ÌÇÐÄVlog

When Rosanna Mucetti began her career in education as a third-grade teacher in Hayward, she didn’t know she was laying the groundwork for a lifetime of impact. But from her earliest days in the classroom to her current role as Superintendent of the Napa Valley Unified School District, her journey has been defined by one clear mission: to strengthen public education and ensure every student has the opportunity to thrive.

Rosanna arrived at Cal State ÌÇÐÄVlogy while teaching in the Spanish bilingual program at Glassbrook Elementary, just down the hill from campus. Juggling the demands of graduate school, a young family, and a full-time teaching job, she was driven by a fierce commitment to social justice and a belief that all students—regardless of background—deserve the highest quality education. She credits Cal State EastBay for giving her the foundation to lead with vision, purpose, and an unapologetic stance against the status quo.

“The courses, the professors, the cohort experience—they all shaped me into the leader I am today,” she reflects. “It was here that I learned how to strategically resist what doesn’t serve students, how to ask hard questions, and how to lead change that lasts.”

After earning her master’s degree and administrative credential, Rosanna became a principal at Tyrrell Elementary, also located in Hayward. It was during this time that she returned to Cal State ÌÇÐÄVlogy as part of the inaugural cohort of the university’s Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice program. For Rosanna, a first-generation college student from a Cuban immigrant family, earning her Ed.D. wasn’t just about career advancement—it was a milestone for her children, her community, and every student who had ever been underestimated.

Rosanna would go on to become the first woman and the first Spanish-speaking Latina superintendent in Napa Valley Unified School District’s history. Now in her seventh year leading the district, she has earned a statewide reputation for bold leadership, student-centered innovation, and an unshakable commitment to equity.

But her connection to Cal State ÌÇÐÄVlogy never faded.

Since 2015, Rosanna has served as an adjunct faculty member in the same doctoral program that helped launch her leadership journey. She continues to mentor and teach aspiring scholar-practitioners, modeling what it means to lead with both head and heart.

“I carry Cal State ÌÇÐÄVlogy with me in everything I do,” she says. “The values I learned here—collaboration, curiosity, courage—they guide every decision I make as a leader.”

Over the course of her 25-year career, Rosanna has worked across every level of education—from local schools to international consulting—with one throughline: amplifying student voice and dismantling systems of inequity. Whether she’s in a classroom, on a school board agenda, or speaking at a national conference, she remains anchored in the belief that education must be responsive, inclusive, and transformative.

As she accepts the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Education and Allied Studies, Rosanna says the honor is a full-circle moment.

“This award isn’t just for me,” she says. “It’s for every educator working to make schools safer, better, and more just. And it’s for every future teacher, principal, or superintendent at Cal State ÌÇÐÄVlogy who’s just starting their journey.”

“Let’s keep doing the work. Our students deserve it.”