Sue Johnson, chair of Partners in Education (PIE) and a Cal Poly Pomona alumna, has been named Orange County Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Superintendent of the Year.
As superintendent of the Savanna School District in Anaheim, Johnson has infused her Cal Poly Pomona experience into her education career. “Cal Poly Pomona’s learn by doing approach could have no better application than it does in the classroom,” she says. “As a teacher, I found that hands-on learning was the best way to allow students to achieve their potential.”
Johnson (’79, liberal studies) has been actively involved in the university community. PIE awards scholarships to credential students, providing financial support while they complete their student-teaching requirements. Johnson was also instrumental in creating the Savanna S.T.A.R.S. summer intervention program, which gives Cal Poly Pomona education students the opportunity to work with students in the classroom.
“I firmly believe that we have an obligation to give back to the community which has given so much to enrich our lives,” she says. “I feel that it’s inherent upon each of us in leadership roles to serve as examples.”
The ACSA is the largest umbrella organization for school leaders in the nation, serving more than 16,000 school leaders throughout California.
(Photo: Sue Johnson)