Claudia Flores

After 15 years in the banking industry, I was laid off during a bank acquisition and decided to take time off to be present with my children. I became a volunteer at my eldest child's school, showing up every day. The principal, Ms. Adriana Abbish, approached me and asked me to work for her since I was already there every day. I told her I knew nothing about working in education and came from banking, but she said I was already doing it. So I joined the team and fell in love with it. I really enjoy working with kids and being able to serve not only kids, but the community as a whole. Now, 14 years into my education career and 6 years in my current role, I oversee operations and safety and security of 6 different campuses. I manage janitorial and custodial staff, touch base with plant managers to ensure teams are fully staffed for daily maintenance, work with vendors on routine maintenance and facility repairs to ensure students have access to all the resources and clean campus they deserve for an optimal learning environment, and work hand-in-hand with my CEO, CFO, and HR department to ensure policies and protocols are followed. I became a certified trainer in active shooter scenarios so I could deliver that messaging in-house with a more human and empathetic approach, rather than having someone come out and just provide statistics. Having 3 daughters inspired me to be a confidant and mentor to young girls, which gave me hope that even on a small scale, I was positively influencing them to do better and seek better for themselves.