Superintendent Biography
Dr. Anna Alvarado
Dr. Anna Alvarado began serving as Superintendent of Schools in the Freeport School District on July 1st, 2019.
Dr. Alvarado has been in education for over 35 years. In the span of her career as an educator, school administrator, and district leader, Dr. Alvarado continues to be driven by her passion and belief that educational equity means providing students with a learning environment where they have access to resources and support in order to improve the trajectory of their future.
She began her career as a teacher in a parochial school in 1988 where she enjoyed the benefits of working in a tight knit school community. In 2001, Dr. Alvarado began her career in Chicago Public Schools where she started as a junior high teacher and transitioned into the role of principal at Hawthorne Scholastic Academy in 2006. She looks back at the work of school leadership with great fondness where she got to know every student in the building and their families. She learned about the power of transformative schools where teachers and staff were committed to excellence for each student.
From 2012-2019, Dr. Alvarado had the opportunity to work at the district level in Chicago Public Schools. As the previous Network One Chief, she supervised 50 schools and worked closely with school administrators with a focus on building effective teams. She believes that schools are the heart of neighborhoods and have the power to influence and shape the community through strong partnerships with families.
In her last two years in CPS, Dr. Alvarado took on the role of Chief Officer of Teaching and Learning where she worked alongside Network Chiefs and Academic Chiefs. Although it is difficult to measure the impact of one’s work in a large urban district, it is the working relationships and empowering neighborhood schools to lift up the educational experiences of students that makes meaningful work.
Currently, Dr. Alvarado proudly serves as the Superintendent of Freeport School District 145 in the past 6 years. She has fallen in love with the Pretzel Family and continues to believe that the hard work of educating children is everyone’s responsibility. Initiatives will come and go, but the partnership between students, families, school board , staff and the community creates long lasting change that can become part of the legacy of the school district.
Dr. Alvarado holds a Doctor of Education degree from National Louis University (2017). She also holds a Master of Arts degree from Northeastern Illinois University (2004) and a Bachelor of Arts degree from College of the Holy Spirit (1982). Dr. Alvarado is a Certified Superintendent in Illinois.
Dr. Alvarado is married to Rudy Alvarado for 38 years. They have three adult children, two of which are teachers. Her favorite thing to do during her spare time is to spend time playing with her grandchildren, Penelope and Graham, and hanging out with the family in the backyard. “Keeping life simple outside of work keeps me grounded.”