Throughout his more than 30-year career in education, Dr. Cavazos has been recognized for his success driving academic achievement gains among students. He previously served as Superintendent of Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District from 2013–2021, leading Harlingen’s transformation into a district of choice that provides a quality education grounded in strong character. In 2019, under Dr. Cavazos’s leadership, HCISD was given the prestigious Neuhaus Education Center Lighthouse Literacy Legacy Award for inspiring excellence in others.
In 2017, Dr. Cavazos was recognized as the Region 1 Superintendent of the Year and the Texas PTA’s Superintendent of the Year. In addition, Texas Governor Greg Abbott selected Dr. Cavazos to serve a 6-year term, beginning in 2016, on the State Board for Educator Certification. In this role, Dr. Cavazos worked to help advance the importance of strong teacher preparation programs that place value in training certified teachers to be able to work with children on the first day of their teaching career. Dr. Cavazos currently serves as an Executive Coach for superintendents in Texas.
Dr. Cavazos was selected by the U.S. Department of Education as one of the 100 top school leaders from across America to participate in the first-ever National ConnectED Superintendents Summit at the White House, which featured promising approaches to using technology in classrooms. That same year, he was awarded the Distinguished School Administrators Award by the American Association of School Librarians for his efforts to advance library and literacy services.
Dr. Cavazos formerly served as a board member of the University of Texas College of Education Advisory Council, FIRST in Texas, and the University of Texas’ Cooperative Superintendency Program Executive Advisory Committee.
