Her Story
About Teresa
Teresa Howard serves as Director of Career Technical Education at Antelope Valley Union High School District in the Antelope Valley, Palmdale-Lancaster area of California. She has approximately 20 years of experience in the field, starting as a teacher in a charter school where she taught all four grade levels of English. She later moved into the public sector and took on early leadership roles, including opening a medical magnet academy during her sixth year of teaching, which she led for five years before transitioning into workforce development. In her current role, Teresa oversees career technical education programs serving over 11,000 students, leads a team of 110 teachers, writes grants, and has secured more than $20 million in funding to support workforce pipelines. She also sits on a workforce development board and was awarded the State CT Administrator of the Year for the State of California by the Association of California Administrators. Teresa emphasizes human connection in education, presuming positive intentions in leadership, and empowering women through self-care, solution-driven approaches, and mutual support.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Teresa
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think empowering women is near and dear to my heart. We see so much competition but healthy competition is one thing. Women supporting women and empowering each other and having each other's backs is so important. Have time for self-care because if you're not taking care of yourself then you can't take care of anybody else. Be solution-driven. Have confidence in the decisions you make. If you make a decision where you feel hey we fail we learn we move forward.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The landscape of our future generation has changed a lot. It's all about human connection. The kids will trust you, learn from you, like you no matter the disconnect in generational philosophies as long as you take time to get to know them. The positive part is we get to inspire our youth, unlock doors for them, help them achieve their goals, impact and inspire students' lives and carve out the future workforce of tomorrow.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I am a woman of faith and so I try to walk in the light of integrity and being positive any chance I get. One thing that I have told my teams is when we presume positive intentions of others it usually brings out a different outcome. People come here and they work hard every day and they're doing good things for kids. Presuming positive intentions is one of the pillars of my leadership.
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