Meet Dr. Metcalfe
I was born in Tucson, AZ, and I grew up in Mesa, where I have lived ever since. I attended Mesa Public Schools and I graduated from Westwood High School, where I was taught the values of kindness, critical thinking, and hard work.
In high school, I was discouraged from attending college by my guidance counselor, who told me that I “would not amount to much because my math scores were too low.” That day, I told my parents that I wasn’t going to go to college––the beginning of an opportunity of success that I didn’t see coming. Just a few days later, my parents dropped me off at Mesa Community College and told me not to come home until I had a fall 1985 schedule of classes (they were so serious that they even gave me a quarter to call home on a pay phone to let them know I was ready for pick up!). Since then, I have earned three degrees (bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate), three administrative public school certificates, and seven teaching certificates, all from Arizona’s great public college system. I studied at Mesa Community College, Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University.
My Beginnings
Serving my Community
I started my career in education as a training coordinator for VISA right after I graduated from Arizona State University. I was responsible for training people who were not job-ready, as they could not read, write, or utilize basic math skills. I felt there was something I should do to help people be more prepared for the workplace, so I returned to ASU to complete my teaching credentials, and my first job was teaching adult English classes for Mesa Public Schools. I was then hired as a high school business teacher a year later. Several years later, I was hired as a career and technical education director, a high school principal, special education director, grant writer, public information officer, and state and federal programs director. Later on, I was fortunate to be hired as the small schools administrator for the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s office, where I provided small, rural schools on the western part of Maricopa County with direct services to ensure that these schools would be able to meet their goals for the students and families in their communities.
In other words, my career has been a lifelong passion of learning and service to public education in Arizona.
My Family
My family is rooted in Maricopa County. When I moved to Mesa in 1971, I found opportunities to grow and thrive. When I married my husband in 1994, we stayed in Mesa, and moved to a neighborhood near Mountain View High School, where we wanted our son to attend. My son, Brennan, grew up in Mesa and attended Mesa Public Schools, Mesa Community College, and Arizona State University. The public schools had a profound effect on my son as he was involved in marching band, concert band, jazz band, and Model United Nations (Model U.N.), all important components which helped my son find his calling and a career path which fit his desire to serve others.As Maricopa County School Superintendent, I will ensure that families in Maricopa County have the same wonderful opportunities to grow and thrive that my family and I had at Maricopa County schools.
