Portland Public Schools Superintendent Search

“Candidates Day in the District”
Focus Group Vita Information

May 2, 2016 – Xavier Botana
Career Highlights
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Education - Illinois Superintendent’s Academy Training - 2010; Ph.D. Program
participant in Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 1994 (A.B.D.); Master’s Degree in Educational Administration, Chicago State
University, Chicago, IL - 1989; Bachelor’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction,
Chicago State University, Chicago IL – 1984

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Experience - Currently Associate Superintendent , Michigan City Area Schools,
Michigan City IN since 2010 – serves 6,000 students and 750 employees
- Has been the Chief Academic Officer for Portland Oregon Public schools; Chief
Officer of Instructional Design and Assessment for Chicago Public Schools;
Division Administrator for the Illinois State Board of Education; Assistant
Director for the Bensenville New American School Project – Bensenville, IL;
Assistant Principal/Department Chair at Morton High School , Cicero IL;
Coordinator of the Illinois Alliance of Essential Schools , Chicago IL;
Bilingual/ESL Teacher, Cicero Public Schools and Palatine Public Schools in IL;
fluent in Spanish.

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Service - currently or has previously been, member, board member, or
participant of community, civic, and professional organizations such as: National
Academy for the Sciences Committee on English Language Learners, Lubeznik
Center for the Arts (Michigan City, IN); Rotary Club of Michigan City; Mentor –
Hours for Ours, Michigan City; Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce –
Portland, OR; High Jump Chicago; National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades
Reform; Phi Delta Kappa – Northwest Suburban Chapter; Illinois Association for
Multilingual/Multicultural Education; Oregon Association of Latino Administrators,
Lector, St. Walter’s Parish – Chicago, IL.