Elizabeth “Liz” Duran Swinford is the Associate Superintendent for Human Resources in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System (EBRPSS). Through her administrative career, she has developed a multifaceted leadership style, which is necessary to set forth students. She is a fully bilingual leader (English and Spanish) with a commitment to student achievement.
The youngest of four (4) children, Liz Duran Swinford was born in New York and raised in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. She graduated from Interamerican University located in San Juan, Puerto Rico with a major in Biology, a minor in Secondary Education and certification to teach Life Science and Biology. After teaching in the middle school and the high school for nine (9) years she completed a Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership in 1992 from Nova Southeastern University located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. While at Nova Southeastern University, Liz Duran Swinford wrote a staff development program titled “Culture: Beyond Our Control But Not Beyond Our Awareness”, which was published in ERIC Resources. Liz Duran Swinford has recently completed the requirements for a degree of Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership with specialization in Educational Leadership, with a grade point average of 4.0 on a four point scale.
Liz Duran Swinford has quickly promoted within the field of education. She attributes her success to her multicultural background, her dedication to lifelong learning and her determination to make a difference. Her experience stems back 24 years when she began her career as a science teacher. Upon completion of her Master of Science in Educational Leadership, she was offered and subsequently accepted an administrative position. Her years as a classroom educator combined with her leadership roles have provided her multiple opportunities to expand her leadership abilities. Her experience as an administrator includes discipline, attendance, school-community liaison, facilities, personnel, budget and curriculum development in different multicultural settings and in school districts ranging in size from 600 to 63,000 students. She has had the opportunity to lead the development, revision and evaluation of curriculum, instruction and pedagogy. She has also had the opportunity to experience school law and policy development as the leader of the personnel division. The development, implementation and revision of personnel policies are under her supervision as well as the induction and support programs for new teachers to EBRPSS. The District Personnel Accountability Plan and the Mentor Program are also under her supervision. These are the processes through which employees’ performance is assessed using various formal and informal instruments. These plans have recently been revised to measure employee performance based on student achievement.
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislative Act of 2001 has brought about radical change in education. As a politically informed educational leader she has been invited to present at National Conferences for the Southeast Regional International Reading Association Conference, National Association on School Based Healthcare Centers, and the American Association of School Personnel Administrators. Her writings have been published in the Best Practices Journal for the American Association for School Personnel Administrators, where she has served for the past three years as Co-Chair for the Professional Development Committee.
Liz Duran Swinford has been honored with the following awards: Who's Who Among International Business Leaders (1998); Who's Who Among Professionals (2001); and Honorary Mayor-President and Awarded the Key to the City of Baton Rouge (2006). In 2003, she represented the Louisiana State School Personnel Administrators Association on the Initial Louisiana Task Force to Define HOUSSE rules as required by NCLB.
