Debra Cantú

I am honored to serve the University of Texas at Austin Principalship Program as the Interim Director and volunteer in homeless and divorce/annulment pathway to healing ministries in the Diocese of Austin.

I was born and raised in Austin, Texas. My areas of expertise and interest in social justice developed when I learned the challenges my parents faced when they were in elementary school, as they were allowed only to speak in English and received consequences for speaking in Spanish. I wanted to learn more about the history of Bilingual/ESL and school reform. My interests range from educational school improvement systems and leadership development to eradicate inequities. It is an honor to work and learn from amazing leaders at UT Austin.

I served as a former teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal, Director of Middle Schools, Director of PK-8 and Chief Academic Officer and enjoyed working in the Austin, Manor and Round Rock Independent School Districts. I served as a Regional Director for Agile Mind, Inc. in collaboration with the Dana Center and supported multiple school districts in Texas and Arizona and supported leadership development in other states in collaboration with my team.

I am thankful for the support of my family to attend the University of Texas at Austin with the opportunity to earn my Bachelors, Masters in Educational Administration and Ph. D. in Policy and Planning. My areas of interest include leadership implications, social justice, American race policy, English Language Learners, leadership development and instructional improvement systems that contribute to eliminating the achievement gap.

It is a wonderful experience to be invited as a repeated guest speaker at the University of Texas, Texas State University and Huston-Tillotson University and collaborate with other principalship programs. I am honored to present at district, state and national conferences. I continue to serve as a consultant for school districts to support leadership development.

You may click the button above to book a consultation for leadership development for district leaders, principals, assistant principals and/or aspiring leaders. I look forward to working with you and your leadership team.

I attend church retreats, member of a sailing club, Sierra Club and enjoy hiking, scuba diving and being outdoors. I support USCG.