Cuauhtémoc Avila, Ed.D.
Dr. Cuauhtémoc Avila represents the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) on the ACS WASC Commissionon. Dr. Avila graduated from Compton High School in 1987. He was a standout two-sport student-athlete, lettering in baseball three years and football three years. He is the first and only varsity quarterback of Mexican-American descent in school history. He was inducted into the Compton High School Hall of Fame in 2018, joining Dodger great Duke Snyder, former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, William Denby Hanna (of Hanna-Barbera), and current NBA star, DeMar DeRozan, among many others.
Dr. Avila began his teaching career in 1994 as a middle school teacher with the Compton Unified School District. He soon transitioned to positions as Curriculum Specialist, High School Assistant Principal, Elementary Principal, Middle School Principal, and High School Principal. In 2007, Dr. Avila joined the Glendale Unified School District as High School Assistant Principal, and subsequently as Principal of Alternative Education, and Director of Student Support Services. After five years in Glendale, Dr. Avila spent three years with the Los Angeles County Office of Education as the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Programs, overseeing 18 juvenile court schools, 2 specialized high schools, 22 county community schools, and 7 SELPAs.
Dr. Avila was appointed Superintendent of the Rialto Unified School District in 2015. The District has 31 schools (19 elementary, five middle schools, four high schools, Pre-school, and an adult school) and over 26,000 students. He has had a profound impact on the culture of the school district, especially in its organizational formation and focus on literacy, STEAM, and customer service. During his six years with the District, RUSD schools have received multiple awards and recognitions, including California Blue Ribbon Schools, California Green Ribbon Schools, California Green Ribbon School District, U.S. Department of Education Sustainability Award, and multiple PBIS Silver, Bronze, and Gold Awards.
Dr. Avila has been recognized for his service with the Patriot Award from the Inland Empire Concerned African American Churches in 2016, the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools’ Medal of Honor Distinguished Service Award in 2017, the W.H.O. (We Honor Ours) Award by the Rialto Democratic Club in 2017, the Boy Scouts of America Rialto Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award, and the Association of California School Administrators Region 12 Superintendent of the Year Award in 2020.
Dr. Avila holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), and a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California (USC). He has been married for 26 years to Josie Avila, with whom he shares three daughters.