PUSD Names Alice Petrossian Chief Academic Officer
Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Superintendent Edwin Diaz announced the appointment of Alice Petrossian as Chief Academic Officer, filling a key leadership post critical to the execution of academic improvement strategies to raise student achievement.
"I am extremely pleased to announce Ms. Petrossian's appointment as Chief Academic Officer," Superintendent Diaz said. "She not only met, but exceeded my very high expectations for this position, and PUSD is fortunate to have her considerable leadership, professionalism and experience working on behalf of our students."
Currently serving as Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services for Glendale Unified School District, Ms. Petrossian has been an educator, reformer and advocate for more than 30 years. In that role, she shepherded the improvement of a cluster of schools including more than 10,000 students, creating a model program at the continuation high school and securing "triple-crown" status for a middle school; being recognized as a Title I Achieving School, California Distinguished School and National Blue Ribbon School.
"I'm excited to have the opportunity to work with an outstanding superintendent, Edwin Diaz, and I look forward to working with a wonderful Board, super staff and a caring community," Petrossian said. "I understand we have challenges ahead of us, but I have always considered challenges an opportunity."
Ms. Petrossian has received numerous local, state and national recognitions for her achievements in school reform, including the Outstanding Administrator Award from the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) and the Legislative Woman of the Year award from Assembly Member Paul Krekorian.
Prior to her current appointment, Ms. Petrossian was Director of Special Projects and Intercultural Education for Glendale Unified, building on her experience as an administrator overseeing multilingual educational projects and as a teacher of English as a Second Language. Ms. Petrossian began her career in Northern California, as a teacher for gifted students.
As Chief Academic Officer, Ms. Petrossian will be responsible for working with the Superintendent to set and achieve goals for student success and instructional improvement. She will collaborate extensively with parents, teachers, community members and site administrators to strengthen curriculum and instructional strategies, accelerate improvements in student achievement, and target additional support to meet the diverse needs of all students.
"Student success has always been and will continue to be my number one priority, and Pasadena Unified School District has the potential of being the premier model school district for the state and nation. I look forward to being a part of the team that will bring this about," stated Petrossian.