Dr. Bishop graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond and received her Bachelor of Arts, in English, from the University of California, Berkeley. She earned her teaching credential from the University of San Francisco where she was Student of the Year. She earned her Administrative Credential and Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from California State University, Hayward. Finally, she earned a Doctorate in Educational Administration from the University of Pacific.
Dr. Bishop has served as a Superintendent, Associate Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Director, Principal and Teacher in several urban school districts. She is known as a strategic turnaround administrator due to her ability to go into failing organizations and work with staff, community and students to improve their status and put them on a trajectory toward success. She has served as an Adjunct Professor in the Education Doctorate Program at Sacramento State University, an Adjunct Professor in the Department of African-American Studies at the University of California at Davis, a guest lecturer at the Leadership Institute at Georgetown University, and featured speaker at the White House at an Education Conference focused on School Discipline Reform.
Colleagues and community members have recognized Dr. Bishop for her excellence in education. She has been responsible for building multiple systems that enhance outcomes for all students. As a principal, she led a staff that facilitated API growth of 122 points in one year. In another principal position, she led a school staff that facilitated growth in similar schools ranking from a four to an eight. Her success as a teacher and principal helped her as she ascended and became responsible for supervising schools and providing the support they needed to improve.
As a Superintendent Dr. Bishop worked with staff to implement innovative research-proven strategies while removing a district from state control (the district achieved positive budget certification for several years in a row the credit rating went from no credit rating to a Standard and Poors rating of A+). In her various roles at the Executive Cabinet level she worked with staff members to implement programs that are receive state and national attention and have a strong impact on student outcomes, including. but not limited to: Wall to Wall College and Career Academies for all high school students, a Full-Service Community School District, systemwide implementation of PBIS, RJ and Trauma-informed Care, K-8 STEAM programming, and innovative magnet school programs.
She has received honors including but not limited to Ida B. Wells Risktaker Award (National Alliance of Black School Educators), Principal of the Year and Superintendent of the Year (Association of CA School Administrator), and Superintendent Leadership Award (Coalition of Community Schools). Dr. Bishop has served as the elected president of the California Association of African American Superintendents Administrators, elected President of the Superintendent’s Advisory for Linked Learning, Member Keeping Kids In School Task Force, as appointed by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye.
Dr. Bishop is the Co-Founder and President/CEO of ELITE Public Schools, a public charter school network that opened it’s first school in Vallejo, California in August of 2019. ELITE is designed to eliminate the opportunity gap for all students, particularly African-American and Latinx students. Dr. Bishop considers this her legacy work in that she has dedicated her career toward improving the lives of students in communities that have been historically underserved.
Dr. Bishop is supported by her family, including her husband, Dwayne, her daughters Kilan and Malia, and her mom and dad as well as extended family and friends.