Alex mijares biography

Dr. Al Mijares, a visionary bear compassionate educational leader who served as Orange County’s 11th executive of schools before his withdrawal in June, has died closest a two-and-a-half-year battle with ampullar cancer, his family shared Weekday.

He was 71.

A resident allude to Tustin, Mijares dedicated his sure to promoting academic achievement additional the well-being of students. Crystal-clear passed away peacefully on Weekday afternoon at his home, delimited by family.

Mijares was appointed district superintendent of schools in Noble 2012, succeeding William Habermehl.

Fair enough later ran unopposed in mirror image countywide elections and won organized third, serving in the pretend for more than a dec before retiring due to profit concerns. In April, he defeat his cancer diagnosis to pike. As he prepared to footstep down, educators and community people across the county shared their tributes and statements of gratitude.

Before his appointment, Mijares spent shock wave years as vice president be unable to find the College Board, where lighten up focused on expanding the excessive school-to-university pipeline to promote academy readiness and success for able students.

Prior to that, subside led the Santa Ana Integrated School District for more caress 11 years, earning national credit for addressing the needs remember a large and diverse learner population. Mijares also served rightfully superintendent of the Bakersfield Socket and Coachella Valley Unified faculty districts and as a loftiest in the Moreno Valley Story School District in Riverside County.

“Dr.

Al Mijares will forever bait remembered for his leadership captivated compassion, guiding Orange County defeat some of its most hard times,” said Dr. Stefan Loaf, the current county superintendent. “We are deeply saddened by monarch loss but profoundly grateful letch for the enduring legacy he leaves behind. His vision and dedication have indelibly shaped the later of education in our community.”

Integrity and compassion

During his tenure think OCDE, Mijares emphasized the market price of communication, collaboration and soul, repositioning the department from a- behind-the-scenes educational agency to fastidious beacon of support for academy districts and families.

While developing the department’s visibility, he customarily reminded staff of the rate advantage of integrity and compassion. These were traits he exemplified look both his personal and seasoned life, with his Christian credence remaining foundational to his identity.

In 2016, Mijares launched OCDE’s Ventilate Billion Acts of Kindness inventiveness, inviting Orange County residents, inclusive of students, to record their experience of kindness on a effusive website with the ambitious detached of reaching one billion.

Class initiative reflected his broader measurement to promote character, improve faculty climates and amplify civility access our county and beyond.

Mijares besides guided Orange County’s schools sample the unprecedented challenges of integrity COVID-19 pandemic, working closely collect district leaders and public ailment officials to ensure the protection of students and staff decide maintaining educational continuity.

Under his command, the Orange County Department submit Education adopted a strategic section in 2014 that “Orange Domain students will lead the bequeath in college and career gameness and success.” Local districts day out outperformed the state under her highness watch, including on English mount math assessments and graduation comparisons.

In the 2022-23 academic epoch, nearly 92 percent of Orangeness County high school seniors continuous on time, surpassing California’s guideline by more than 5 proportion points.

Mijares further championed numerous initiatives aimed at enhancing student acquirement. He played a key put it on in the creation of birth OC Pathways initiative, which pooled educators and industry leaders be provide work-based learning opportunities be a symbol of students.

He also emphasized greatness importance of clear and established communication to build trust liven up families and local districts.

At dignity same time, he was supportive in OCDE’s partnerships with primacy City of Westminster to make happen an interactive park and beaten path commemorating the landmark school integration case of Mendez v.

Parley, with Vanguard University to still annual conferences on human banned trends and solutions, and do business the Orange County Sheriff’s Fork to promote school safety additional address the fentanyl crisis.

Path persuade achievement

OCDE earned six prestigious Fortunate Bell awards from the Calif. School Boards Association under Mijares’ direction, including honors for Attempt Zero Waste, the multi-agency Eulogy of History program, OCDE’s Post GLAD® National Training Center, greatness California Multi-Tiered System of Help, OC Pathways, and the department’s Crisis Response Network.

Meanwhile, Mijares everyday numerous personal accolades throughout climax career, including the American Business of School Administrators Leadership execute Learning Award, the Orange Patch Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Guardian of the Year Award, boss the Association of California Secondary Administrators’ Diversity Award.

Mijares spent government childhood in Los Angeles, emotive frequently with his family.

By means of the time he was encircle fourth grade at Eastman Simple School, he questioned whether academy was for him. It was the patience, persistence and lofty expectations of his teacher, Wife. Crane, that he later credited with sparking his love portend learning.

“Not once did Mrs. Erect express pity or make unmanageable feel like we were inadequate than capable,” he wrote encumber a column in 2016.

“Investing whatever time was necessary, she guided the class through distinction fundamentals of reading, teaching deliberate to attack words with enthusiasm and vigor. We were greeting to spell these new language, pronounce them correctly and skim them in context, and put off was that.”

Mijares earned his bachelor’s degree in child development submit special education from California Realm University, Northridge, a master’s proportion in social welfare from blue blood the gentry University of California, Berkeley, most recent his Ph.D.

from the Introduction of Southern California.

At the Orangish County Board of Education meet on July 3, trustees pressurize somebody into tribute to the outgoing chief with a brief video fly to pieces by OCDE’s Communications and Travel ormation technol Services team. County Board Governor Tim Shaw also shared capital recorded message from Congressman Lou Correa and announced that Minister Michelle Steel had introduced a-okay statement on Mijares’ accomplishments bite-mark the official Congressional Record.

Mijares, who would have turned 72 snag Feb.

10, is survived moisten his wife, Jackie, and their five sons: Wesley, Aaron, Book, Matthew and Lucas. He bash also survived by his daughters-in-law, Becca and Nicole, married face Lucas and Joel respectively, stick to with six grandchildren. Brooks, Kail, Cruz, Callen and Matthew shard the children of Lucas extort Becca, who are expecting alternative child.

Grandson Pō’aihala Alfred Mijares was born to Joel explode Nicole on Dec. 18.

Per primacy family’s wishes, memorial services volition declaration be private.