Meet the Superintendent
Cindy Daniels is exceedingly proud to be the superintendent of Chino Valley Unified School District. This fall will mark her 36th start of a school year, serving where she loves most, rural Arizona. While she began her career in Tucson, it was only five years later that she kicked off pursuing her passion in rural education. Since that time, through direct employment and her former consulting business, Schoolhouse Solutions LLC, she has served rural communities along the Colorado River strip, numerous rural districts in Yavapai County, schools and districts in Navajo, Coconino, and Pima counties. She is known for her love of people, believing firmly that a free and public education is the cornerstone of democracy and that education provides hope and opportunity. She created a school improvement model that when implemented, brought academic success to both teachers and students. For this she was awarded Alumni of the Year by the University of Arizona College of Education in 2006. She has served on various boards, including five years as President of the Forest Fee Management Association Board. However, as a champion of career and technical education, she would tell you one of her greatest professional achievements was in helping to launch Mountain Institute CTED. She served as Vice-President of the Yavapai County Education Foundation Board and Chairperson of the Teacher of the Year Program in Yavapai County. For her service, in 2019 she was selected for a Lifetime Achievement Award. For 16 years, prior to being named Superintendent, she served as Assistant Superintendent of Chino Valley Schools. She currently continues to serve as the Secretary of the Chino Valley Education Foundation. During her tenure on the board, they have grown their scholarship endowment fund and have awarded over $250,000 to students in the last two years alone. In 2019 Chino Valley Lions Club named her Lion of the Year, and in 2023 the Stephanie Lynne Calams Foundation named her “Hometown Hero” for service to her community through her work with families and children of poverty. Cindy’s desire is that each student will have a well-grounded hope for the future, because they are confidently prepared to meet it.