Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Receives National Award

Santa Fe, NM: Dr. Veronica C. Garcia, superintendent of schools, has received the National Education Association’s 2017 H. Councill Trenholm Memorial Award. Each year the National Education Association (NEA) officers, NEA Board of Directors, leaders from all 50 states, and others gather to present the NEA Human and Civil Rights Awards at the Annual Representative Assembly. The NEA honors individuals and groups who have contributed to the human and civil rights goals and aspirations of Americans across the nation.

According to the NEA, Dr. Garcia was chosen for this award because her exemplary work has led to the eradication of racial inequities in the education community.

Lorraine Price, President of the Santa Fe Public Schools Board of Education, praised, “This national honor is well-deserved. Dr. Garcia has shown a deep devotion for all students, families, faculty, and staff, and it is great that she is being recognized for her actions.”

The President of NEA New Mexico, Betty Patterson, stated, “Dr. Veronica Garcia continues to be a strong, highly effective voice for New Mexico’s children by supporting early education and elevating educators in her district.”

Charles Bowyer, the Executive Director of NEA New Mexico, acknowledged, “As superintendent of the Santa Fe Public Schools Veronica Garcia moved quickly to reassure families and students that the schools were a safe zone from immigration enforcement overreach.  I have worked with Dr. Garcia over the last 25 years in her many important contributions to public education; in each role she held, whether as New Mexico’s first Secretary of Education or Executive Director of New Mexico Voices for Children, she worked tirelessly to end inequality in all its guises.”

Dr. Garcia proclaimed, “I truly am humbled and honored by this recognition. I stand on the shoulders of many fellow educators and advocates who believe public education is a human and civil right that we must continue to champion and protect. I thank the NEA for this award.”

The 2017 NEA Human and Civil Rights Awards will take place on July 1, 2017 in Boston, MA.