Transformational Leadership Impact

Throughout her distinguished career, Dr. Huizenga has demonstrated expertise in:

• Organizational Transformation and Turnaround Leadership: Leading comprehensive district-wide improvements that have moved multiple school systems from underperforming to high-achieving status, including advancing districts from Level 3 to Level 2 designation and securing significant federal and state recognition.

• Strategic Systems Design and Implementation: Developing and executing comprehensive strategic plans that align community stakeholder needs with educational outcomes, resulting in measurable improvements in student achievement, operational efficiency, and organizational culture.

• Crisis Management and Innovation: Successfully leading organizations through complex challenges, including pandemic response, state interventions, and financial constraints, while maintaining educational quality and implementing innovative solutions for continuity and growth.

• Cross-Sector Partnership Development: Building strategic alliances between educational institutions, higher education, businesses, and community organizations to create innovative programs that enhance student opportunities and workforce development pathways.

• Financial Leadership and Resource Development: Securing over $5 million in grants, overrides, and funding initiatives while optimizing operational efficiency and expanding student programming within existing budget constraints through strategic resource allocation and community engagement.

• Equity-Focused Leadership Development: Advancing Latino representation in educational leadership through innovative programs and serving as a thought leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that create systemic change in educational organizations.

​

Current Role

Dr. Huizenga serves as Founder and CEO of Instructional Associates, a consulting firm providing strategic educational services to large urban districts and alternative schools nationwide. In this capacity, she leads comprehensive organizational transformation initiatives focused on leadership development and instructional excellence. Her work spans redesigning instructional frameworks, establishing high-quality teaching and learning systems, and developing leadership training programs that impact thousands of educators across diverse educational settings. Her consulting practice specializes in creating tiered support systems for principals and leadership teams, facilitating district-wide curriculum development initiatives, and implementing innovative approaches to digital and personalized learning that position districts for sustainable success in rapidly evolving educational environments.

 

Summary of Prior Experience

Dr. Huizenga is a seasoned educational leader with a proven track record of driving transformative change and achieving significant results across various challenging contexts. As Associate Partner for The Center for Model Schools, she spearheaded national and state partnerships with leading educational organizations, establishing the institution as a forerunner in educational transformation through improvement science. Her commitment to equity and inclusion is evident from her tenure as Managing Director for Latinos for Education, where she developed comprehensive leadership programs and expanded partnerships to advance Latino representation in educational leadership. Demonstrating exceptional crisis leadership, Dr. Huizenga successfully navigated the Milford School District through the COVID-19 pandemic as Superintendent, implementing innovative learning models and a 5-year strategic plan that yielded substantial student achievement gains. Furthermore, her expertise in school turnaround was highlighted during her role as state-appointed Receiver for Southbridge Public Schools, where she executed a comprehensive plan leading to met benchmarks, a 14 percentage point increase in graduation rates, significant MCAS score improvements, and secured $1.9 million in funding.

 

Credentials and Certifications

• Certificate in Social Impact Management and Leadership (Tufts University Institute for Nonprofit Practice)

• Executive Leadership Certificate in Advanced Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Cornell University)

• Doctor of Education in Leadership in Schooling (University of Massachusetts, Lowell)

• Master of Arts in Educational Administration (University of Massachusetts, Lowell)

• Bachelor of Arts in History/Secondary Education (Erskine College)