Dr. John M. Lopez

Dr. John M. Lopez has over 23 years of experience in education as a teacher, site administrator at every school level (elementary, middle, and high school), and as Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources. He started his career in education as an elementary teacher at El Rancho Unified School District, where he served for 15 years in various roles. From there, Dr. Lopez went on to become the leader of Human Resources and part of the Executive Cabinet at Oceanview School District and then Charter Oak Unified School District. For the past 4 years, he has served as Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources at Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District.

Dr. Lopez is recognized by employees and community members for his integrity, collaborative nature, and passion for doing what is best for students.  His style of leadership is authentic, open, transparent, and relational; he serves as a model for others. He is a systems-thinker and has been instrumental in improving processes, whether as a principal or district-level administrator, that have resulted in positive student outcomes.  As  Principal of North Park Middle School, he was recognized for dramatically increasing student achievement.

As Assistant Superintendent, he increased the efficiency of the human resources departments as well as obtained outstanding results by promoting positive labor relations. Through his leadership and focus on relationships, he has worked collaboratively with key stakeholders to build institutional capacity that promotes college and career-ready students.  Throughout his career, Dr. Lopez has earned various honors and awards, including his most recent accomplishments as the 2018 ACSA Human Resources Administrator of the Year (Region 14) and the 2019 Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District Administrator of the Year Award.

Dr. Lopez received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from CSU Long Beach; a Master’s Degree in Education and teacher credential from Whittier College; and currently, he is pursuing his Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California. He advocates for high expectations, educational equity, and support for students by ensuring that teachers and administrators are well-supported. He seeks to understand how social systems and people work together to obtain the desired results for students.