Norma E. Martinez, superintendent of the Centralia Elementary School District, poses with a bouquet after being named the 2026 Superintendent of the Year by ACSA Region 17. (Photo courtesy of the Centralia Elementary School District) 
Norma E. Martinez stands with Centralia Elementary School District colleagues holding a sign recognizing her as the 2026 ACSA Region 17 Superintendent of the Year. (Photo courtesy of the Centralia Elementary School District) 
Centralia Elementary School District staff pose for a group photo with Superintendent Norma E. Martinez and Maria Lopez, who was named ACSA Region 17 Confidential Employee of the Year. (Photo courtesy of the Centralia Elementary School District)
Quick look: ACSA Region 17 has named 20 Orange County educational leaders as 2026 Administrators of the Year. Honorees will be recognized May 11 at the Irvine Marriott Ballrooms, with three additional award recipients to be announced.
The Association of California School Administrators has announced the 2026 Administrators of the Year for Region 17, which represents Orange County.
Established in 1971, ACSA serves more than 17,000 California educators and annually recognizes outstanding administrators and education partners at the regional and state levels for their contributions to public education.
So far, Region 17 has named 20 awardees across 23 categories. Recipients in the Tracy Gaffey Award, Classified Champion Award and Dr. Janice Billings Award categories will be announced at a later date.
To celebrate this year’s winners, the awardees will be honored at a celebration dinner at the Irvine Marriott on May 11, where they will receive trophies.
Here is the list of 2026 Administrators of the Year and related honorees for Region 17:
Superintendent
Norma E. Martinez, Centralia School District
Secondary Principal
Tricia Osborne, Saddleback Valley Unified School District
Middle School Principal
Catherine Thompson, Capistrano Unified School District
Elementary School Principal
Stephanie Shumate, Anaheim Elementary School District
Central Office Administrator
Dr. Elisabeth Kannenberg, Laguna Beach Unified School District
Secondary Co-Administrator
Shane Vinagupta, Saddleback Valley Unified School District
Middle Grades Co-Administrator of the Year
Kathryn McGillvary, Anaheim Union High School District
Classified Educational Leader
Alyssa Griffiths, Saddleback Valley Unified School District
Confidential Employee of the Year
Maria Lopez, Centralia Elementary School District
Personnel/HR Administrator
Rich Montgomery, Westminster School District
Adult Education Administrator of the Year
Dr. Jennifer Pesavento, North Orange County Regional Occupational Program
Career Technical Education Administrator
Dr. Dan Bennett, Los Alamitos Unified School District
Special Education Administrator
Christine Arkadie, Saddleback Valley Unified School District
Business Services Administrator of the Year
Dr. Robert Coghlan, Fullerton School District
Partners in Educational Excellence
Creating Creators, Centralia Elementary School District
Student Services Administrator
Christy Flores, Newport-Mesa Unified School District
Curriculum and Instruction Administrator
Dr. Veronica Lizardi, Magnolia School District
Retired Administrator
Greg Rankin, Santa Ana Unified School District retiree
Educational Technology Administrator
Lana Nguyen, Capistrano Unified School District
Valuing Diversity Award
Dr. Emily Wolk, Santa Ana Unified School District
The OCDE Newsroom team will update this story once those names are released.