After conducting a nationwide search, Stand For Schools is thrilled to announce that Dunixi Guereca has been selected as our organization’s new Executive Director.
Dunixi will officially join our Stand For Schools team in early August after making a very long commute from California, where he has most recently worked with SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West and, before that, the Boy Scouts of America. He's no stranger to Nebraska, though! Dunixi studied Political Science and Government at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and the University of Nebraska – Kearney, and has previously worked with the Nebraska Democratic Party.
It was his extensive experience in political organizing that stood out most for Connie Duncan, our Board President: “Stand For Schools is non-partisan, so we absolutely needed a leader who could work across party lines to grow support for Nebraska’s public schools. Dunixi has proven he’s got that kind of know-how.”
Another of our Board Members, Dr. Ferial Pearson, commended Dunixi's strong convictions about equity in education: “It was important we find someone who is enthusiastic about this kind of policy work, but we are so fortunate to have found someone as passionate as Dunixi. His whole life has been guided by this deep commitment to justice and equity, and I know he’ll use those same principles to guide Stand For Schools.”
As you know, our organization was founded in 2016 by Ann Hunter-Pirtle, a Lincoln native who served as our Executive Director until earlier this year. Like Ann, Dunixi believes an important part of advancing public education in Nebraska is to oppose legislative efforts to privatize public education.
In California, Dunixi saw the devastating effects of charter schools firsthand: “It seemed like every day brought a new charter scandal. The best and only way to ensure public dollars are used responsibly is to keep them with the public schools. By keeping public schools public, Nebraskans have managed to avoid the disasters we’ve seen in other states, and I intend to keep it that way - no vouchers, no charters, and the very best public schools in the nation.”
Please join us in welcoming Dunixi to our Stand For Schools team! We also want to thank Daniel Russell, who served as Interim Executive Director over the last few months, and whose leadership was invaluable throughout this transition. Last, but certainly not least, we want to thank YOU for continuing to stand with us.
