ACSA has selected Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana as California’s nominee for the 2009 American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year.

Meléndez, superintendent of Pomona USD, has held her current position since 2006. Previously, she was program manager for the Stupski Foundation and deputy superintendent and chief academic officer in Pomona. She has also worked as principal in the Montebello USD and director of instruction in Pasadena USD.

She is actively involved in ACSA, having served on the state Superintendency Council; Curriculum, Instruction and Accountability Council; and No Child Left Behind Task Force. She has also served as a state ACSA Board director-at-large.

“She is a passionate educational leader whose dedication to student success is clearly evident in the work she does,” said ACSA Executive Director Bob Wells. “She has long since proven a strong commitment to students, both within her own district, statewide and nationwide.”

Meléndez now joins nominees from each state to vie for the national title. Four finalists will be selected by a national blue-ribbon panel of judges by December, with interviews conducted in January. The 2009 Superintendent of the Year, as well as national and state finalists, will be honored at AASA’s National Conference on Education in San Francisco, Feb. 19-21.

For more information on AASA’s Superintendent of the Year program, visit www.aasa.org.