Santa Barbara Unified appoints Hilda Maldonado as next superintendent

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday to appoint Hilda Maldonado as the district's next superintendent.

Maldonado was chosen for her background in academic achievement, her focus on partnerships and her current leadership in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a SBUSD news release.

Maldonado is currently the Associate Superintendent of Leadership and Partnerships in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). In that position, she oversees the development of system capacity to train and retain high caliber employees as well as develop partnership and grants efforts across the second largest district in the country. 

She will begin her new position with SBUSD on July 1.

Last year, current SBUSD superintendent Cary Matsuoka announced that he would retire at the end of the school year, on June 30, 2020.