A principal in OCDE’s Alternative Education division has been named one of Orange County’s top administrators.
Machele Kilgore, whose responsibilities include overseeing Pacific Coast High School and the department’s Community Home Education Program, was announced Friday as the Continuation/Educational Option Administrator of the Year by the regional chapter of the Association of California School Administrators.
“I’m genuinely and deeply honored by this recognition,” Kilgore told the OCDE Newsroom this week.
She joins more than a dozen other OC administrators who were honored by ACSA’s Region 17, including Huntington Beach Union High School District Superintendent Clint Harwick and Magnolia School District Superintendent Frank Donavan.
Kilgore, who started out as a substitute teacher at OCDE in 1987, holds multiple roles within the department’s Alternative Education division, known as ACCESS.
As head of the award-winning Community Home Education Program — it’s CHEP for short — she helps provide resources for parents who choose to educate younger children at home. Meanwhile, she’s also principal of the accredited Pacific Coast High School, which offers a blend of online courses and on-campus instruction for students, and Skyview School, a K-8 campus that primarily serves at-risk youth.
“I have dedicated the majority of my life to being the best administrator I can be,” Kilgore said. “I am very lucky to have been offered a variety of opportunities in OCDE and ACCESS over the years that have kept me challenged and excited about my work. I have also been fortunate to collaborate and work beside a variety of amazing staff and peers from many areas of education. I am so thankful for the relationships and grateful for the experiences I have had. I love my job.”
Established in 1971, ACSA serves more than 17,000 California educators, and it annually spotlights top administrators and partners at the regional and state levels. Here’s a rundown of this year’s ACSA Administrators of the Year and Friends of Education.
Superintendent
Clint Harwick, Huntington Beach Union High School District
Secondary Principal
Morgan Smith, Huntington Beach Union High School District
Middle Grades Principal
Jennifer Brown, Anaheim Union High School District
Elementary Principal
Sara Shorey Marin, Santa Ana Unified School District
Central Office Administrator
Michael Gomez, Saddleback Valley Unified School District
Secondary Co-Administrator
Jennifer Sasai, Anaheim Union High School District
Elementary Co-Administrator
Richard Larson, Los Alamitos Unified School District
Classifed Champion of the Year
Keri Tucker, La Habra City School District
Personnel/HR Administrator
Tracy Knibb, Orange Unified School District
Career Technical Education Administrator
Gail Kairis, North Orange County ROP
Special Education Administrator
Doug Siembieda, Huntington Beach Union High School District
Business Services Administrator
Nancy Nien, Anaheim Union High School District
Student Services Administrator
Barb Davis, Ocean View School District
Partners for Educational Excellence
North Orange County Regional Occupational Program, Anaheim Union High School District
Curriculum and Instruction Administrator
Rena Gibbs, Cypress School District
Continuation/Educational Option Administrator
Machele Kilgore, OCDE Alternative Education division
Professor of Education
Jennifer Goldstein, Ed.D., Cal State Fullerton
Tracy Gaffey Award
Frank Donavan, Ed.D., Magnolia School District
Technology Administrator
Jeremy Davis, Fullerton School District