Educator named to U.S. post
The U.S. Senate on Friday confirmed Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana, Pomona’s schools chief, as the U.S. assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education.
Praised as a reform-minded leader, Melendez has been superintendent of the 33,000-student Pomona Unified School District since 2006.
She was named California’s superintendent of the year in November by the Assn. of California School Administrators.
In her new role, she will be a top advisor to Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
Melendez earned a bachelor’s in sociology from UCLA and a doctorate in language, literacy and learning from USC.
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