Sylvia Atkinson
Superintendent of Schools

Websites:

• http://www.visualcv.com/sylviaatkinson

Sylvia Atkinson began her career in education in 1993 as an Advanced Academics Social Studies and Special Education teacher at James Pace High School in Brownsville, Texas. During the four years that Sylvia Atkinson spent at James Pace, she was named Pace High School's Social Studies Teacher of the Year and was also the recipient of its Teacher Who Made a Difference award. For her work in the Brownsville Independent School District, Sylvia Atkinson was recognized with KGBT-TV's Channel 14 "Top of the Class" award, as well as its "Class Act" award.

After James Pace, Sylvia Atkinson went on to serve as Campus Administrator/Liaison for the School of Technology for Medical and Health Professions at Homer Hanna High School in Brownsville. While at Homer Hanna, Sylvia Atkinson coordinated the involvement and participation of both parents and students affiliated with the Parent Student Teacher Association. She also worked with the University of Texas at San Antonio to develop a summer program for all Brownsville Independent School District students who expressed an interest in the University's Medical Health Science Center.

Sylvia Atkinson's participation with the University of Texas at San Antonio was not the first time she would demonstrate her commitment to ensuring that high school graduates developed both the desire and the means to pursue higher education, and it certainly would not be the last. During her time as Superintendent of Schools and HR Administrator with the Santa Rosa, Texas Independent School District, and later as Superintendent of Schools of the Socorro Independent School District, Sylvia Atkinson made certain that parents and students were granted all the resources they needed to accurately understand the opportunities of higher education and how they applied to each family's unique situation. Sylvia Atkinson's provisions of counseling staff, college fairs, Early College High Schools, and Go Centers are credited with significant increases in the number of scholarships received by high school seniors in her district.

• Exhibits exceptional written, verbal, interpersonal communication, and mediation skills; strong analytical and quantitative skills; strong networking skills; excellent presentation skills.

• High degree of computer proficiency with HP/Dell and Macintosh; knowledge of the Internet and website creation, Tenet, Windows XP, Winocular, Pentamation, MS Office, Hyper Studio, PageMaker, WordPerfect, Netscape, Visio Plus, Media Writers, Digital Imagers, Notepads, Smart Boards, Smart Pads, and other related applications.

• Created needs assessments, program evaluations, affirmative action plans, vertical alignment plans, bond presentations, UIL guides, recruitment plans, campus improvement plans, district-wide strategic action plans, district calendars, departmental action plans, staffing formulas, grant application summaries, performance assessments, instructional technology evaluations, personnel handbooks, student handbooks, community involvement manuals, and training manipulatives at the campus, district, and university levels.

• As a consultant for Title One School Support Initiatives, provided leadership, administrative support, and technical assistance relative to designated districts via their Superintendents and Campus Principals regarding the coordination and pursuit of meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP); i.e. review and recommendations for staffing patterns, review and recommendations for professional development, review and recommendations for placement/hiring procedures, recommendations for mentoring initiatives, and review employee incentives/employee evaluations.

University of Houston: 1995-1999 ; Houston, TX - Ed.D., Administration & Supervision

University of Texas at Brownsville: 1993-1995 ; Brownsville, TX - M.Ed., Educational Administration

Southern Methodist University: 1989-1993 ; Dallas, TX - BA, Political Science and Sociology

Socorro ISD: 2007-2008 ; El Paso, TX - Superintendent of Schools - Provided quality leadership, administrative support, and expertise relative to the successful coordination, supervision, and direction of an Independent School District in West Texas that borders one of the most impoverished cities in Mexico, Juarez; was able to foster significant improvement in student performance within the eighteen months of employment; increased number of recognized campuses from six to twenty-one in one year.

Santa Rosa ISD: 2006-2007 - Superintendent of Schools / HR Administrator - Provided quality leadership, administrative support, and expertise relative to the successful coordination, supervision, and direction of an Independent School District in the lower Rio Grande Valley--Santa Rosa, Texas; was able to foster significant improvement in student performance within my year of service.