PUSD Employee Tracey Mikuriya Named LA County Classified Employee of the Year

Tracy Mikuriya, a community liaison and community assistant for the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD), has been named the Los Angeles County Classified Employee of the Year in the category of Support Services and Security. Mikuriya, an eight year veteran of PUSD, works as a parent partnership coordinator at Marshall Fundamental Secondary School and until recently worked as a community liaison for parent engagement in the district’s Welcome Center.

“I congratulate Tracy for being named an LA County Classified Employee of the Year,” said PUSD Superintendent Jon R. Gundry. “Her work is emblematic of the lengths that so many of our employees go to in order to serve our students and their families.”

A parent of four PUSD students, Mikuriya recognizes the vital role of parents in education and does her best to make sure parents are informed, included and involved. At Marshall she helps the school with social media outreach, organizes parents and activities, engages community members and acts as an advisor for campus clubs. She has also initiated and planned events such as the annual Transition to Marshall event for incoming students. As a liaison in the Welcome Center, Mikuriya supported district wide parent groups, worked with individual school sites to promote parent engagement and planned workshops such as the Parents as Leaders seminar. In both of her roles Mikuriya has developed a reputation as a trusted and respected parent advocate in the district. “I am honored to receive this award but I am only as good as people around me who make it a pleasure to come to work,” said Mikuriya. “The work is not always easy, but it is the relationships that mean the most.”

Ruthann Aull and Lydia Idem Finkley of PUSD’s District Advisory Committee (DAC), initiated the nomination of Mikuriya. “We acknowledge Tracy for her outstanding assistance and planning for the monthly DAC meetings, said Aull and Finkley in their nomination of Mikuriya. “Her commitment to DAC has been resolute and steadfast. No matter what she is dealing with, she manages time for us. From scheduling the meeting room, ordering food, providing childcare and Spanish interpretation, to making copies and turning on the lights, she is a one-woman balancing act. And she does it with such a wonderfully positive and engaging manner. The meetings would not be as “easy” without her dedication and collaboration. She was the first person we thought of when learning of this award. Hands down, she deserves this spotlight and much more!”

Mikuriya will now be considered for a State Classified Employee of the Year Award from the California Department of Education. Mikuriya will also be honored by the PUSD Board of Education at a future board meeting.