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The Superintendents to Watch award recognizes up to 25 school district leaders each year who have fewer than five years of experience as a superintendent and who demonstrate dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core.
To continuously build strong district leaders, Dr. Ángel Rivera empowers his leadership team through unique growth opportunities. Each month, Dr. Rivera holds an hour-long one-on-one coaching session with each of his direct reports. During these meetings, he helps leaders establish departmental and individual goals while providing valuable support. He also meets with small groups of principals from the 52 MISD schools three times a year to gather feedback and solicit ideas for improvement. Maintaining direct accessibility to other leaders remains a top priority, as it fosters better communication between him and his leadership team. In addition to these sessions, Dr. Rivera participates in district-level meetings and collaborates with staff from every department and at all levels.
At Mesquite ISD, everyone values Dr. Rivera's genuine accessibility and hands-on leadership. He is known for his open-door policy, personally responding to emails from staff and community members, and taking the time to address concerns directly. He often goes beyond the office, visiting campuses to talk individually with staff members who raise significant concerns. His approach is marked by thoughtful attention and care, ensuring that each issue is handled with the respect and consideration it deserves.
As superintendent of Mesquite ISD, Dr. Rivera maintains a student advisory committee that includes representatives from all six high schools. Students on the committee have direct access to the superintendent via email and meet with him three times per year to discuss student challenges and opportunities. He invites the committee members to present their top concerns and suggestions to the board of trustees at the end of the year. This helps foster direct communication between district leadership and students, ensuring their voices are heard at the highest levels. By maintaining a student advisory committee, Dr. Rivera demonstrates a commitment to understanding the challenges students face and promoting a student-centered approach to decision-making.
In addition to his role as superintendent, Dr. Rivera has proven himself a loyal advocate for staff. He is committed to ensuring that every employee, regardless of their role, is valued for contributing to student success. During his first year as superintendent, Dr. Rivera led a comprehensive salary equity study, resulting in a plan that increased hourly wages for the district’s lowest-paid employees through a voter-approved tax ratification election. He has allocated significant resources to expand the district’s grow-your-own paraprofessional-to-teacher program to tackle the nationwide teacher shortage. Through this program, qualifying district employees can fast-track their journey to becoming certified teachers, filling full-time teaching positions while earning their bachelor’s degree at no cost. This initiative demonstrates his commitment to creating opportunities for staff and ensuring their professional and personal success.
Dr. Ángel Rivera’s commitment to fostering strong leadership and open communication has redefined what it means to lead with excellence. His hands-on approach, accessibility, and dedication to creating opportunities for students and staff have transformed the district's culture. Under his leadership, every voice is heard, and every individual is empowered to excel.
Launched in 2020 by former superintendent Dr. David Vroonland, AYO was initially designed to be a platform that helps students discover new opportunities. This includes exploring interests, extracurricular activities offered by the campus and district, courses, certifications, endorsements, and further studies. However, under Dr. Ángel Rivera’s leadership, AYO has evolved through our partnership with Google and SoftServe and has been developed into a tool that enhances communication between families and schools.
In the 2024-25 school year, Mesquite ISD introduced two new communication features in the AYO platform. The first is AYO Family Feed, an innovative communication solution allowing teachers, schools, and the district to share important updates, achievements, and upcoming events. Family Feed streamlines communication and serves as an interactive information hub where families find tailored updates for their child(ren). In addition to delivering notifications from the classroom and campus, this AI-powered tool provides tailored information and suggested opportunities based on the student’s interests and activities. Family Feed eliminates the need for parents and staff to manage multiple communication channels, which can lead to confusion, missed information, and miscommunication. The second feature is a two-way communication tool facilitating communication among parents, students, teachers, coaches, and club sponsors. Both of these tools are accessible via the web or the MyAYO app.
As of October 11, 2024, educators across 52 campuses have created over 15,500 posts, over 800 clubs have been formed, more than 2,200 campus events have been created, and 14,200 parents have begun using AYO. In just three months since its launch, the MyAYO app has been downloaded more than 22,100 times, serving Mesquite ISD’s 38,260 students.
One of the standout features of the AYO Family Feed is the ability for Spanish and Vietnamese-speaking families to customize their language preferences, ensuring all communications are clear and accessible to families.
Under Dr. Rivera's visionary leadership, AYO is transforming communication and engagement in Mesquite ISD for students, families, and staff. Dr. Rivera has turned school communication into a dynamic, interactive experience that strengthens community bonds by providing a streamlined, user-friendly platform. The positive impact is already evident, with thousands of families and educators actively using AYO to stay informed, connected, and involved.
Mesquite ISD recently launched its Strategic Plan for 2024-2027—the first to be developed under Dr. Rivera's leadership. This plan lays the foundation for the district's vision for student success, staff empowerment, and community involvement for the next three years. Communication goals and strategies are a core component of this plan, ensuring that clear, effective communication supports all aspects of the district’s mission.
At the center of the strategic plan is the Profile of a Learner, which highlights the skills and traits Mesquite ISD aims to instill in every student from elementary school to graduation. One trait is becoming a Purposeful Communicator, ensuring students can confidently express themselves while honoring diverse perspectives.
Three key initiatives within the strategic plan reflect our commitment to our district-wide communication efforts: the Mesquite Promise, AYO, and the Promise League.
The Mesquite Promise is a commitment based on four principles and 16 habits that every member of our community—students, staff, families, and community members—is encouraged to adopt. These principles aim to remove barriers and create a supportive environment where everyone can belong and excel. By embedding the Mesquite Promise into our Strategic Plan, we reinforce our commitment to fostering a culture of belonging, which is essential to the district’s communication efforts and overall mission.
The AYO platform exemplifies the strategic goal of empowering students to take ownership of their education and pursue their passions by leveraging AYO to create tailored learning experiences. Featuring two-way communication between families and campuses, AYO provides personalized insights tailored to student interests, timely updates, and direct channels for meaningful conversations with educators. Integrating AYO into our strategic plan empowers parents and guardians to stay informed and actively involved in their child's education.
Additionally, establishing the Promise League invites families to actively participate in their child's educational journey. This initiative focuses on expanding family learning opportunities and building partnerships that support student success. Families are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to engage meaningfully in their child's learning experience through workshops and informational sessions in English and Spanish.
To effectively communicate these goals to all stakeholders, Mesquite ISD uses a range of communication channels, including district-wide newsletters, social media campaigns, and school-based events. The district also seeks feedback from staff, students, and families through surveys to continuously measure progress and ensure we stay on track with our goals. By aligning communication goals with the broader strategic plan, Mesquite ISD creates an open, engaged, and collaborative environment that supports the growth of students, staff, and the community.
Dr. Ángel Rivera has become known for his accessibility and commitment to open communication with the entire community. Within his first year as superintendent, Dr. Rivera led the successful passage of a voter-approved tax ratification election. To ensure that all of our 5,500+ employees were informed and had an opportunity to ask questions, he hosted a staff meeting at each of our 52 campuses. Additionally, he conducted dozens of community meetings involving city officials and local leaders over approximately one month. This extensive outreach highlighted his commitment to making important district decisions accessible and easy for everyone to understand.
Under his leadership, MISD has committed to initiatives to ensure that staff are actively involved in open dialogue with district leadership. One of these initiatives is designating Facility Representatives who collect staff questions, comments, and concerns for district leaders to acknowledge. Representatives bring feedback to the Facilities Representative Committee, which, through the Mesquite Education Association, anonymously submits these questions to district leadership for review and response each month. This system empowers staff to voice their concerns, promoting transparency, building trust, and strengthening the connection between district leadership and employees.
To effectively communicate with families, the district sends its weekly "Three Things to Know" newsletter, with tailored editions for parents in English and Spanish, as well as staff. This approach ensures that key information is conveyed in an accessible and concise way, allowing parents and staff to stay informed. By focusing on just three essential updates each week, the district maintains clear and consistent communication that keeps everyone engaged and informed.
Not only is Dr. Rivera accessible to staff and community members, but he also values the importance of fostering relationships with media partners. He made his initial media appearance as superintendent in a 25-minute interview with an education reporter. Since then, he has consistently responded promptly to interview requests, which has led him to become a respected voice in public education as reporters often inquire for his input on diverse topics. Dr. Rivera understands the value of building strong relationships with local and Spanish media to foster transparency and keep the community informed.
Dr. Rivera also prioritizes building direct relationships with students, offering them opportunities to connect with him. One example of this is the unique collaboration are the Center Stage interviews with Mesquite ISD's student-operated radio station, KEOM 88.5 FM. During Center Stage, students interview Dr. Rivera live on air, broadcasting across the greater part of the Dallas-Fort Worth region and online. With three interview opportunities in the fall and three in the spring, students in the radio production class work together to plan and produce the interviews, crafting questions and determining what topics they want to approach.
Dr. Rivera has significantly impacted Mesquite ISD’s communication efforts through his approachable leadership style and dedication to transparency. From engaging with staff and media to fostering relationships with parents and students, he exemplifies a genuine commitment to ensuring all voices are heard and that information is accessible to all.
B.A. - Mississippi State University; MPA - University of Georgia
I believe school PR/communications is what I was born to do! One of the biggest decisions a parent can make is where to send their child to school, and it’s an honor to share with our parents the engaging work that their children are doing under the guidance of world-class teachers and leaders. On any given day, in any given school, there are many stories to be told and I take that charge seriously. As school communicators played a key role in COVID-19 communications, storytelling was more important than ever – not only did I share information with parents about our protocols, but I also made over 80 visits to schools last year and told a variety of stories about how students were thriving with both in-person and distance learning options. I also worked with principals to determine best mitigation practices and helped make those pervasive, because positive action must be the foundation of what we are ultimately communicating. School public relations is incredibly complex and I love that each day brings a new challenge.
My greatest school PR success was completing 11 nationally-innovative school communication audits using a process of research, planning, implementation, and evaluation. I am now in phase two of this project and am attending school council meetings to garner feedback from parents about school-level communication and how I can better support the work of their schools. One of the most significant findings is that as students take more ownership of their learning, they also take more ownership in parent communication. Therefore, next steps are to better prepare parents for this transition and to also determine best practices from exemplar teachers and coaches at the secondary level so we can strike the right balance with parents feeling informed and fostering student independence.
My greatest school PR challenge is overcoming rigidity. Like many PR professionals, I am detail-oriented and a self-described perfectionist. It’s a blessing and a curse to see when something is one pixel off, but the greatest challenge I have faced in my 13 years in this field is to learn to be more flexible. I might have an aversion to Comic Sans or Curlz, but it’s not the end of the world if those are a font favorite elsewhere. What’s more important is the bigger picture – staff and parents feeling well-informed and students growing and learning in positive school cultures. Instead of telling someone their website isn’t formatted properly, I now make a 2-3 minute screencast if I think there’s a quick tutorial I can offer to provide ongoing professional learning. By being much more flexible, I have deepened relationships and become better at supporting the most important job that occurs in our school system: teaching.
My favorite part of my job is the relationships. I often say that there is no substitute for showing up, and that’s why I make so many school visits each year. From getting to hold a gorgeous monarch butterfly to watching a vibrant student musical to seeing 3-D printing in action from engineering students, I have witnessed countless unique opportunities, and these experiences are just a small piece of what our students get to take part in each and every day. If I didn’t take the time to form relationships, I wouldn’t know that what students value is knowing that the photos I take may show up in their yearbooks. I wouldn’t know the myriad of annual activities that teachers do across our schools because I wouldn’t have witnessed them firsthand. I wouldn’t know about the families of our principals or what they believe makes their school unique. All of that is invaluable because at the end of the day and at the end of this career, relationships are what will remain – both professionally and personally.
The communication tool I use the most is Canva! I would be a brand ambassador if they asked! I am not very mathematically-minded and it can be challenging for someone with an eye for good design – but not an eye for rulers and gridlines – to be a graphic designer. However, Canva has made it possible and I am able to create aesthetically-pleasing graphics with short turn-around times. I have trained communication ambassadors at our schools how to use it as well. Right after Canva, the tool I most use is iMovie. I am completely self-taught in videography and using iMovie and Canva together has made me someone who can add “videographer” to their list of expertise.