Dublin School Board Appoints Dr. Leslie Boozer New Superintendent

Dr. Leslie Boozer, who has served as the Superintendent of the Fontana Unified School District since 2013, was appointed the new Superintendent of Dublin Schools on Tuesday night by unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees. Twenty candidates were considered and five shortlisted before Dr. Boozer was brought to last night’s Board of Trustees meeting for a final unanimous vote. Below is additional information provided by the Dublin Unified School District:

Dr. Boozer succeeds Dr. Stephen Hanke who has served as Dublin Superintendent since 2006. Dr. Boozer will begin her tenure before the start of the 2016-17 on a date still to be determined. Dr. Hanke’s last day is June 30. She becomes the 5th Superintendent to serve Dublin students since the District was unified on July 1, 1988, and just the third in the last two decades.

“I am deeply honored to be joining the Dublin Unified School District,” Dr. Boozer said. “I look forward to partnering with the students, staff, families and community as we continue to ensure that all students receive the best preparation for college and career.”

Dr. Boozer, an Indiana native, served as the Superintendent in Fontana, located about 50 miles east of Los Angeles beginning in November 2013. The 12th-largest school district in California, Fontana’s 45 schools serve a diverse student population of more than 43,000
students.

Under Dr. Boozer’s leadership, Fontana Unified saw a significant increase in graduation rates, A-G completion rates and student achievement. In addition, she has overseen the construction and the instructional planning for a Pre-International Baccalaureate/Dual
Immersion elementary magnet school, which will open August 2016.

Prior to leading Fontana, Dr. Boozer served the students and families of the Chicago Public Schools, first as the Chief of Staff to the Education Team then as Chief of the North-Northwest Side High School Network. In this position, she supervised several of the top
schools in Chicago and the state of Illinois, including the number one school in the state at the time, Northside College Prep High School. She has also served as the Chief of Human Capital Initiatives in the Rochester (NY) City School District.

“The Board of Trustees is excited to appoint Dr. Leslie Boozer as our next Superintendent after a thorough and thoughtful process,” said Board President Dan Cunningham. “Her strong background and leadership will enable the district to continue its mission of assuring all Dublin students are college and career ready. We are confident she will further enhance our district’s work as a Professional Learning Community and successfully engage with all stakeholders to make the Dublin Unified School District an even better place for students to learn and thrive.”

A few of Dr. Boozer’s many honors and awards include:

• Co-chair of Collaborative for Superintendents for the American Association of School Administrators beginning in 2014
• Vice President for the California City Superintendents
• Executive Board of Directors for Alignment San Bernardino
• Graduate from the Stanford University Executive Program for Educational Leaders
• Recognized twice by the California Middle School Alliance for Leadership

Dr. Boozer began her professional career as a business litigation attorney in Ohio. She transitioned to education and began her teaching career as a high school teacher in South Los Angeles. Dr. Boozer was then accepted to the prestigious Urban Superintendents Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, wherein she earned a Master’s degree in Education and a Doctorate of Education.

Dr. Boozer’s hometown is Oaktown, Indiana and she grew up in both Indiana and Kentucky.

All photos credited to Michelle McDonald, DUSD