In a first for a Stockton area school district, two national awards went to a rising superintendent “superstar.”
Michelle Rodriguez, who has served as Stockton Unified School District’s superintendent since July 2023, took home two national awards celebrating her more than three decades as a school administrator: Finalist for Superintendent of the Year and the Power Leadership Award.
“She’s a superstar,” said Theresa Daem, founder of The National Association of School Superintendents, a professional organization that honored Rodriguez with the awards. “The community should be very proud to recognize her as a superintendent.”
Rodriguez shares the 2025 finalist title with four others from across the country, Daem said. Superintendent Carmen Balgobin from Florida was ultimately named 2025 Superintendent of the Year.
According to Daem, Rodriguez was chosen from a “much larger field” of nominees, all of whom were nominated by colleagues through an online form.
“I’m really proud of the work that we’re doing,” Rodriguez told Stocktonia. “This is a recognition that I took, but it’s also a recognition that really is behind the work of all of our staff.”
More than 5,000 staff serve Stockton Unified’s 31,567 students, she said.
According to a Tuesday-released project from K-12 education policy firm ILO Group , 37% of superintendents in the western U.S. are women – a 7% increase from last year.
Rodriguez is the fourth woman to serve as Stockton Unified’s superintendent. Mary Gonzales Mend is the only other woman to have been permanent superintendent for the district, serving nearly two decades from Aug. 1987 to Aug. 1994. SUSD has also had two other women serve as interim superintendents: Julie Penn from Sept. 2014 to June 2016, and Traci Miller from July 2022 to July 2023.
“When I started 10 years ago, the percentage of women superintendents was even less,” Rodriguez said. “So, I think it’s great to have more equal representation of women in the seat, but what has to happen is whoever is in the seat has to put children first.”
Stockton Unified, in its third year with Rodriguez, has seen an increase in student impact. According to a July report from the district, K-2 literacy rates have increased by more than 19% and chronic absenteeism has decreased by 3.3% since the 2023-24 school year.
Graduation rates have also increased by more than 5% from two years ago.
“It’s full steam ahead,” said Rodriguez, who this year aims to further increase graduation and reading rates. “Whether we win awards or recognitions, that doesn’t really matter.”
“What matters is we are dedicated to the work,” she said.