With over 30 years of experience from teaching in the classroom to leading at the district level, Erika Cruz is now setting her sights on the Guam Department of Education's top job: superintendent. She’s one of seven applicants in the running, and is the first of our profiles of the candidates going public - laying out her vision and why she believes she’s the best fit. 

Cruz has worn many hats in her 32 years with GDOE - from classroom teacher, to assistant principal, principal, public information officer, and deputy superintendent.  Now, she’s setting her sights on a new role. “I would not apply for a position that I am not capable of doing. My track record speaks for itself—at the school level and at the district level," she told KUAM News.

Her journey began in 1992 as a teacher at F.B. Leon Guerrero Middle School, George Washington High, and Untalan Middle School. She soon moved into administration—serving at Yigo Elementary (now D.L. Perez Elementary), then as assistant principal at Dededo Middle (now VSA Benavente Middle), and later as principal at Jose Rios Middle School from 2006 to 2012.

“I eventually became the principal at Benavente Middle School–I was there for about eight years. It was the largest middle school on the island with over 1,800 students," she recalled. By 2012, she made the jump to the district level, hired by former superintendent Jon Fernandez. Cruz taking on a triple-role as deputy superintendent for educational support and community learning, assessment and accountability, and public information officer.

“I oversaw the 40 schools at that time–I also assisted in opening Tiyan High School," Cruz explained, “ensuring all schools–to include elementary, middle, and high school–were accredited by 2020. I was able to accomplish that by 2021.”

After that, Cruz was back at the school level as an assistant principal at Untalan Middle and C.L. Taitano Elementary—before returning once more to the District Office as deputy superintendent.  There, she helped steer GDOE through some of its biggest challenges: the safe return of students and staff during the pandemic, supporting COVID-19 vaccination outreach, and recovery work after Typhoon Mawar to ensure schools met public health inspections.

Now, she says her vision for the department is built on improvement, transparency, and collaboration—while carrying out GDOE’s State Strategic Plan. The plan focuses on leadership, facilities, community engagement, finance, student safety, and data. 

“By Year 5, there are goals within the State Strategic Plan–within the State Strategic Plan, we do have objectives, which hold divisions as well as schools accountable to address those objectives–relative to let’s say curriculum, or school safety, or fiscal responsibility," she said.

A top priority, she says, is ensuring fiscal responsibility—maximizing both local and federal dollars. On  rightsizing the department, she emphasizes collaboration, saying, “There needs to be input from teachers, staff, families, to include our students–because they need that voice.”

And above all, Cruz says, she wants to restore faith in GDOE—believing it starts with strong leadership at the top.  “I have a vested interest in GDOE; my whole career has been with GDOE. It is not merely for status—I don’t need to be called superintendent, it is to improve the public school system, and what can I do to improve the public school system?" she said.

Cruz is currently serving as the principal at Liheng Famagu'on and JP Torres Success Academy.