Elva Rodriguez’ service to ACSA and to the Fresno Unified School District are well documented, but it is her volunteer efforts in retirement that earned her ACSA’s Robert E. Kelly Award.
While she technically retired in 2004, Rodriguez continues her work to improve the lives of students in the Fresno area and the greater Central Valley.
She lives by the core value of giving back to the community, and has done so throughout her 30-plus year career.
“My days are very full, and I continue to use the skills, both technical and interpersonal, that I learned during my teaching and administrative career,” Rodriguez said. “I know I can call on my friends and acquaintances for assistance and advice when needed, and that they will be supportive, if only by offering a listening ear.”
Rodriguez began her career as a bilingual teacher and moved up the ranks, always working with school communities that had a large percentage of language minority students.
In her final assignment prior to retirement, serving as assistant superintendent of K-8 instruction, she supervised four middle schools and 10 elementary schools, all with a large number of second language learners.
The most challenging part of her job, she said, was remaining focused on the instruction of students, while trying to juggle budgetary and achievement gap issues.
For many years while working in FUSD, Rodriguez served as a board member for the Arte Americas cultural center. Her retirement only intensified her dedication to this venture, and she now serves in a volunteer capacity as executive director.
Her countless hours of time and energy have ensured the center retains its quality of service to the people of the Central Valley, serving as inspiration to people of all backgrounds and ethnicities.
“I juggle a very busy schedule, continue to struggle with budgetary issues, and continue to look for ways to better serve our clients,” Rodriguez said. “The educational component of our program is an area needing development, so my quest continues in providing students who visit our center an enjoyable, enriching environment.”
She also works as principal coach for Pivot Learning Partners, assisting school districts to improve student performance. She serves as a mentor and coach for aspiring leaders and has established informal support networks for new administrators.
And, she remains active in ACSA, currently serving as Region 9 representative to the state Retirement Committee. Her leadership activities in ACSA have included positions at the charter, region and state levels as local and state board member, charter and region president and state committee and conference planning member.
“My ACSA membership continues to contribute to my ‘new’ career just as it did pre-retirement,” Rodriguez said. “I am very grateful to ACSA for the many opportunities it has given me.”
Among those opportunities is the development of strong friendships and a network of supportive colleagues.
“In retirement, we all look for places we can make a small difference in the lives of others,” said former ACSA President Sandra Carsten, FUSD retired assistant superintendent. “Elva Rodriguez has done this her entire life and in her retirement she has taken advantage of the opportunity to expand her community service work and in so doing is a model to us all about the importance of the contribution each of us can make to changing our world and making this a better place for everyone.”