Rowland Superintendent Dr. Maria Ott Announces Retirement

ROWLAND HEIGHTS, CA – JUNE 18, 2012 – Rowland Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Maria Ott announced her retirement on Thursday. Ott has served as Superintendent for the past seven years and has been an educator for more than 41 years. Ott will stay until the opening of the new school year in late August.

“My experiences as Superintendent of Rowland Unified have truly enriched my life, and it has been an honor to serve. I am retiring knowing that the District has made outstanding progress on every level. The Board of Education has been supportive of me as I make this transition in my life, and I value each one of them. They always place the needs of students first, and I admire their vision for the District and their focus on excellence,” said Ott.

The USC School of Education has invited Ott to become an Executive in Residence. Beginning in October, she will teach and work on USC School of Education projects focused on educational leadership.

Prior to joining Rowland Unified in 2005, Ott served five years as the Senior Deputy Superintendent in the Los Angeles Unified School District, second in authority to Superintendent Roy Romer, former three-term Governor of Colorado. Ott also served as Superintendent of Little Lake City School District, serving the cities of Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk and southeastern Downey. She has earned numerous awards and is highly-regarded throughout the State’s educational community. She looks forward to continuing to publish on the work on Cultural Proficiency and academic achievements being made in Rowland Unified.

The Rowland Unified School District is proud to serve 16,000 students at 20 elementary and secondary schools in the communities of Rowland Heights, Walnut, La Puente, City of Industry, and West Covina. More than 5,000 adults (16+) are also served by the Rowland Adult and Community Education School. For more information about Rowland Unified, call (626) 965-2541 or visit www.RowlandSchools.org.