Saralee Burkett
Principal, Lincoln Elementary School

It is with enthusiasm and deepest sincerity that Saralee Burkett adopts the role of principal at Lincoln Elementary school. She realizes the rich culture, history and academic excellence that coincides with Lincoln and is ready to spearhead new programs while keeping traditions alive. 

Ms. Burkett received her undergraduate degree from University of Phoenix in 2012 as well as her Masters in Special Education in 2019. She is currently working toward her doctorate as a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership with Grand Canyon University. She remains a staunch supporter of public education.Prior to becoming a principal she ran a special education program in Marana Unified School District at Coyote Trail Elementary where she developed her passion for leadership.

Ms. Burkett stated her goal is to develop a strong relationship with the families, staff, and students at Lincoln with a strong focus on academic and 21st Century skills needed for students to be college and career ready.Ms. Burkett strives to support all learners and believes that promoting inclusion and equity in education is an endeavor worth fighting for.

Ms. Burkett enjoys spending time with her fiance,children, and traveling. Her hobbies are reading,baking, and crafting.

Mariebeth Silva
Principal, Mary L. Welty Elementary School 
Ms. Silva transitioned from the private sector into education and has developed the required skill set and qualifications for the position of principal. She has an extensive background in child development and curriculum and instruction. She has served at NUSD for over 13 years, nine of which have been as Assistant Principal at Wade Carpenter Middle School. Prior to her leadership assignment, she taught Middle Grades Language Arts.

Ms. Silva has grown and developed as an instructional leader, and has enjoyed building strong relationships with students, staff and parentsand looks forward to continuing to do so in her new role. 

Ms. Silva is a Nogales native and a product of NUSD. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master in Secondary Education from the University of Arizona. Her experience within the school environment includes budget implementation, school improvement planning, personnel management, professional development and coaching, as well as student discipline, mediation, and safety. Ms. Silva hopes to inspire generations of lifelong learners and educators to help our students achieve academic and social excellence. Since she is already part of the NUSD community, Ms. Silva will continue to lead the school community with dedication and commitment fostering continued academic excellence at this A+ school.

Christina Valdez
Principal, Challenger Elementary School

Ms. Christina Valdez is the newly appointed principal at Challenger Elementary School and has dedicated her career to the life of service to others.  As a leader, she strives to bring out the best in students, teachers, and staff and create leaders among leaders.  Ms. Valdez believes in providing high-quality education while building meaningful relationships with students, staff, and students' hearts before you can capture their mind.

Ms. Valdez holds a bachelor of arts in journalism with a minor in business from the University of Arizona, a master's in elementary education from the University of Phoenix and principal certificate from Northern Arizona.  Ms. Valdez began her career as a reporter for the Tucson Citizen newspaper and USA Today in Virginia.  Wanting to make a difference in the lives of youth, Ms. Valdez changed careers and became an elementary teacher with a focus on educating second language learners.  As a teacher and administrator in Tucson for the past 14 years, she has worked in turnaround schools and as part of the leadership team has been successful in students reaching high academic success.  Ms. Valdez is excited about her new role as principal and believes that the Challenger community is a special place that has amazing parent and community support.  She is enthusiastic about continuing the rich traditions of Challenger including that of becoming a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence once again! 

Sandra Licet Jimenez
Principal, Coronado Elementary School

Sandra Licet Jimenez is the principal at Francisco Vasquez de Coronado Elementary School. Mrs. Jimenez believes in providing quality instruction while at the same time creating a positive school climate and culture for all students.

Mrs. Jimenez holds a bachelors of arts in elementary education with a minor in sociology from Prescott College, a masters of business administration from the University of Phoenix, and a masters of education in educational leadership from Northern Arizona University. She started her teaching career at NUSD #1 in the year 2000. Prior to her leadership role as principal of Coronado, she was a reading specialist for 10 years, and classroom teacher for five years.

Among her many leadership roles throughout her teaching career, Mrs.Jimenez has collaborated as the school improvement coordinator, structured English immersion specialist, and assessment coordinator. She was also the driving force behind Coronado’s successful National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence application submission. She believes that teamwork is the ultimate way a school can be successful in reaching the goal of helping students attain their full potential. She has two young sons with her husband of 12 years.

Gabriel Wong
Principal, A.J. Mitchell Elementary School

Mr. Gabriel Wong is the proud incoming principal of AJ Mitchell Elementary School. He is very honored to have the opportunity to serve as principal and excited to continue the work and carry the torch forward. Mr. Wong believes in visionary-servant leadership and leading with the needs of the team and the communities we serve as the driving principle coupled with ethical and caring behavior providing the team’s moral compass. He believes in creating positive relationships, fostering collaboration, respecting diversity and culture, and believes that all students deserve safe schools that provide high quality instruction and great opportunities for future success.

He was born and raised in Yuma, Arizona to a humble migrant farming family and graduated from Yuma High School. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and moved to Tucson in 2004 to attend the University of Arizona with concentrations in Political Science and Business Administration. During his time at the University of Arizona he took two yearlong leaves of absence for active-duty military service and overseas deployment. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in August 2009.

Mr. Wong began his career in education nearly thirteen years ago in Tucson at Nosotros Academy where he taught from 2009-2012. He earned a Master of Educational Leadership in Higher Education & Community College from Northern Arizona University in May of 2012. He began working for Tucson Unified in 2012 and served in various teaching and leadership roles until 2019.  During his tenure at Tucson Unified, Mr. Wong earned his graduate certificate in Principalship from Northern Arizona University. In 2019, Mr. Wong accepted the role of assistant principal at Mountain Rose Academy Charter High School, where he worked hard with the administrative team to restructure and implement accountability, academic goals, with positive results: increasing enrollment, and decreasing dropout rate. Most recently, Mr. Wong served as assistant principal at McCartney Ranch Elementary where he helped lead the school through an unprecedented pandemic year while supporting continuity of service for students and families, serving as the school’s testing coordinator, EL coordinator, 504 coordinator, and instructional technology lead.

Mr. Wong has three young boys with his wife of 14 years, who is a fellow educator. His personal interests include science, technology, history, gastronomy, and to travel to Mexico to visit family and learn more about its rich and diverse culture.
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Joshua Payne