Staff report

At the April 17 quarterly luncheon for the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce, San Juan Island School District Superintendent Danna Diaz announced that she has accepted a new position. Diaz will be the new superintendent of the Reynolds School District in Fairview, Oregon, according to a press release publicized by the district.

She previously noted in a guest column that she was searching for a new job.

“I have reached a time in my life that I feel the need for a change both personally and professionally,” she wrote in February. “I am looking for a new challenge in a district that aligns with my strengths.”

Diaz has worked for the San Juan Island district since July 1, 2015. She was hired after being the assistant superintendent for the El Paso Independent School District in Texas for two years.

She also served as director of student engagement for Fort Worth Independent School District and as regional superintendent for the School District of Philadelphia. She earned a Ph.D. in educational administration at the University of Texas.

Diaz sits on the fundraising committee for the Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor; executive committee of San Juan Island Prevention Coalition; and executive committee of Leadership San Juan Islands, in which she is also the co-curriculum chair.

She also helped plan the recent visit of American labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta to Friday Harbor and the screening of her new documentary “Dolores.”

Diaz sits on committees of the Washington Association of School Administrators and Northwest Education Service District 189 Superintendent Advisory Council and is a board member of the national Latina organization called MANA.

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