Superintendent Maria G. Ott

Maria G. Ott, Ph.D., is highly regarded throughout the state’s educational community for her strong leadership, her commitment to public education, and her proven results in working with children from diverse and multi-ethnic backgrounds.

Most recently, Dr. Ott served as the Senior Deputy Superintendent for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the nation’s second largest school district. She was responsible for educational services and the supervision of area superintendents. Previous to that role, she served 20-plus years with LAUSD as a teacher, principal, program coordinator, and district administrator.  

She also spent seven years as the Superintendent of the Little Lake City School District, an elementary school district serving the communities of Santa Fe Springs, northern Norwalk and southeastern Downey. 

Dr. Ott has earned numerous awards, including AEOE Outstanding Administrator Award; AMAE Homenaje a la Mujer Recipient; Lamplighter in Education Recognition, Mount St. Mary’s College; Distinguished Educator, California State University, Los Angeles; Educational Leadership Award, Council of Mexican American Administrators; Hispanic Woman of the Year Award, Mexican American Opportunity Foundation; and the USC Rossier School of Education R.O.S.E. Award.

She is a past president of the California Latino Superintendents Association and a former leader in the California City Superintendents Association.  She is an active member of the Association of California School Administrators, California Association for Bilingual Education, and American Educational Research Association.  Dr. Ott was also recently appointed by the U.S. Department of Education to serve on the Regional Advisory Committee for the Western States, a collaboration among the nation’s leading educators.  The Committee recently released a report detailing the educational needs of the Western States. 
Dr. Ott earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Mount St. Mary’s College, and completed her doctoral studies at the University of Southern California, majoring in Educational Policy, Planning, and Administration.