Three Management Positions in Santa Barbara Unified School District Announced

Source: Santa Barbara Unified School District

Santa Barbara Unified School District Board of Education named Tiffany Carson as Career Technical Education Coordinator; Dare Holdren and Stephanie Henderson as Assistant Principals for Dos Pueblos High School.

Tiffany Carson selected as Career Technical Education Coordinator for Santa Barbara Unified School District, effective July 1, 2019.

Carson has worked with the Santa Barbara Unified School District since 2007. Her professional experience includes serving as a special education paraeducator, a resource specialist at both at Harding Elementary and Santa Barbara High School, teacher on special assignment, and most recently as an assistant principal at Santa Barbara High School.

“Santa Barbara Unified School District is proud of its robust opportunities for students to learn strategic and workforce skills to participate in Santa Barbara’s dynamic economy,” said Cary Matsuoka, Superintendent. “Tiffany Carson’s strong leadership and deep knowledge of the district and our community will enhance the growing momentum of our career technical education pathways by supporting teachers and programs in fostering essential links between the classroom and real-world experiences.”

Carson, a transplant from Chicago, Illinois found her home in Santa Barbara; both broadly in the local community and with her colleagues in the school district. She is newly married to her husband, Aaron, who currently fights fires with the U.S. Forest Service in the Los Padres National Forest. Together they purchased their first home in the City of Santa Barbara.

“I am honored to serve as the career technical education coordinator for Santa Barbara Unified School District,” said Tiffany Carson. “I firmly believe that students are most engaged and ready to learn when they can follow their passion and find connections to real-world experiences, which is what our career technical education courses provide. I am excited to work with teachers, administrators, community partners, and the business community to support high-quality career technical education opportunities that all students deserve.”

Career Technical Education provides students of all ages with the academic and technical skills, knowledge and training necessary to succeed in future careers and to become lifelong learners. Santa Barbara Unified currently offers 18 career technical education pathways within 9 industry sectors; some Career Technical Education pathways are housed within a district academy program. Career Technical Education programs foster communication, collaboration, technical and leadership skills through group work, field trips, and mentorship/internship opportunities.

Dare Holdren and Stephanie Henderson selected as Assistant Principals for Dos Pueblos High School, effective July 1, 2019.

“I am proud and excited to be joining the Dos Pueblos High School Charger staff,” said Dare Holdren. “I look forward to utilizing my experience to contribute to the culture of innovation that Dos Pueblos has created.”

Holdren was born and raised in Santa Barbara and graduated from San Marcos High, where he is a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Brown University, a Master’s Degree in Education from Chapman University and has served as a teacher and coach for 16 years in the Santa Barbara School District, earning the Channel League Football Coach of the Year award for 2008-2009. He is the current Dean of Student Engagement at San Marcos and previously served as the Principal of Solvang School from 2015-2017. He enjoys reading, hiking, and traveling with his family.

A familiar individual to the Dos Pueblos High School community, Stephanie Henderson remarks, “Having served as Interim Assistant Principal this year, I am ecstatic to continue working with the community of parents, students, and staff who are a part of making Dos Pueblos High School a place that is so dear to me.”

Henderson came to Santa Barbara as a college student and never looked back. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Masters in Education from the University of California Santa Barbara. While at the University, she completed the Teacher Education Program, student taught at Dos Pueblos High School, and earned her credential. After a short teaching stint in Ventura, Stephanie returned to Dos Pueblos teaching various courses such as multiple levels of English, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), driver’s education, mythology, and coaching swimming. Stephanie also leads the Dos Pueblos High School Allies for Equity Steering Committee.  As a lifelong learner, she is always looking for a new book to read, a new recipe to cook, or a new adventure.