APS Names New Principals, Administrators

Leadership shifts aim to support student success as district prepares for fall semester.

With the 2026-27 school year approaching, Albuquerque Public Schools is finalizing leadership assignments for several schools and departments. 

Administrative shifts often occur as educators make career decisions at the end of the school year. The district continues to prioritize stability and experienced leadership ahead of the fall term, with these adjustments aimed at serving students and families effectively.

APS will provide updates as additional hires are made before the start of the school year.

New principals

Changes for 2026-27 include:

Rae Lynn Dooley, who will be principal of Highland High School after a successful stint as principal of Barcelona Elementary School.

Ken Merhege, who is taking over as principal of Valley High School, previously served as principal of John Adams Middle School. 

Gilber Leiva is the new principal of Atrisco Heritage Academy High School. Leiva previously served as the assistant principal for curriculum at Atrisco Heritage.

Desiree Springer will be the new principal of New Futures. Springer had been the principal at Alvarado Elementary School.

Kristen S. Seamans will lead John Adams Middle School after a successful stint as assistant principal at Jimmy Carter Middle School.

Kimberly Crabtree will be principal at Jackson Middle School. Crabtree previously served as the school’s assistant principal.

Renee Salazar Garcia is the new principal of Lyndon B. Johnson Middle School. She has served as the school’s interim principal since September.

Sabrina Garcia is the new interim principal of Garfield Middle School. She previously served as the school's assistant principal.

Rebecca Rutherford will serve as interim principal of Madison Middle School. She is currently an assistant principal at the school.

Carlos Garcia is the new principal of Chelwood Elementary School. He has been at Chelwood since November and also served as interim principal at McCollum Elementary School.

Ryan Kettler is the new principal at Corrales K-8. Kettler is a former Los Lunas Schools superintendent who has also worked as an adjunct professor for University of the Southwest.

Kristina Anderson will be principal of Georgia O'Keeffe Elementary School. Anderson previously served as the school’s assistant principal.

Alfonso Otero is the new principal of Zuni Elementary. He previously served as the principal at Highland High School.

Molly Keyes will be the principal of S.Y. Jackson Elementary School. She had been assistant principal at Montezuma Elementary School.

Joseph O’Connell is the new principal at Alvarado Elementary School after a stint as an administrative intern at Eisenhower Middle School.

Denise C. Gomez is the new principal at Mary Ann Binford Elementary School. She previously served as assistant principal at Valley High School.

Jonathon Aranda will be the principal of Susie Rayos Marmon Elementary School. His previous experience includes a stint as assistant principal at Polk Middle School.

Holly Tyler is the new principal at Barcelona Elementary School. Tyler was most recently the assistant principal at Adobe Acres Elementary School. 

Caitlynn Camacho has accepted the principal position at Griegos Elementary School. Camacho has served as a band director/music teacher for the majority of her APS career and was most recently an administrative intern at Corrales K-8 school.

Christina Orozco is now the interim principal at the Duranes Early Childhood Center. She is a former pre-K manager. 

Other appointments

APS has also announced new appointments to district administrative positions. They include:

Wilson Holland as an assistant superintendent. Holland previously worked at Los Lunas Public Schools.

Annittra Atler, the former senior director of Innovation, is now an assistant superintendent.

Ryan Finn is the new executive director of Fine Arts. Finn previously worked at Los Alamos High School.

Amy Baker, the former senior director of Nursing Services, is now  executive director of the department.

David Vigil is the new executive director of Budget and Strategic Planning. He comes from Rio Rancho Public Schools.

Patrick Dyer is executive director of Maintenance and Operations. He previously worked at Presbyterian Medical Services.

Dr. Doug Wine is the new senior director of Charter Schools. He previously worked as the interim executive director of the New Mexico Coalition for Charter Schools.