Norwalk-La Mirada taps Dr. Natasha Baker to be next superintendent

The Norwalk-La Mirada Board of Education has appointed Dr. Natasha Baker in the role of Superintendent of Schools, formally approving her contract during its Dec. 9 meeting. Dr. Baker will officially begin the role on January 1, 2025.

“I am grateful to the Board and school community for the opportunity to serve as superintendent of Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District,” said Dr. Baker. “I remain super excited about listening to and learning from our staff, community, parents, and students.

“Together, we can build on the wonderful successes of Norwalk-La Mirada, support one another, and work together to achieve even greater success. With great optimism, I am looking forward to engaging with our team whose focus is on every student to be future ready as our promise.”

Dr. Baker assumes the role vacated in August by the resignation of Dr. John Lopez. The District has been led in the interim by Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, Estuardo Santillan, who will continue in that role once Dr. Baker begins her tenure.

Dr. Baker’s most recent role was the Chief Academic Officer in the Fresno Unified School District, where she led the Instructional Division that supports nearly 70,000 students across more than 100 schools with a combined departmental budget of over $580 million.

Prior to becoming the Chief Academic Officer in Fresno Unified School District, Dr. Baker served as the Superintendent for the Banning Unified School District, a public school system in Southern California with 4,500 students, 500 staff and a $70M operating budget.

In recent years, she served as Deputy Superintendent of Hazelwood School District where she was responsible for providing administrative leadership, planning, organizing, implementing, directing, maintaining, and supporting assigned activities for 18,000 students and 2,200 staff with an operating budget of $200 million.

Additionally, Dr. Baker served as the Michigan Department of Education’s Deputy Superintendent of Education Services and as the state’s School Reform Officer where she led aspects of the state’s legislated accountability system impacting over 100,000 students across 72 school districts in 186 public schools.