Orange County Public Schools

Meet new Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez

The new OCPS superintendent, Maria Vazquez, Ed.D., has a simple but powerful philosophy.
“I believe we have to be people first,” she said.
In practice, that means building personal relationships and considering how district decisions affect students, teachers, staff and parents. Her people-first thinking has served her well during 34 years in education, including 32 years in leadership with OCPS. Her first day officially as superintendent was Sept. 1.
Vazquez knows firsthand the importance of relationships in schools, because they were essential to her own success.
She still remembers her first day of school. Wearing a dress, socks and saddle oxfords, she sat down and cried on the steps. She spoke only Spanish and was afraid. But her teacher, Ms. Alvarez, put her next to a girl who spoke Spanish, and always made sure Maria understood the lessons. Vazquez still remembers all the teachers who, over the years, pushed her academically and encouraged her to lead. 
Her first teaching job was at the school she attended in Hillsborough County. She joined OCPS when was hired to teach at Sadler Elementary in 1991. She rose to become a resource teacher, and was hired as an assistant principal at MetroWest Elementary in 1996.
Her first principalship was a crucial test. She was assigned to Windy Ridge K-8 School in September 1998, replacing a much-beloved principal at the beginning of the school year. Parents and staff were upset about the change in administration.
“She came in and listened,” said Wendy Ivory, who was an Exceptional Student Education teacher at Windy Ridge then and is now the OCPS Associate Superintendent for ESE. “She had to win people over,” Ivory said. And Vazquez did, holding 17 community meetings, telling the school community about herself and asking them what was working and not working in their school.

Hometown: Tampa
Birthday: July 19
Family: Husband, Ulysses; two daughters and a son; three grandsons
Favorite things to do: Dance, read, listen to music, host Grandma Sleepovers
Current playlist: Shakira, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, Enrique Iglesias, *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Sia
Favorite things to read: Fiction, non-fiction on leadership, biographies
Favorite guilty reading pleasure: Mary Higgins Clark

In the years that followed, Vazquez became executive area director, led the ESE and Multilingual department, served as an Area Superintendent in the East and Southeast, then as Chief Academic Officer and then Deputy Superintendent. She was chosen by the School Board this year to be the new Superintendent as Dr. Barbara Jenkins retires after more than 10 years at the helm.
Dr. Vazquez still operates in the same way as she did more than 30 years ago.
“I really believe in building relationships,” she said. “It’s the most important thing you can do, whether you are a bus driver, administrator or superintendent. Peo0ple work for people. If they know you are about them, they do their best.”
Betsy Theis, who first met Vazquez as a Windy Ridge parent, said Vazquez pushed her to apply for leadership positions she would not otherwise have considered. Today Theis oversees Hospital Homebound, ESTEEM Academy, Transition School and Adaptive PE. “Her greatest strength is being able to see leadership and the best in others, even if they don’t see it themselves,” Theis said.
As part of her 100 Day Entry Plan, Vazquez will be visiting more than 50 schools to gain insights into the district’s strengths and where we have opportunities to improve.
On the first day of school alone, Vazquez visited seven schools. Her focus was on the people.
At the new Stonewyck Elementary, she asked Normita Rodriguez in the front office what school she had come from. When Rodriguez said she’d been at Oakshire Elementary for 33 years, Vazquez told Principal Lee Parker, “She's a keeper!” She asked after Parker’s mom, who is a regular volunteer at his schools. In the halls, she complimented students on their special first day clothes. She greeted the school’s music teacher with a hug and asked what musical they’d be doing.
Later that morning, at Hamlin Elementary, she got down on her knees and played with magnetic tiles alongside two girls in Jamie Koenig’s kindergarten class. “What are you building?” she asked them. Vazquez clicked together a few purple, orange and pink tiles and told the girls she liked building with her grandson.
Then she looked at the short structures each student was building on her own. She could see greater potential.
“If you work together,” she said, “you can build a tower.”