New Superintendent of Dublin Schools Appointed by School Board

Dublin, CA— The Dublin School Board announced the selection of Dr. Leslie Boozer as the next Superintendent of the Dublin Unified School District. Boozer's appointment was solidified by a unanimous vote during the school board’s June 14 meeting.

Boozer is replacing Dr. Stephen Hanke, who will retire on June 30. 

Read more:

• Dublin Unified School District Superintendent Retires After 10 Years

"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.”

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.

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.

Announcement submitted by Dublin Unified School District, additional reporting by Autumn Johnson
Photo via Shutterstock