Carmen Chávez is a School Principal at Hapgood Elementary in the Lompoc Unified School District (LUSD) located in Santa Barbara County. The knowledge gained at ATDLE’s summer conferences laid the foundation and continues to energize her team.

Carmen earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish at the University of California at Santa Barbara. She earned her Masters of Arts in Education with an emphasis on Curriculum & Instruction and Administration through Chapman University. Other educational and background highlights include: Junior semester abroad at the National Autonomous University of México (UNAM) and Summer Egypt Program with UCSB Center of Middle Eastern Studies.

Notable achievements include being part of the task force that initiated and established LUSD’s only 90:10 Dual Immersion Magnet (The first cohort is currently in 5th grade). Additionally, Carmen served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Belize.

Carmen believes that all students benefit and thrive from Dual Immersion Programs.