The Power of Good Advice
The Superintendents Network
Mr. Rich Thome Chávez
Rich Thome having served in Education for over 54 years has a wealth of knowledge and expertise he brings to our partnership. Rich is a senior partner in Leadership Associates a leading search firm in California. As a senior partner in Leadership Associates Rich has conducted over 139 executive searches, including 101 Superintendent searches, 39 Administrative searches (non-superintendent), and 230 Board Workshops since 2003. Of these searches, Rich has conducted 55 Superintendent searches in Unified School Districts, 15 in High School Districts, and 31 in Elementary School Districts.
As a search consultant working closely with Boards and Superintendents, Rich deeply understands the many challenges Superintendents face in today’s constantly changing environment
Rich’s background spans decades in public education. Understanding the challenges in public education from the ground up, Rich has a unique perspective on how to coalesce teams together to bring a diverse group of individuals to come together for the benefit of the student. Rich began his career as a middle school teacher in the Pasadena Unified School District moving to San Clemente into the Capistrano Unified School District where he served for 23 years. His tenure in Capistrano Unified School District includes; elementary school teacher, high school teacher, coach, elementary school principal and eventually because of his likeability and leadership skills becoming Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education in Capistrano Unified School District in charge of 29 elementary schools.
Rich went on to become the Superintendent of the South Bay Union and Cardiff School Districts in San Diego County where he served as Superintendent for 8 years. Rich was then recruited to serve as the Assistant Superintendent of Technology and Human Resources at the San Diego County Office of Education and charged with designing and building 3 technology professional development centers in San Diego.
He also served as Director, Professional Learning in the Mobile Technology Learning Center (MTLC), a research center in the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES), at the University of San Diego. Prior to that assignment, he served as Director of the Educational Leadership Development Center at the University. In addition, Rich was an Executive Coach for Pivot Learning Partners in Los Angeles and San Diego Counties.
He received his bachelor’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles, and his master’s from Pepperdine University. He is fluently bilingual in Spanish and received his Bilingual, Cross-Cultural Specialist credential in California.
Rich was awarded the prestigious Ohtli Award, awarded rarely by the Government of Mexico in 2008 for his 40 years of service to the Latino Community. In 2007 Rich was awarded the Excellence in Leadership Award by the University of California, San Diego, and in 2006 he was awarded the Willie Velasquez Community Service Award. He has received the Honorary Service Award from the California Congress of Parents, Teachers, and Students, and the Orange County Hispanic Educator of the Year Award.
Dr. Gordon Amerson
Dr. Gordon Amerson currently serves as the superintendent of schools for the Duarte Unified School District. During his tenure, he has fostered the district’s transformational renaissance which has set them apart as a destination for education within the surrounding region and beyond. He leads the development of the district’s innovative programs and unprecedented partnerships that now attract students from over 90 cities throughout Southern California. His commitment to coaching and mentoring others is also evidenced by his certification as a Gallup CliftonStrengths Coach.
Dr. Amerson began his educational career as a Science teacher at Arroyo Valley High School in San Bernardino Unified School District where he then moved into administration as a High School Vice-Principal, High School Principal, and Director of Human Resources. After a successful tenure in San Bernardino, he joined the Capistrano Unified School District as the Associate Superintendent of Human Resource Services and served there until joining Duarte Unified in 2018.
Additionally, Dr. Amerson is the founder and CEO of The PrincipalED Leader, LLC, a leadership development and consulting firm to fulfill his passion of coaching and developing the next leaders in public education and our communities.
Prior to entering the field of education, Dr. Amerson played professional baseball for both the San Diego Padres and the New York Yankees organizations.
Dr. Allan Mucerino
Dr. Mucerino is currently in his tenth year as a Superintendent of Schools. He has served as an education leader at the school and district level for thirty consecutive years. He has served as a high school and middle school principal and at both unified schools districts and a union high school district. He has led in Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Riverside County. He has also served as the Superintendent in Residence at California State University, Fullerton, where he has been a member of the Education Leadership faculty for the past fourteen years. His areas of expertise include strategic planning, governance, decision-making, leadership development and executive coaching, system analysis and reform, and performance management. He also serves as a professional expert for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE), established by the California State Legislature and Governor to advise and assist school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools to achieve the goals and objectives in their Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs).