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Dora Sauceda - Individual Bio

Dora Sauceda is an experienced educator and principal leadership development professional based in Brownsville, Texas. Learn more about her decades of experience working in Texas school districts as well as her personal and professional goals for the future.

Dora Sauceda’s Current Role and Duties

Ms. Sauceda has served as the assistant superintendent of the Brownsville, TX Independent School District since July of 2014. Along with other area superintendents, she works to make sure the campuses of the Brownsville ISD have what they need to meet their goals throughout the upcoming school year. She and her colleagues focus on success for kindergarten-age students through seniors in high school. Ms. Sauceda understands that adult life begins with strong foundations in youth, and it is her goal to transform her district so that the students have their choice of college, trade school, or career options once they graduate.

All of the schools that Sauceda oversees show significant growth. She provides several certification options for her students in high school who do not choose to pursue college immediately after graduating. Other students who wish to attend college have the option of taking college-level courses that will lead to dual credit (in high school and college) that will give them a head start and may decrease their time and money spent on a university campus.

Career History

Though Sauceda has served the Brownsville school district as an administrator in various capacities for the past two decades, she didn’t begin her career thinking that she would find her way back to her childhood public school district. In fact, she did not envision herself becoming an educator at all: She originally went to college to study biology. As a person from a low-income family, she decided to get a teaching job to maintain a steady income.

After college, Ms. Sauceda taught at Gladys Porter Early College High School and realized a passion for education. She then decided to pursue a master’s degree in education administration and a doctorate in superintendency at UT Austin.

Dora Sauceda served as a principal at Cummings Middle School, where she provided training and instruction to help the floundering school pull itself out of a long academic and professional slump. She spends her time as a superintendent in Brownsville working with principals and providing leadership training to educators and administrators in her district.

Academic History

As a child growing up in Texas, Ms. Sauceda attended local public schools in the Brownsville district. As a young adult, she chose to pursue a degree at the University of Texas-Pan American Brownsville, a highly regarded public institution within the statewide UT system.

After realizing a passion for education administration, Ms. Sauceda left Brownsville for Austin, Texas. She obtained a Doctorate of Education after completing the Cooperative Superintendency Program at the University of Texas at Austin. Ms. Sauceda returned to her hometown of Brownsville to pursue a career in education administration after completing her doctorate.

Professional Skills and Experience

Sauceda has multiple degrees that allow her to provide training in education, administration, and superintendency. Along with her work as a principal and superintendent, she possesses the following skills:

Teamwork and organizational expertise

Principal training and instruction skills

The ability to connect with people of various backgrounds and ethnicities

Philanthropy

As an educator with many years of experience, Sauceda understands that many people in Texas, including her students, do not have the basic necessities they need to live a productive, happy life. She donates to United Way on a monthly basis, and she makes it a priority to give to Goodwill regularly as well. She also donates to the ASPCA to protect the lives and health of local and national animals.

Accomplishments

Sauceda has worked at two struggling schools — Cummings Middle School and Porter High School in the Brownsville ISD — to transform them into places of education worthy of recognition by the Texas Education Agency. She has expertise in working with teams of people from a variety of backgrounds. In addition to her career as a superintendent, Ms. Sauceda prides herself on her leadership skills as well as her ability to set the standard for teamwork, inclusion, and hard work that will last after she leaves the campus.

Personal Interests

Dora Sauceda devotes the bulk of her time to her career as an assistant superintendent, but she also makes time for her hobbies as well as her three children. Ms. Sauceda is the mother of three who prioritizes her connection with her family above all else. She has a passion for travel, and she enjoys meeting and getting to know individuals all around the United States and abroad.

Ms. Sauceda is also an avid runner who makes exercise a regular part of her daily routine. In addition to participating in regular weight training and conditioning, Ms. Sauceda has completed several marathons, half-marathons, and triathlons in Texas, and she looks forward to decreasing her already impressive 9.18-minute-per-mile pace.