School District Announces New Principal, Vice Principals

The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD) is very pleased to announce the following administrative appointments, all of whom begin their official duties July 1, 2014.  

“Research and experience uphold that leaders make a difference. A great deal of energy, input and thought has been invested into administrative hiring and placement decisions. The selected administrators rose to the top of an extremely qualified candidate pool and/or have proven themselves in other leadership capacities in our District, and all have in common a commitment to excellence and a proven track record of doing 'whatever it takes' to ensure students receive the highest quality educational experience. We are thrilled about the additions and promotions and confident that our leadership team will be strengthened to the benefit of our staff, students, unified district and community,” stated Kelly Bowers, Superintendent of Schools.  

Jill Bradford, Principal of Marylin Avenue Elementary School: Originally from the East Coast, Mrs. Bradford began her education career nearly twenty years ago as a bilingual elementary teacher in Los Angeles, and since then has served Californian children and families working as a legal advocate, a legislative analyst, and an educational non-profit leader.

After three years as a high school assistant principal of guidance counseling, Mrs. Bradford worked as an elementary school principal in Sacramento. Mrs. Bradford then relocated, serving as an elementary principal in the Bay Area since 2010. 

Deeply committed to giving back to the community, she has developed school leadership expertise in the areas of English Language Development, Educational Equity, Trauma-Informed/Brain-based Learning, and Response to Intervention. Mrs. Bradford graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude from Villanova University and holds a law degree from the UC Berkeley School of Law, with a focus on Education and Employment law.

She lives in Oakland with her husband who coaches high school football, and their dogs.  

Alex Eckert, Vice Principal, Mendenhall Middle School: Alex will move across town next year to take over the position vacated by the retirement of long-time Mendenhall Vice Principal, Al Bernal.

Alex has been one of the Vice Principals at Livermore High for the past two years. He is excited about this new challenge of working with middle school students and brings enthusiasm and expertise to his new role.

Alex earned his Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education at California State University, Chico, and holds a Master of Education from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. He began his teaching career at Hueneme High School in Oxnard, California, where he taught Math and Student Leadership, and was also an assistant football coach.   

Tom Fletcher, Vice Principal, Livermore High School: Tom joins the LVJUSD management team next year after having worked as a teacher for 21 years, 17 of them in our District at East Avenue Middle School, Livermore High School, Vineyard Independent Study High School, and Granada High School.

Prior to the past three years at Granada, Tom taught at Livermore High for eleven years as a social studies teacher and served as leadership advisor and basketball coach.

Mr. Fletcher earned his B.A. in Social Science from CSU Sacramento, earned his CLAD credential from UC Berkeley, and his administrative credential from CSU East Bay. He is an active participant in the Livermore community, as evidenced by his involvement in CYO basketball and Little League baseball.

He coached basketball at Las Positas College for the first four years of the program. His wife, Megan, is a teacher in the District and his two children attend Livermore schools. Tom will bring leadership experience, a passion for equity, strong interpersonal skills, and a deep connection to the community, to his administrative role. 

—Information submitted by Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District