Maria Betancourt Thompson is a distinguished wife and mother and an expert in transformational leadership, instructional equity, and school culture. Her journey from homelessness and trauma due to domestic abuse and family mental illness has profoundly shaped her mission. Maria's "True North" is child-centered, dedicated to ensuring that the educational system serves every child, regardless of their challenges. Her inspiring "First Generation" story, from school custodian to district director, reflects her resilience and dedication. As a child, Maria helped her hard-working immigrant parents clean the school she attended, contributing to the family's livelihood and influencing her drive and work ethic.

Fluent in Spanish, English, and French, Maria has an extensive background in education, having served as a classroom teacher, dean, assistant principal, school principal, and district director. She currently holds the position of State Leadership Development Chair for the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA). Maria is a prolific author and creator, with numerous published articles, photographs, presentations, and over $13 million in successful grant writing to her credit.

Maria is renowned for her ability to help school and district leaders discover their “why” and apply it to their work, combining heart and humor to engage and inspire. She is passionate about transforming educational environments and is unafraid to challenge the status quo to remove barriers and ensure access for all students. Her focus is on maximizing educator talent to achieve grade-level or better learning outcomes for every student.

An avid hiker, photographer, and traveler, Maria enjoys creating lasting memories with family and friends. She currently works for the Charter Oak Unified School District and resides in the San Gabriel Valley with her husband Mark, son Michael, and cherished pets, Daisy the Cattle Dog and Winnie-Pooh the Adventure Pug.