About Gabriel Nuñez-Soria, Ph.D.:

Gabriel Nuñez-Soria serves as the Area D Superintendent for San Diego Unified School District. Through his service, Gabriel strives to ensure youth, family, and community wellness and equitable educational outcomes for all students, via healing-centered culturally sustaining and community responsive pedagogies, practices, and systems.

Background:

Gabriel brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role as Area Superintendent. Inspired and uplifted by his parents’ dedication to authentic care, love, and social justice, Gabriel Nuñez-Soria has served in education for over twenty years as a tutor, teacher, lead teacher, assistant principal, principal, and director. Gabriel was born and raised in San Diego, homeland of the Kumeyaay people, where he graduated from San Diego Unified School District’s Samuel Gompers Secondary School.

Accomplishments:

During his tenure, Gabriel Nuñez-Soria has achieved remarkable milestones, including:

• Collectively cultivated and nurtured educational environments to improve students’ sense of belonging and connectedness with our schools.

• Led the development and implementation of schoolwide restorative justice practices resulting in significant reductions to suspensions and expulsions.

• Led the improvement of student academic outcomes and graduation rates through leveraging community relationships and establishing procedures and systems to embrace the emergent power of effective collaboration and systems management

• Facilitated data-driven professional learning communities resulting in improved instructional practices and outcomes with students.

• Coached, mentored, and guided teachers and school leaders through multiple school changes and overall school improvement.

• Collectively developed, nurtured, and implemented community school practices based on the Trauma-Resilient Educational Model.

• Empowered our educators to employ a cycle of praxis (observation, reflection, ideation, and action) to make continual improvements in student academic outcomes year to year, while maintaining a healthy school environment where we worked to empower every student every day.

Educational Philosophy:

Gabriel’s educational philosophy is based on the development and nurturing of reciprocal relationships to create space for each and every person in our school communities to learn, teach, and lead. His philosophy rests on the fundamental belief that all human beings have the right and capacity to determine for themselves what their purpose and path in life is, that all human bearings yearn to learn, grow, and thrive in an ever-changing world. Gabriel is dedicated to fostering a community responsive environment that embraces the community cultural wealth that we each bring into our schools. 

Education and Credentials:

Doctorate degree, education for social justice, University of San Diego 

Master’s degree, education and counseling, San Diego State University

Bachelor's degree, Social and Cultural Anthropology, Stanford University

We are fortunate to have Gabriel Nuñez-Soria leading San Diego Unified School District, guiding the district towards greater heights of educational excellence. His passion, expertise, and dedication to student success are instrumental in shaping a bright future for all learners within the district.

Connect with Gabriel on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriel-nuñez-soria/