Dr. Fabi Bagula, Interim Superintendent for the San Diego Unified School District,
advances dynamic, large-scale change initiatives that improve outcomes for
students and educators in public TK-12 systems. Her bicultural upbringing and
experiences on the San Diego border have informed and guided her widely
respected and visionary work. As a teacher, teacher coach, principal, assistant
superintendent, executive leadership coach, senior director of equity, deputy
superintendent –– and now as acting superintendent –– Dr. Bagula consistently
gains and maintains the trust of her students, colleagues, and community.
Dr. Bagula was adjunct faculty for the Graduate Program in Educational Leadership
and Emancipatory School Leadership at California State University San Jose, the
School of Leadership and Educational Sciences (SOLES) at the University of San
Diego (USD), and RISE San Diego, an organization that teaches adaptive leadership and equity-action research
to aspiring leaders in the community. Dr. Bagula was faculty for school administrator credential programs for
both San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and USD- teaching classes for future principals such as
Finance, Budgets and Taxpayer Stewardship, Ethical Decision Making, Family and Community Engagement and
Evaluation and Assessment.
Her work at SDCOE allowed her to coach county superintendents and their cabinets on leadership, education,
equity, and group dynamics. She worked closely with the following districts and superintendents: Poway,
Encinitas, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Ramona, Coronado, Lakeside. Dr. Bagula also led learning for
Superintendents across the state of California.
As a leadership scholar, Dr. Bagula also launches and delivers keynote presentations across our county (Chula
Vista School District, Coronado School District, San Ysidro School District, to name a few), state and some
international locations such as Verona Italy, Vienna Austria, and Zurich Switzerland for the International
Leadership Association (ILA).
She has been the recipient of the 2024 Finalist for the Matusak Award for Courageous Leadership, a 2023
“Cool Woman” Finalist from the Girl Scouts Organization, the 2023 California Association of Latino
Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA) Central Office Administrator of the Year, the 2013 César Chávez
Visionary leader award, a nominee for San Diego’s 79th district Educational Leadership Award from
Representative Dr. Shirley Weber, and a former National Equity Project fellow.
Dr. Bagula is currently a Yale-Broad Leadership fellow. Additionally, Dr. Bagula has served as a founding
member of Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA) and Board member of the Social Publishers
Foundation (SPF), which supports practitioner-researcher projects and the democratization of knowledge
around the world.
Dr. Bagula holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego. Her research areas include
leadership and identity formation. She has published both academic and literary works, including a chapter in
the 2021 book, Latinas Leading Schools, two chapters in the 2022 book Recipes to Combat the ‘isms and one
chapter in the newest 2024 publication, Hispanic Perspectives on Student Support and Community
Empowerment. Likewise, she is certificated in Stakeholder Centered Coaching with The Marshall Goldsmith
Group and certified in Leading Dialogue through Conflict with Public Conversations Project. Dr. Bagula
frequently facilitates seminars on topics of educational and systemic equity, dialogue facilitation, authenticity,
improvement science, and adaptive leadership.