Chula Vista board confirms new principals and names chief operations officer

The Chula Vista Elementary School District board announced several personnel actions during its meeting and introduced newly hired and promoted administrators.

Clerk Tamayo reported out of closed session that the board approved the employment of Elizabeth Diaz Tucker as principal at Liberty Elementary School and Krista Cardenas as principal at Hillcrest Elementary. The clerk also reported approval of Jovanni Martinez as the district's Chief Operations Officer; the clerk read the vote tallies in open session.

Each administrator addressed the board. Krista Cardenas, returning to Hillcrest as principal, said she "stood before you today with immense gratitude" and described Hillcrest as the school that shaped her. Elizabeth Diaz Tucker, named principal at Liberty, said she looked forward to "building upon the incredible work" at Liberty and noted her background with dual-immersion programs. Jovanni Martinez, identified as chief operations officer, described priorities including facilities, construction, maintenance and transportation and said he was "committed to ensuring that every decision we make ... supports our district's mission."

The board welcomed the new administrators and completed the formal step of seating the new COO at the dais. Trustees voted on the consent calendar and multiple action items across the agenda that included personnel matters; the clerk's closed-session report provided the names and voting record for those approvals.

The board did not take additional personnel actions in open session during this meeting.