About Dr. Susan Heredia
Dr. Susan Heredia is a board member in the Natomas Unified School District in Sacramento County. Dr. Heredia was first elected to the board of trustees for the Natomas Unified School District after having served as a PTSA member, a representative of the American Lakes School Site Council, and the District’s Parent Advisory Board. She has served multiple times as the NUSD board president, Vice-President and Board Clerk. Additionally, she served as board representative for the following committees: Strategic Planning, Charter School, English Language Learner, Achievement Gap, Multicultural Advisory, County Committee on School District Organization and the Bond Committee. Currently, she a member of a newly formed committee charged with identifying how to more effectively coordinate and integrate site based mental health services in school districts.
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Prior to being elected as a Board member, Dr. Heredia was a classroom teacher for many years and then served as a Professor of Education, Emerita at Sacramento State University, teaching and leading the program creating future classroom teachers.
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Dr. Heredia served multiple terms (2004-2012) as the Director-At-Large, Hispanic of the California School Board Association (CSBA) having been elected by her peers in the Delegate Assembly of CSBA. In 2012 she was elected to the Delegate Assembly for Region 6 representing the greater Sacramento and Northern California school districts as a leader (2012-2019). While in this position, she served on the following CSBA committees: By-Laws, Policy Platform, Federal Issues Council, NCLB Focus Group, Accountability Task Force, Board Development, Golden Bell Review, CSBA’s Annual Educational Conference, CSBA’s Council of Presidents. More recently, she served on the Governance Study Group (2018-2019), chaired the 2019 Annual Educational Conference and is a member of Cohort 2, Equity Network Training (2019-2020).
“Supporting and protecting public schools is more than volunteer work to me, it is my life’s work and my unstinting passion,” Heredia said. “My public education commenced many years ago in my son’s classrooms and continued through my time as a teacher, school board member and professor. I am eager to enter into this next phase of advocacy on behalf of all California public school students.”
Leader in Natomas Schools
In December 2019, Dr. Heredia was elected as Vice-President of the California School Board Association. Her duties include membership on the Finance Committee, Board Development Committee sand CSBA affiliate entities. Additionally, she serves as the Vice-Chair for the Legislative Committee.
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Recognized as an expert and leader in education, Dr. Heredia was appointed by State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) Tony Thurman to several committees within the California Department of Education’s (CDE) including the CDE Teacher Shortage Committee. This is not the first time her expertise in education has been recognized. Former SSPI Jack O’Connell appointed, Dr. Heredia to two committees: 1) Brokers of Expertise Advisory Council, where the committee was charged with identifying the necessary resources to educators in order to improve teaching and learning in California, and to find the best way to present best practices and techniques aligned to California standards; and 2) Culturally Responsive Professional Development for all School Personnel Expert Panel. This committee was charged with identifying criteria for a culturally responsive learning environment for California students, core components of culturally responsive professional development for Educators, and determining the best vehicle to make this a consistent, embedded program throughout the state.
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Preceding her retirement from Sacramento State, Dr. Heredia administered thirteen graduate programs, which included Special Education, School Psychology, Child Development and School, Career and Marriage, Family Therapy Counseling Programs. Prior to serving as Department Chair, she was a professor in the Bilingual/Multicultural Education Department and faculty coordinator for the McNair’s Scholar Program; a program that prepares unrepresented undergraduates, primarily students of color, for graduate school. Earlier in her career, Dr. Heredia taught in the credential program at UC, Davis and was a bilingual teacher in Sacramento City Unified School District.
Dr. Heredia earned a doctorate in socio-cultural studies from the University of California, Davis, and a Master of Arts in Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from California State University, Sacramento (CSUS). She holds a lifetime teaching credential with an emphasis on bilingual education from CSUS, as well.
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In her spare time, Dr. Heredia loves spending time with her family, reading and traveling.
Teaching Expert & Statewide Student Advocate
"I am honored to represent CSBA and to have the opportunity to showcase the great things we are doing in Natomas Unified to support student achievement.”
