Maria Casillas

Chief of School Family and Parent/Community Services, Los Angeles Unified School District

M.A. Education (1978)

Advocates parental and community engagement in primary education for the Los Angeles Unified School District. In this newly-created role, she has helped establish or upgrade more than 300 parent centers to promote family engagement.
Founding President of Families in Schools: Building Partnerships for Student Success, an organization created by the L.A. Annenberg Metropolitan Project (LAAMP) in 2001 to engage parents in the education of their children and to strengthen the relationship among families, schools and communities. Families in Schools is a partner of the Teacher and Principal Residency Program of Cal State L.A.'s Charter of Education.
Served Los Angeles Unified School District for more than 20 years as a teacher, elementary school principal and regional superintendent and has taught at numerous campuses in the CSU system.
Taught and worked as a principal in Guadalajara, Mexico, and served the greater El Paso community as executive director of the Educational Service Center in Texas.

Notable CSU Alumni in education