FONTANA, CA – Fontana Unified School District will welcome new administrators at the District and school levels – many of whom are current employees embracing new leadership roles – during the 2023-24 school year, signaling alignment with the priorities Superintendent Miki R. Inbody heard during her Reconnecting Campaign.

The introduction of 15 new administrators follows Inbody’s first 100 days as superintendent, during which she met with employees, students, the Board of Education and the community to listen and learn about the needs of students. Inbody then took action, supported by the Board, to ensure the District is staffed with strong leaders in the right positions to best serve Fontana Unified students and guide the upward trajectory of success in the District.

“This is a fantastic period of change for Fontana Unified,” Board of Education President Marcelino “Mars” Serna said. “The restructuring of several school principals and director positions will embolden and strengthen our District, creating new educational opportunities for our students. The 2023-24 school year is sure to be one of advancement for our entire community.”

The District’s new school administrators and their roles are:

• Dr. Chris Hollister, Kaiser High School Principal. Hollister is a longtime educator and administrator who most recently served as an associate superintendent in Chaffey Joint Union High School District.
• Dr. Kim Hall, Almeria Middle School Principal. Hall will take the helm at Almeria following 11 years as principal of Harry S. Truman Middle School.
• Dr. Kristen Sandler, Harry S. Truman Middle School Principal. Sandler, a longtime teacher and administrator, has spent her entire 13-year career serving in various roles in Fontana Unified. Most recently, she was an assistant principal at Henry J. Kaiser High School for the past two years.
• Amber Knight, Southridge Tech Middle School Principal. Knight, who has spent her entire education career in the District, steps into her new role at Southridge Tech after serving as an assistant principal at A.B. Miller High School.
• Jacqueline Piddington, Canyon Crest Elementary School Principal. Piddington began her 21-year career in Fontana Unified as a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher. She most recently served as assistant principal at Sierra Lakes and Poplar elementary schools for the last five years.
• Dr. Kathy Crowe, Locust Elementary School Principal. Crowe was most recently a principal on assignment leading the District’s Global Studies department. Previously, Crowe served as a principal in the District and worked with a charter school organization in Los Angeles Unified School District, making her a top choice to lead Locust, which will share its campus with the Alliance STEAM Academy Charter School.
• Joel Aviña, Sierra Lakes Elementary School Principal. Aviña’s teaching career began in Santa Ana, where he then served in various administrative roles. He came to Fontana Unified in 2008 as the principal of South Tamarind Elementary School, then moved to Shadow Hills Elementary School in 2016.
• Leonard Fisher, Shadow Hills Elementary School Principal. Fisher served as the District’s STEM coordinator for the past eight years. Under his leadership, the District launched its annual STEM Showcase events to introduce students to the STEM-based offerings throughout Fontana Unified.
• Oscar Dueñas, West Randall Elementary School Principal. Dueñas has been served as the chief technology and information officer since 2019. Prior to that, Dueñas was the head of student services, oversaw multilingual services, and worked as a school principal and a teacher in the District.

Fontana Unified also appointed new hires and reorganized other individuals to fill the roles of District-level administrative positions:

• Dr. Jennifer Bourgeois, Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning.
• Dr. Leslie Barnes, Associate Superintendent of Business Services.
• Peter Daniels, Chief Communications and Engagement Officer.
• Dr. Kimberly MacKinney, Director III of High School Instruction.
• Dr. Monica Makiewicz, Associate Superintendent of Technology and Digital Integration.
• Dr. Roy Rogers, Director III of Middle School Instruction.

Bourgeois comes to FUSD after six years as the director of research, evaluation and school improvement at Corona-Norco Unified. Previously, Bourgeois spent two years as Orange Unified’s coordinator of student assessment and educational measurement and 10 years as a high school administrator.

Barnes has 28 years of experience in business administration and finances, most recently serving as the chief finance and operations officer at Pasadena Unified since 2018. Prior to that, Barnes worked for nearly 20 years at Pomona Unified as the assistant director of fiscal services, director of fiscal services, business manager and associate superintendent and chief financial officer of business services.

Daniels comes to Fontana Unified with more than 30 years of experience in communications and public affairs with a focus on public education. He most recently served as the director of community engagement and partnerships at the Riverside County Office of Education.

MacKinney has been an educator since 1993, working her way up from instructional assistant to assistant superintendent, and has prior experience working in Fontana Unified. An advocate for equity and diversity in education, she developed California’s first high school level women’s studies course during her time as a high school social studies teacher.

Makiewicz most recently served as the District’s associate superintendent of teaching and learning at FUSD and has 25 years of experience ranging from director of curriculum and instruction, principal, assistant principal, math teacher and cheerleading coach.

Rogers lives by the saying “lead in a way that your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more,” a motto that has served him well since he started teaching in 2005. Rogers, who has most recently served as principal at Southridge Tech Middle School, has also worked as an assistant principal, English language arts academic coach and secondary education English teacher.

“I am excited to welcome these talented and accomplished educators to Fontana Unified and to be promoting so many deserving individuals. I look forward to working alongside them as we enter a critical period in the educational development of our students,” Superintendent Miki R. Inbody said. “These administrators and directors and our reorganized employees all bring tremendous energy and focus to their new positions, and are eager to bring their expertise and innovative ideas to our District. I am confident Fontana USD students will benefit from these leaders and our District will make great strides forward.”

PHOTO CAPTION:

FUSD_ADMINS_2023: Fontana Unified will welcome new administrators at the District and school levels during the 2023-24 school year. Pictured from left to right, top to bottom are Dr. Chris Hollister, Dr. Kim Hall, Dr. Kristen Sandler, Jacqueline Piddington, Dr. Kathy Crowe, Leonard Fisher, Joel Aviña, Oscar Dueñas, Amber Knight, Dr. Jennifer Bourgeois, Dr. Leslie Barnes, Dr. Monica Makiewicz, Peter Daniels, Dr. Kimberly MacKinney and Dr. Roy Rogers.