal was to reconstruct the culture and climate of the district as well as provide for the internal tools to facilitate 21st options, which led to changing the financial and student management information systems. This led to a focus on four primary goals: 1) listen, learn and teach while continuing to engage with our community, 2) focus on teaching and learning, 3) know our schools, and 4) redesign central office and focus on talent. While our community has experienced student growth swings from 2.5% to 4%, I have partnered with 20 of the world's largest oil and gas producers to see the implementation of our "Midland on the Move" experience. While navigating a fixed-minded community, we exhibited focused transparency to navigate this transformation collaboratively. This transformation has brought about the delivery of school choice that offers a more autonomous environment. It is built on an earned empowerment for school leaders' while exposing a higher quality seat choice for our students and parents. This began with developing a Unified Enrollment web-based tool to lead leaders internally and externally with a Call for Quality Schools. This call went out around the district and country to find leaders, programs for talent, and whole school models or concepts for district transformation

Superintendent

I directed, collaborated, and coordinated for 1,000 staff members and 8,000 students the mission, vision, operations, and standards for performance excellence and social-emotional
awareness for a diverse student group of 96% black and brown students. This work led to receiving a B rating from the Texas Education Agency. Launched the implementation of two new innovative campuses built to create an Early College High School feeder pattern, attracting 200 new students to Cedar Hill. We built a parallel launch for an elementary to high school: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) pathway. This implementation of innovation has provided the ongoing development for schools to collaborate with their communities to provide for a specialization focusing on our students' interests. This continued approach has modeled the academic framework and our partnerships for continuous improvement.

I directed, coordinated, and supervised the operations and staff members within the Office of High School Education. Responsibilities include directing, leading, and evaluating the School Support Officers (SSO) responsible for implementing all education programs, support services, and business and compliance functions within all high schools. Developed an overall strategic plan for schools aligned to the district's priorities. Implemented and communicated the district's initiatives and strategies used for increasing student achievement and promoting the district, where I oversaw $135 million in operating funds. On an ongoing basis, represent the Superintendent of Schools as a district official.

Led high school enrollment stabilization to 48,500 for the 2012-2013 school year. Increased the number of high school students graduating to an all-time high of 80% and lowered the dropout rate to an all-time low of 11%. Led community engagement efforts for the $1.89 billion bond
referendum, the largest in state history, with an overwhelming passage of 70%. This bond constructed 28 new high schools, a unique partnership between Texas Medical Center and MD Anderson. Collaborated with the Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment department to develop a rigorous K-12 curriculum aligned to state and national standards. I deployed over 20 Teacher Development Specialist to the most needed campuses to assist Principals with developing struggling teachers. I directly managed five School Support Officers, a systems-wide Director, a Senior Accountability Specialist, and four office staff members to support 45 high schools and 48,400 high school students.

Chief of High Schools

I directed, mentored, and coached 16 high school principals. In addition, my role was to cross-functionally support the principals with the central office to ensure that the campuses could operate internally and externally in an optimal manner daily. In addition, my goal was to ensure
that classroom instruction, which moves the work of the campus, was supported through professional development, rigorous expectations, align the budget, and staffing. I helped ensure communication for the superintendent to support the School Board and community. I was also responsible for ensuring that campuses were well prepared to meet every student's learning and emotional needs. A significant accomplishment was joining Eastside Global and Eastside Tech into one campus and getting them off TEA's watch list for performance along with Reagan High School and LBJ High School.

Director of High School Operations

•	Selected Teacher of the Year at A. Maceo Smith High School, 2000-2001

Teacher of the Year

•	Selected to Who's Who Among High School Teachers: 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002

Who's Who Among High School Teachers

Selected for Who's Who Among College Students, 1996, 1997

Who's Who Among College Students

My resilience and work was recognized while in graduate school

Who's Who Among Graduate Students

My work over the years as an educator allowed me to be recognized nationally

Who's Who in America

The University of Texas at Austin: Nolan Estes Leadership Award, 2012, 2014, and 2017

UT Austin Nolan Estes Leadership Award

My work with the city and community of Cedar Hill allowed me to be recognized by business and city leaders as an individual influential in the mission of being a caretaker for the city of Cedar Hill.

Allstate Insurance Man of the Year

Orlando Riddick

English

Spanish

Professional working proficiency

Educator

Nurse

Business Consultant

Orlando Riddick is an extraordinary leader and human being. I initially worked side-by-side with Orlando in a highly stressful and rapid-paced environment. His gift is remaining calm, conveying confidence, and moving forward to achieve impossible goals despite barriers and obstacles. Orlando has a powerful work ethic who builds strong relationships. He is a strong communicator and problem-solver. I served under Orlando in two different positions as his career continued to evolve, he developed my own talents and skills. He is a team-player with an eye towards continuously improving. Any organization that is lucky enough to land Orlando on their team will indeed benefit from his many talents and skills.

Orlando Riddick

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