For more than four decades, Dr. Hilaria Bauer has dedicated her career to creating equitable, high-quality educational opportunities for all students. Most recently, she served for ten years as Superintendent of the Alum Rock Union School District in East San Jose. Under her visionary leadership, the district was stabilized and refocused on serving students and families first. In partnership with Kidango and other community organizations, Dr. Bauer led the expansion of preschool to every elementary school and oversaw the development of the Cesar Chavez Early Learning Campus. She also helped establish four Family Resource Centers and tripled the district’s Dual Language Immersion programs, which now include two Spanish-English Academies and a Vietnamese-English Academy.

Dr. Bauer began her career as a bilingual teacher in Dilley, Texas, after immigrating from Mexico. She spent 12 years in Texas public schools, primarily in San Antonio, developing inclusive curriculum and programs that support all learners. She later served as an educational associate, providing professional development and technical assistance across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Brazil. Her focus included early learning, multilingual education, desegregation, school finance, and research on the academic success of marginalized students.

Her leadership journey also includes serving as Director of Curriculum and Instruction for the Morgan Hill Unified School District, principal of a middle school in Alum Rock, and Adjunct Professor at San Jose State University. She has been recognized as a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow and served as co-chair of NAEYC’s Language Minority Caucus in 1997.

Throughout her career, Dr. Bauer has remained committed to ensuring that every student—regardless of background—has access to the education and support they need to thrive.