Luisa Paningbatan has 20 years of experience in education. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Whole Child and Community Design at the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) leading the regional technical assistance support for emerging and existing community schools in Imperial, Orange and San Diego counties. Prior to SDCOE, she served as Director of School Support in the NYCDOE Office of Community Schools managing a team that supports over 200 community schools in Brooklyn and the Bronx around high leverage practices to support successful implementation of the community school strategy.

Luisa also served as the Director of Teacher Recruitment in the NYCDOE Office of Teacher Recruitment and Quality overseeing teacher recruitment for 1,800 schools. Luisa participated in the Coro Leadership New York program and in Results Count, a national leadership program led by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. She served as a sixth-grade English Language Arts teacher at MS 301 in the South Bronx and has worked in the Office of Community Partnerships at DC Public Schools. She earned her master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, a master’s degree in education from Bank Street College of Education, and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California Los Angeles.

Luisa enjoys spending quality time with her husband and two children by traveling, exploring new neighborhoods and trying different types of food. She is looking forward to settling in and learning more about the different parts and areas of San Diego County.