Albuquerque Public Schools
Chamber Honors Board President for Her Commitment to Improving Education
Danielle Gonzales named an Education Champion.
Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education President Danielle Gonzales was named an Education Champion of the Year by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, May 23.
The New Mexico native and APS graduate, who has served on the APS board since 2022, was recognized for leading the district in developing academic goals and a strategic plan. She was also praised for the board’s public search for a new superintendent and its commitment to community engagement and outreach.
Del Archuleta, who presented the award on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, noted that Gonzales has dedicated her career to improving education in the United States, calling her “a natural expert.”
Gonzales spent much of her career working on education policy and advising school districts across the nation. She worked for a time in Washington, D.C., before moving back to Albuquerque and running for the school board. “We got lucky the day she decided to come back home,” Archuleta said. “You are saving kids' lives. You are changing their lives.”
Gonzales said she was honored by the award but acknowledged the struggles of being a public official, especially one who isn’t paid. She said she does a lot of her board work late at night after putting her three school-age children to bed.
She said she ran for office with vision, energy, and wisdom but quickly recognized the challenges she would face in her desire to improve student outcomes. She has worked to push against the status quo, leading the school board in ensuring the district established academic goals, has a strategic plan, and hired a superintendent who will work to achieve those goals.
“Our job is to do one thing: to improve student outcomes. That’s it,” Gonzales told chamber members.