Dr. Betsy Hamilton currently works as an Executive Consultant for Leadership Associates, providing support for superintendents and assistant superintendents. She served as the Superintendent of the Lawndale Elementary School District from 2007-2022, and for the prior eight years as the Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services.
She began her educational career in 1990 as a bilingual teacher in East Los Angeles. She has worked in five school districts in California, holding a variety of teaching and leadership positions, including two principal positions and directorships in Student Services, Categorical Programs, and Curriculum and Staff Development. Dr. Hamilton has a steadfast belief in the power of education to change life trajectories. She has an unwavering commitment to equity and access and to creating the conditions for all to reach their potential.
Prior to her career in education, Dr. Hamilton worked in Los Angeles as a Union Representative and Health Services Division Director for Service Employees International Union, and a Union Representative for the Union of American Physicians and Dentists. She has a commitment to fair labor practices, healthy families, workplaces and communities.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz, master’s degrees in Education Administration from San José State University and Labor Relations from the University of Massachusetts, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California. She is married to Dr. Manuel Pastor, Professor at University of Southern California, with whom she has two children, Joaquin and Anna Eliza.