25 Community Leaders Joined Pasadena Unified Principals for a Morning

Twenty-five community leaders, including the heads of Pasadena Water and Power and the Pasadena Public Library, joined Pasadena Unified School District principals on Oct. 27 to visit classrooms, the Pasadena Educational Foundation announced.

The morning was the foundation’s Principal for a Day, a program it says marks 20 years in 2026 and has brought more than 500 community members into the district’s schools since 2006.

Guests met students and educators and spent part of a school day listening, asking questions and learning what students are excited about, what they are working on and what they hope to do next, according to the foundation. Afterward, they gathered with school principals and district leaders at a luncheon to share what they had learned.

“Principal for a Day brings our community into the classrooms to see the work of our students and educators firsthand,” said Patrick Conyers, the foundation’s executive director. “You hear directly from students and teachers, see what they’re working on, and get to know the principal.”

This year’s guests came from business, local government, higher education, cultural institutions, science and community organizations, the foundation said.

They included:

2026 Guest Principals

• Lindsay Amstutz, President, Los Angeles Thunder

• Anton Anderson, Councilmember, Altadena Town Council; Principal, Productivity Consulting

• Rian Barrett, Chief Executive Officer, Pasadena-Foothills REALTORS®

• Michelle Constantine, Chair, Integrated Studies, ArtCenter College of Design

• Elias Garcia, Government & Community Relations Manager, Kaiser Permanente

• Jen García, AI Advisor, Caltech CTME; Founder, Ingrained

• Dr. Alexandra Grady-Reed, Associate Professor, Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California

• Dr. Gary Hardie Jr., Education Strategy and Public Affairs Leader, DLR Group

• Margaret Hunt, Chief Executive Officer, Hunt Philanthropic

• Dr. Monica Hunter, Executive Director and Department Chair for Early Childhood Education, Pacific Oaks College

• Tim McDonald, Library Director, Pasadena Public Library, City of Pasadena

• Andrew Molina, Director of Operations, Mathnasium

• David Moon, Regional Sales Manager, Lakeshore Learning Materials

• Michael Ocon, Executive Director, Eaton Fire Collaborative

• Anette Padilla, Director, Community Foundation & Social Impact, AEG

• Mark Rettig, Vice President, Kemp Bros. Construction

• David Reyes, General Manager, Pasadena Water & Power

• Eva Rivera, Coordinator, City of Pasadena, Office of the Young Child

• Sam Sahand, Associate Principal, Flewelling & Moody

• Trey Sorensen, Battalion Chief, Pasadena Fire Department

• Jessica Soto, Public Engagement Specialist, Carnegie Science Observatories

• Emily Suñez, Reading Interventionist; Co-Founder & Outreach Director, Los Angeles Dysautonomia Network

• Debra Ward, Chief Executive Officer, YWCA San Gabriel Valley

• Sarah Wilson, Senior Director of Education, Autry Museum of the American West

• Keith Wyffels, Associate Vice President, Education, The Music Center

Conyers pointed to what happens after the visits. “Over the years, we’ve seen guests stay involved with the schools they visited, becoming partners, volunteers, and advocates,” he said. “That continued involvement is what makes this day matter.”

The foundation, which has supported the district’s schools since 1971, says it helps raise $12 million to $15 million a year for Pasadena Unified. The district serves more than 14,000 students in Pasadena, Altadena, Sierra Madre and unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, according to the district.

Community members interested in serving as a guest principal can contact the foundation at connect@pasedfoundation.org.