August 8, 2023
Margaret Crespo Appointed Women Leading Ed’s Inaugural Superintendent-in-Residence
WASHINGTON, DC - Women Leading Ed has named Dr. Margaret Crespo as its inaugural superintendent-in-residence. Women Leading Ed is a national network committed to supporting and advancing female education leadership through research, advocacy, and engagement with women at every stage of their leadership journeys. Women Leading Ed serves over 200 aspiring and sitting district and state superintendents representing over 9 million students and 600,000 teachers across the nation. Women Leading Ed is taking on the challenges facing our field and building a dynamic network within which leaders collaborate through a variety of opportunities including individual and group coaching, crisis response supports, access to experts, facilitated peer networking, and cohort-model professional development.
Crespo most recently served as superintendent of Laramie County School District 1 in Wyoming (LCSD1).
“The underrepresentation of women in K-12 education leadership is at a critical point. Women make up the vast majority of the education workforce, but less than a third of the country’s school district superintendents are women. Margaret Crespo has been an inspiration and model of leadership for countless women in education and it is only fitting that she joins WLE as our first superintendent-in-residence,” said Dr. Julia Rafal-Baer, CEO of ILO Group and founder of Women Leading Ed. “Margaret understands the challenges women face. As a superintendent in a charged political environment, she held strong to core values that put kids first. As we commit to doing the hard work to create a lasting network of women leaders in education, Margaret’s battle-tested experience will undoubtedly shape the way we approach education in the U.S.”
“I am thrilled to take on this challenge with Women Leading Ed. As an education leader, I have focused my entire career on the simple premise that our kids deserve to be seen in the classroom and every child should have a clear sense of what they can be and what they can achieve,” said Dr. Margaret Crespo, Superintendent-in-Residence of Women Leading Ed. “By building a network of women leaders and elevating sponsorship opportunities for aspiring leaders, we can indeed confront the biggest challenges and most urgent threats facing our educational systems.”
Crespo is widely regarded by her peers in education leadership. While serving as superintendent of LCSD1, Crespo confronted and effectively managed a highly volatile political culture and earned praise for holding tight to core values that prioritized student interests and wellbeing over agendas driven by adults. Under Crespo’s leadership, LCSD1 saw increases in second language student scores and acquisition of English and almost tripled the number of students accessing career tech education courses and college dual enrollment credit.
Before taking on the role in Wyoming, Crespo held a number of high-ranking education positions in Arizona and Colorado where she previously served as Area Superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District under Superintendent Rob Anderson. She started her career in education as a classroom teacher in Jersey City, New Jersey. Crespo has supported Women Leading Ed as a coach and cohort leader since its inception.
Outside of education, Crespo owns and cares for horses and other animals. She and her family own Indigo Mountain Ranch, an organization that uses animal-to-human interactions to support children, youth, military families, and families in need of therapeutic reconnection.
About Women Leading Ed
Women Leading Ed is an ever-expanding national network for women superintendents and those who aspire to land the top CEO roles in districts and states. We've supported over 100 women (and counting) to navigate the politics of leadership by building trust, relationship, and networks. Learn more about Women Leading Ed at womenleadinged.com and follow on social media @WomenLeadingEd.
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