ISD 196 Hires New Equity Coordinator

EAGAN, MN— Independent School District 196 hired a coordinator of equity and inclusion.

Violeta Hernandez Espinosa will join the district's new Equity and Inclusion Department, directed by Virgil Jones, on July 1, the district said.

“As a social justice advocate, I believe that true, positive societal change rests in creating equitable access to opportunities for underserved communities,” Hernandez Espinosa said. “This position gives me the opportunity to continue that work and improve the lives of all children and families in District 196.”

Hernandez Espinosa graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with degrees in both international management and Spanish, the district said. She later returned to the college as assistant dean of admissions and coordinator of multicultural recruitment, where she first met Jones, the district said.

Hernandez Espinosa also was a Princeton in Latin America Fellow, worked with the Mexican Ministry of Education, and was a Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellow with the Blandin Foundation between 2012 and 2016, the district said.

She later achieved her master’s degree in international development at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, the district said.

In 2016, Hernandez Espinosa became the education legislative and policy director of Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs, in which she advocated for Latino Minnesotans, the district said. She also led a legislative effort to address the shortage of teachers of color, the district said.

In 2019, she became a consultant to La Michoacana Purépecha, a Minneapolis Mexican ice cream business, the district said. During this time, she also studied Mandarin Chinese and led a campaign for municipal presidency in her native state of Michoacán, México, the district said.