Superintendent Biography

It is my pleasure to officially introduce myself to the El Rancho Unified School District community. My name is Marco A.  Villegas and it is a true honor and privilege to have been selected to serve as your new Superintendent of Schools beginning July 1, 2022. Over the past several days, I have had the opportunity to meet some of the students, staff, families, and community members. I want to thank the Board and all whom I have met for the gracious welcome into the El Rancho family. 

I am joining El Rancho Unified School District with over 30 years of public education experience. Most recently I served as Associate Superintendent in the Pasadena Unified School District. I also served as a Regional Director, a principal of both elementary and secondary schools, and a classroom teacher. I received a Ph.D. in Urban Educational Leadership from Claremont Graduate University, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from California State University, Los Angeles. My true learning, however, has been in my role as a husband and a father. I have been married to my wife for 25 years and have 5 children.  

Every day will be very important as we move together toward developing a world class educational program for all our students. My immediate attention will focus on the following:

• Ensuring an effective, efficient, and orderly transition of leadership, keeping the focus on increased student achievement for all children.
• Developing a trusting, productive, collaborative relationship with the School Board, staff and all educational partners.
• Creating opportunities for me to listen broadly and deeply to staff and a multitude of educational partners and gain a comprehensive understanding of all key aspects of the ERUSD, including our district culture and employee morale.
• Providing open, honest communication amongst all stakeholders to increase public trust and confidence.
• Identifying and executing actions that must take place immediately to ensure a successful launch to the school year, including school safety.
• Building excitement and momentum for ERUSD’s vision, mission, and building on the good work that has already been developed by ERUSD staff. 

The start of a new school year always brings a unique blend of excitement and hope with the promise that great things will come.   As we look at the 2022-23 school year, I am confident that our students will soar to greater heights.  Our teachers, staff, and administrators will continue to evaluate and enhance established learning strategies to make them even more effective.  Our parents and community supporters will continue to enrich the lives of students. Working together we will build on our strengths and design new measures where improvement is needed. We will cultivate learning environments for students and adults that highlight teamwork, creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving. As we work together, we will create the conditions necessary for students to flourish in a safe, healthy environment that leads to a stronger community. Together we will guide our students to new frontiers.

Once again, thank you for the warm welcome to the El Rancho family.  I look forward to meeting you personally in the weeks to come.  Now here is to a great kickoff to the 2022-2023 school year.

Warmly,

Marco A. Villegas, Ph.D.

Superintendent