Misty Her Tapped as Next Superintendent for Fresno Unified School District

On Wednesday, the Fresno Unified School District board of trustees selected Misty Her as the district’s new superintendent.

The board made their decision during a closed meeting.

"Misty Herrera has devoted her professional life to the students and families of Fresno Unified, fostering support among our team and community due to her unparalleled honesty and skill. Having arrived in this nation as a young immigrant herself, she grasps the challenges faced by numerous students here who have to surmount linguistic and cultural obstacles. Graduating from Fresno Unified schools, she embodies the quintessential rags-to-riches tale, illustrating how compassionate educators and personnel can transform the trajectories of their pupils' lives," stated Valerie Davis, president of the Fresno Unified School Board.

She has dedicated her entire career to Fresno Unified, beginning as a bilingual instructional aide over three decades ago.

He has worked for Fresno Unified in various roles including teacher, vice principal, principal, instructional superintendent, and deputy superintendent.

Caption: Misty Her chosen as the upcoming Fresno Unified School District superintendent (Image: Fresno Unified School District)

In May 2024, she took over as the interim superintendent after Bob Nelson revealed his plan to become an assistant professor at Fresno State within the Department of Educational Leadership.

I am completely dedicated to ushering in a new epoch where every part of our district concentrates intently on enhancing student performance. We've established fresh objectives and guidelines, and I'm eager to use everything at my disposal to achieve the educational advancements our students and their families truly merit," she stated. "Having experienced firsthand the numerous obstacles confronting our district, I remain confident that leveraging the skills and talents of our team, fostering cooperation, and adopting evidence-driven strategies will lead us to remarkable strides. The prospects before us fill me with an immense sense of excitement.

On February 12th, 2025, the board enlisted the services of search consultants McPherson & Jacobson, LLC to conduct a nationwide hunt aimed at finding suitable contenders for the position of permanent superintendent at Fresno Unified. A considerable number of applicants submitted their names, hailing from multiple states, out of whom only four proceeded to interviews. This recruitment drive adhered strictly to the objectives and guidelines established by the board on January 22nd, 2025, emphasizing an approach centered around enhancing educational outcomes. As such, all potential hires underwent scrutiny based on whether their beliefs aligned with those deemed important by the local populace, ensuring that every candidate’s philosophy matched these key community values.

President Davis of the Board mentioned that throughout the search process, her emphasis on academic excellence, responsibility for both faculty and pupils, along with her concern for the overall wellbeing of the entire Fresno Unified community, left a significant impact on the board members.

Davis highlighted that Her’s significant experience and the commendable reputation she has garnered among educators, school leaders, pupils, and families set her apart during the nationwide selection process.

"As the acting superintendent, Misty Her played a crucial role in redirecting our district towards better student performance and attaining operational superiority, acknowledging that our lack of direction and coherence across the board had been hindering progress. In her new position as our permanent superintendent, I anticipate she will guide us toward achievements previously unattained," stated President Davis. The public’s feedback was essential in defining what type of leadership the district requires and merits.

Through more than 30 community listening sessions, the various viewpoints and key concerns of the community were extensively taken into account.

The knowledge obtained from these outreach initiatives was crucial in defining the objectives and boundaries that directed consultants in choosing the finalists and also influenced the board of education’s ultimate choice.

The clear superintendent search procedure made every phase of the superintendent recruitment accessible during public sessions at the Fresno Unified School District board meetings. This included reviewing the Request for Qualifications from search firms, selecting the search firm, drafting the job description, setting up screening processes, and defining disqualifying criteria.

This method guaranteed that insights and contributions from both our team members and the general populace were proactively solicited and integrated.

After approval, Her will formally take up the role of superintendent for FUSD at the board meeting scheduled for April 30th.

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