Prime Poway Woman No. 24: Rebecca Wardlow

Also Read: Highlighting 31 Prime Poway Women

She's the executive dean of the College of Education at Ashford University.

But Rebecca Wardlow's impressive gig has its roots in Poway, the city she moved to in 1990 with her husband.

Wardlow, who worked for the Poway Unified School District for 20 years, began as a first-grade teacher at Painted Rock Elementary. Later, she became the principal at Valley Elementary School and assisted in the creation of Creekside and Monterey elementary schools.

Her involvement in the region's education sector wasn't limited to her day jobs though. She served on the boards for PTAs and foundations and is now on the board for Kids Included Together, a nonprofit that supports children with disabilities.

Wardlow, who is inspired by her mother, said her lengthy involvement is one of her biggest accomplishments.

"I have always loved the opportunity to shape and create things through collaboration and working with others," she said. "I know that reaching students desiring to work with young children through a high quality offering in education that is accessible and affordable is making a difference in their lives and will in turn impact the lives of all of their future students."

What does Women's History Month mean to you?

"Any opportunity to celebrate and learn about the accomplishments of others is important. While the popular figures of today may be in the public more, bringing to the forefront the accomplishments of women in history as well as current female leaders really supports instilling in our culture that all citizens can and do contribute to our country and our world in very significant ways and they may be people that we do not know but can learn from."