January 2023 has been proclaimed as School Board Recognition Month, and this year’s theme is “Forward, Together.” As we continue to navigate the challenges posed during the last few years, we appreciate the job our board has done leading the way.
 
San Antonio ISD thanks its Board of Trustees for their commitment to our students, staff, schools, and community. Our trustees are an amazing group of individuals who voluntarily take up the enormous responsibility of governing our schools, and we are extremely proud of them. Our seven board members serve as a guiding force to an exemplary education and provide extensive opportunities for student success. 
 
They spend countless hours without compensation to establish school policies that reflect our community’s belief in public education. They also work closely with district staff to set goals that project the vision of our future and serve as the voice of our community, always placing our SAISD family members needs first and foremost.

The SAISD Board of Trustees, comprised of seven district residents, is the school system's policy-making body. Each trustee represents one of seven single-member districts and is elected by voters of that district. Please join us in thanking them.

Christina Martinez
President - District 6
Christina Martinez was selected by the Board and appointed on April 10, 2017 to fill an unexpired term. In May of 2019, she was voted in by the SAISD District 6 community to serve a four-year term.  She currently services as President. Both she and her husband and are lifelong residents of SAISD and have three children that are part of the District. She has worked as a youth development professional for last 20 years for nonprofits which include Girls Scouts, San Antonio Youth Literacy, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas.  In July of 2021, she became the Executive Director of The Dee Howard Foundation. 

Alicia Sebastian
Vice President - District 2
Alicia Sebastian is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, and has been a San Antonio resident for 17 years. The mother of four was elected to the San Antonio Independent School Board in 2019, and now serves as Vice President. She has worked in nonprofit development and program management for over 10 years leading and serving several community initiatives that support positive outcomes, focusing on mentorship, life, and career readiness concentrated on youth development. Ms. Sebastian is currently the Executive Assistant to the CEO at Essence Preparatory Public School and a full-time student at Texas A&M University - San Antonio and will complete her BS in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Education in 2022.

Arthur V. Valdez Jr.
Secretary – District 4
Arthur Valdez was reelected to the Board in May of 2021 for another four-year term. This is his third term. He currently serves as Secretary. He has proudly served the district for eight years. He is a life-long resident of SAISD’s District 4. He and his late wife of 50 years and all three of his children are graduates of Burbank High School. In addition, his grandchildren will also attend Burbank. Mr. Valdez served in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam war and is Vietnam veteran. He is a retired Aircraft Systems Engineer whose career has spanned more than 40 years in both civil and U.S. Air Force military aircraft. Mr. Valdez developed and currently leads an aircraft engineering consulting company and serves as a consultant for Boeing Aircraft. He holds an engineering degree and certification from Embrey Riddle School of Aeronautics. He credits the technical and vocational training he received at Burbank that helped pave the way for his career. 

Sarah Sorensen
Trustee- District 1
Sarah Sorensen was elected to the Board of Trustees in May 2021. She is an experienced public education advocate with a track record of speaking up for students, families, teachers and school workers. Ms. Sorensen is the proud parent of an SAISD student. She has been an active parent volunteer serving on the PTA and various school committees. Ms. Sorensen has a background in public policy, research, advocacy, organizing, coalition building and project management. She has worked in nonprofits and state and local government. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Montana and a master’s degree in Public Affairs and Policy from the University at Albany, State University of New York. 

Leticia Ozuna
Trustee - District 3
Leticia Ozuna was elected to the Board of Trustees in May of 2021.  She is a third generation SAISD alumnus and a proud parent of a recent SAISD graduate.  Ms. Ozuna served on the San Antonio City Council and the San Antonio Water System Board of Trustees. As an active parent, she supported students as a Girl Scout Leader, a sports team mom, and a PTA member. Professionally, she is a Principal Senior Engineer and Cybersecurity Subject Matter Expert supporting the United States Space Force. Her post-secondary education and degrees are from the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M at College Station and Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio. Ms. Ozuna is an outcome-oriented collaborator and looks forward to serving her community.

Patti Radle
Trustee - District 5
Patti Radle was elected to the SAISD Board of Trustees in May of 2011.  She is a graduate of Marquette University with a major in Theology.  She obtained her teacher and bilingual certification and a second major in English from Our Lady of the Lake University.  She was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Theology from the Oblate School of Theology. She taught elementary in SAISD for 12 years and taught high school and middle school in other school systems.  She served on the San Antonio City Council from 2003-2007. Ms. Radle has also served, with her husband, as the Volunteer Director of Inner City Development since 1972.  

Ed Garza
Trustee - District 7
In 2009, Edward D. Garza was elected by voters to serve on the SAISD Board of Trustees. Garza ran on a vision to rebuild an aging urban school district based on high academic achievement, “back to basics” discipline/core values, and leadership/character development; with the vision to transform SAISD into a national model urban school district. Garza previously served eight years as a municipal elected official. In 2001, at the age of 32, Garza became San Antonio’s youngest mayor in the city’s history. He is an independent consultant specializing in urban planning, public policy, real estate development and investment. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, studying Business Administration for two years before transferring to Texas A&M University where he earned a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning (1992) and a Master of Science in Land and Real Estate Development (1994). Garza has served on numerous corporate and governing boards and has received numerous awards and citations. He is active in the Jefferson - Woodlawn Lake neighborhood.