Superintendents are quitting: What can be done to keep them?

Carl A. Cohn is professor emeritus and senior research fellow in the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University. From 2011 through 2018, he served the state of California first as a state board of education member, and then as the launch executive director of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence.

Previously, he served as superintendent in both the Long Beach and San Diego school systems.

Cathy Nichols-Washer was the superintendent of Lodi Unified for 15 years, a 28,000-student district in the Central Valley that encompasses Lodi, northern Stockton and surrounding rural areas. Nichols-Washer retired at the end of the 2022-23 school year.

Nichols-Washer is credited with increasing student achievement, expanding career and technical education, bolstering counseling services and other improvements.

Chris Evans stepped down from his position as superintendent at age 52, after 11 years of leading Natomas Unified. He had planned to retire at 55. He blames his early departure on the Covid-19 pandemic.

Evans is still working in the district temporarily, helping first-time Superintendent Robyn Castillo transition to her new role. After that, he will focus on his new endeavor at Action-Oriented Leaders, an education consulting firm that focuses on helping superintendents and school boards problem-solve and troubleshoot.

Dr. Vivian Ekchian, having served 38 years as an urban school district educator, recently retired as the superintendent of the Glendale Unified School District. Before coming to Glendale Unified, she was the Deputy Superintendent for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Since retiring as Glendale Unified superintendent, she is currently an adjunct associate professor at the University of Southern California, an AASA Strategic Mentor, and a HYA Associate K-12 Consultant.

In 2022, she was named Superintendent of the Year for Los Angeles County, and in 2023, she was honored with the Women of the Year award by the Los Angeles County Commission for Women.

As a lifelong learner, in March 2022, she completed the Fellowship for Public Education Leadership sponsored by the Broad Center at Yale School of Management. She has a doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of Southern California, a Master’s degree in educational administration from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor’s degree and teaching credential from California State University Northridge.

Gregory Franklin, 61, retired as superintendent of Tustin Unified School District in Orange County in the middle of the 2021-22 school year to be a professor of education at the University of Southern California.

Franklin spent a 36-year career in K–12 public schools and districts. He began his career in his home district of Santa Ana Unified, and his roles included teacher, principal and superintendent.

Throughout his career, he expanded equity and access for underrepresented students to rigorous and engaging content. Among his honors and recognition, Franklin was named California State Superintendent of the Year in 2014.

Diana Lambert covers teachers and teaching for EdSource. Previously, she covered education for The Sacramento Bee for more than a decade. She has won numerous awards, including the 2017 James Madison Freedom of Information Award from the Society of Professional Journalism, and both a first-place honor for investigative reporting from The Inland Press Association and the McClatchy President’s Award in 2016.

Before becoming an education reporter Diana was a bureau chief for the Sacramento Bee. She began her career at age 17 as a part-time proofreader for the Lodi News-Sentinel. Diana earned a B.A. from California State University, Sacramento.

Anne Vasquez took the helm as EdSource’s executive director in May 2021. Previously, she served as director of content and strategic initiatives at EdSource. In that role, she helped shape editorial strategy, grow partnerships and expand the organization’s footprint throughout California.

Prior to joining EdSource, Anne was an executive at Tribune Publishing, where she most recently served as senior vice president of strategic initiatives and chief digital officer. She previously was the managing editor of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Vasquez began her career at the Miami Herald and the San Jose Mercury News, where she was an education reporter and later an editor.