El Paso ISD Superintendent Diana Sayavedra has served the school district for over three years. She began her role as superintendent on January 4, 2022, and has made a significant impact since her arrival. Under her leadership, she has been instrumental in developing the district’s Strategic Blueprint, which aims to provide students with the tools and skills to succeed in the classroom and create strong leaders within the El Paso ISD community.

Superintendent Sayavedra has also been pivotal in changing the culture of El Paso ISD, fostering a more positive customer experience. As the leader of the school district, Ms. Sayavedra has helped bolster El Paso ISD's academic offerings, including the opening of the first two public Montessori schools at Moreno Elementary and Dr. Green Elementary School and the expansion of extracurricular activities to students starting in the third grade. The district also saw the inclusion of the Kickstart Program at Navarrete and Murphree PK-8 Schools. Due to its positive impact, the program is now expanding to two more schools. These significant enhancements add to the existing El Paso ISD offerings, which include more than 40 innovative high school programs that provide the region’s highest number of options for earning associate degrees, college credit, and industry certifications.

Ms. Sayavedra’s Team of Eight — a collaboration between her and the seven district trustees — created a new student-centered curriculum that aims to build students’ enduring content knowledge and academic language while strengthening each student’s exposure to on-grade-level content that is rigorous, engaging, and inspires a joy for learning.

Ms. Sayavedra has demonstrated the importance of community engagement through numerous advisory groups such as the Teacher Advisory Council, Principal Advisory Council, Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, and other stakeholder groups as part of her plan to improve communication and community engagement efforts. She has also made it her mission to visit every El Paso ISD campus to understand the needs of teachers. Sayavedra’s work ethic has not gone unnoticed; she was named a Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association.

Ms. Sayavedra is the Chair of the Texas Urban Council (TUC), which serves as a forum for the superintendents of some of the largest districts in Texas. Together, the group addresses challenges unique to large city school districts. Ms. Sayavedra serves as a member of the executive committee of the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), which provides professional learning opportunities to develop students in public education. She is also serves on the board of the Texas School Alliance (TSA), which represents 49 0f the largest school districts in Texas.

Sayavedra is a curriculum and instruction expert who has served as a classroom teacher and campus principal in districts throughout Texas. She grew up in Laredo, Texas, and received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Physical Science from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Science in Education Administration from Texas A&M University. She has a proven track record, having served as the Deputy Superintendent of Schools and Interim Superintendent for the Fort Bend Independent School District near Houston.