Sheila Jordan -- A Short Biography

Sheila Jordan - A Short Biography

Sheila Jordan is the Alameda County Superintendent of Schools.  She is chief administrator of the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) whose primary mission is to promote teaching and learning, provide fiscal oversight to all K-12 public schools, and educate at-risk students who are not served by districts. 

The ACOE serves the county's eighteen school districts comprising nearly 400 public schools employing more than 11,000 credentialed teachers and serving more than 210,000 students.  The ACOE also operates the county’s juvenile court schools, community schools, and two charter schools.  

Sheila works with business leaders, legislators and educators on a local, regional and state level on policy issues.  Her top concerns include restructuring education finance, attacking the achievement gap, assuring access to learning in and through the arts for every child, and promoting win-win solutions to the conflicts between district and charter schools.   

Priorities

Sheila assists school districts in navigating the impact of state budget cuts and complying with state and federal mandates. The ACOE helps schools work within the available means to provide a well-rounded education that builds on the strengths and assets that every child brings to school. The mission of schools remains to challenge all children to realize their highest potential, and to prepare them to make their best contribution to the community. In 2000, Sheila founded the Alameda County Alliance for Arts Learning Leadership within the ACOE, and spearheads the "Art IS Education" campaign, now in its tenth year.

Experience

Sheila was a classroom teacher for more than twenty years. She holds an M.A. degree in Special Education and an Elementary Life Credential.  She earned her Administrative Credential at California State University East Bay (then Cal State Hayward).  She was awarded a Certificate in Executive Management from the Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. Sheila was elected to and served on the Oakland Board of Education and then on the Oakland City Council before her election to the office of Superintendent of Schools in 1998. Among her other community service positions, she serves on the Executive Committee of the Economic Development Alliance for Business (EDAB), the Board of the Workforce Investment Board (WIB), the United Way, and the Interagency Children’s Policy Council (ICPC).  She is a member of the State Assembly Speakers' Commission on Labor and Education.  She is a former member of the Board of Directors of the East Bay Leadership Foundation, and past co-chair of the Alameda County Superior Court Children's Waiting Room Project.  She is a former Fellow of the Bay Area Writing Project.  

Honors

Among other honors, Sheila was named Alumnus of the Year by Cal State Hayward.  She received the Outstanding Educator of the Year Award from the Peralta Presidential Council of the Alpha Delta Kappa educational sorority, and the Educator of Excellence Award from Hispanos Saludos.  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed her to the statewide Arts Education Strategic Task Force. The Network for a Healthy California named Sheila a Champion for Change. 

Family

Sheila is married and has two sons and one grandson, all living in the Bay Area.   

More Information

For details on Sheila's day-to-day activities, consult the official website of the Alameda County Office of Education.