Pasadena Unified Names New Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Business Officer

Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Brian McDonald has named Kathleen Sanchez as Chief Human Resources Officer and Bernadette Griggs as Chief Business Officer for the district.

“Kathleen Sanchez and Bernadette Griggs are two very important members of my executive leadership team,” said Superintendent McDonald. “They are both very capable leaders with a wealth of experience who will do great things in our district.”

Kathleen Sanchez possesses human resources and educational experience at both the local and military level. Most recently, Sanchez served as the Interim Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources at the Palmdale School District. Before Sanchez came to California, she planned, directed and coordinated the operations of the Department of Defense schools in parts of Kentucky and Tennessee as the Education Operations Chief/Manager and Administrator for the Department of Defense Educational Activity. She also served as the Chief of Civilian Personnel for the U.S. Army Medical Department Activities in Kentucky. Sanchez began her career in education at the Riverside Unified School District where she was an elementary school teacher before becoming a school site administrator and ultimately Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources.

“I appreciate the opportunity to be here in Pasadena, which is home for my family,” said Sanchez. “I look forward to working at Pasadena Unified where we will do many good things for students, staff and the community.”

Sanchez is a Ph.D. candidate at Bellarmine University where she also served as an adjunct professor in the School of Education. She received her bachelor’s degree from California Baptist University and two master’s degrees in curriculum and instruction and educational administration from Chapman University.

Bernadette Griggs has 28 years of experience managing budgets, district business financial services, coordinating budget development, monitoring budgets, overseeing audits, and year-end closing processes. She comes to PUSD from the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) where she was the Director of Division of Accounting and Budget Development.

At LACOE, Griggs managed 105 full time employees while overseeing the budget development and monitoring a total budget of up to $1 billion for more than 300 school sites. She served as the fiscal representative in negotiations with LACOE’s certificated and classified bargaining units with successful outcomes over the last four years. While at LACOE, she created a new transparent format of fiscal reports now used monthly by LACOE’s cabinet, the Los Angeles County Board of Education, and the board’s Finance and Budget Committees.

Griggs developed and implemented an electronic web-based budget development system and implemented an electronic time and attendance system for over 4,000 LACOE employees.

“It is an honor to be here and be part of the Pasadena Unified School District family,” said Griggs. “I am excited to join the PUSD team that I have heard great things about and am ready to roll up my sleeves and get going.”

Griggs comes to PUSD with many years of experience at the community college level having served in budget and business-related positions at the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, the Southwestern Community College District and the San Diego Community College District. Her last position held at the community college level was Associate Vice Chancellor, Business Services.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from San Diego State University; a master’s degree in financial management from National University. She is a certified Chief Business Official, a 2015 graduate of the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team and of the California Association of School and Business Officials Program.