Three of the seven applicants for the Superintendent of Education position at the Guam Department of Education have publicly confirmed their candidacies.
The confirmed applicants are:
Erika Cruz has 32 years of experience with GDOE, starting as a teacher. She transitioned to school leadership as an assistant principal at DL Perez Elementary School and VSA Benavente Middle School, eventually becoming principal of the latter, which was the island’s largest middle school with over 1,800 students. Cruz’s district-level leadership began in 2012 under Superintendent Jon Fernandez, where she served as Deputy Superintendent of Educational Support & Community Learning, overseeing 40 schools. During this time, she also held collateral duties as Deputy Superintendent of Assessment & Accountability and Public Information Officer. She later returned to the schools and is currently the principal at JP Torres Success Academy & Liheng Famagu’on, located at the Department of Youth Affairs, serving some of the public school system’s most vulnerable students.
Joe Sanchez is currently the Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum & Instructional Improvement at GDOE, with a background as a teacher, administrator, and in research planning and evaluation.
Dr. Barbara Adamos is currently the Acting Deputy Superintendent of Educational Support & Community Learning at GDOE, having previously served as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal, all at John F. Kennedy High School.
To be selected as the next Superintendent of Education, a candidate will need six votes from the Guam Education Board.