La Joya Independent School District

A passionate educator, leader, and advocate for students, Dr. Marcey Sorensen joined La Joya ISD as Superintendent in February 2024 after serving as Deputy Superintendent for the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). During her time at VDOE, Sorensen focused chiefly on initiatives surrounding learning acceleration, early literacy, and special education for Virginia’s 1.3 million public school students enrolled across 131 districts. She launched Virginia’s high-intensity tutoring program to address learning loss in both reading and math for students across the Commonwealth in response to learning disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

In 2019, Sorensen joined the Fort Worth Independent School District as Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning before being promoted to Chief Academic Officer. During her tenure, the district saw an 80% increase in the number of campuses that improved to a B rating while simultaneously seeing a nearly 90% decrease in the number of F-rated campuses. Sorensen reorganized the district’s special education department to better serve students with disabilities, overhauled instructional practices, led the adoption of aligned and nationally recognized, evidence-based curriculum in literacy, math, and dual language, and collaborated with Texas Christian University to establish a principal pipeline to help train the district’s future leaders. Dr. Sorensen also oversaw the Department of Multilingual Learners to ensure that students needing dual language services received evidence-based instruction and supports while aligning resources for families and caregivers so that multilingual learners had the resources needed to become more academically successful.   

From 2017 to 2019, Sorensen worked at the Madison (Wisconsin) Metropolitan School District, joining as Executive Director of Curriculum & Instruction before finishing her tenure as Deputy Chief of Secondary Schools. Sorensen began her career in 1995 with Chicago Public Schools, spending 10 years as a social studies teacher before transitioning into an administrative role, where she led three campuses as principal for almost 11 years.   

A 1995 graduate of Northern Illinois University, Sorensen obtained her Master of Education in Pre-K-12 Administration & Supervision from Northeastern Illinois University in 2004. She earned her doctorate in Educational Policy & Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2015 with her superintendency endorsement.   

Dr. Sorensen, her husband, a lifelong educator himself, and her two children are thrilled to be a part of the La Joya ISD Community and to call the Rio Grande Valley home.  

Mirgitt Crespo is a veteran of acquiring and managing resources to further the work of educators. Before relocating to the Rio Grande Valley, she served Fort Worth ISD for over twenty years in its Grants & Development Department, both as the Executive Director of Federal Programs, successfully overseeing over $80 million of entitlements and other Federal Grants annually, and then as its Senior Officer, where she worked in budgeting, planning, and monitoring of over $380 million in District projects financed with state and federal funds, with zero audit findings. During her time as Senior Officer, the department was awarded over 90% of the grants for which it applied. Outside of the office, Mirgitt is also able to exercise her passion for education policy and administration through her membership with both the Association of Compensatory Educators of Texas where she served as Regional Director for 4 years, and the Texas Association of School Business Officials.

Mirgitt’s highest priority is to serve ALL students by providing them with the necessary resources to excel. She enjoys being active in the community and in 2023 was named one of 50 Emerging Latino Leaders by the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in recognition of her reputation for looking for opportunities to increase her contribution by strengthening connections and bringing change in the community. She has served as a member of the boards of the Tarrant Area Food Bank and the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas (Fort Worth), a non-profit, state-wide organization established in 1987 to empower women in public, private, and civic arenas. One of the many highlights of her work with the Fort Worth chapter is serving in the Latinas in Progress Mentorship Program that helps aspiring college-bound students achieve their dreams.

Mirgitt is a native of Caracas, Venezuela where she received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from La Universidad Católica Andres Bello. Following  graduation, she designed coursework for, and taught, six Education and Business courses at two universities, and conducted Research for a UNESCO project on Child Development. She immigrated to the United States in 2002 to attend The University of Texas at Austin, where she received a Master of Arts in Education before beginning her tenure at Fort Worth ISD. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, spending time with her family, including her husband Hector and their three rescue poodles, and all things Disney.

Derek Little is a lifelong educator with experiences at the school, district and state levels, having worked in Louisiana, Ohio and Texas. He proudly comes from a family committed to public education. His mom retired from the local school system where Derek grew up and his wife, Kristy, is a fellow educator. Derek and Kristy are humbled and proud to be adoptive parents (of two Texans) and have a combined family with his sister and niece. 

Derek recently served as chief of staff for the CIncinnati Public Schools, where he led the development of the district’s strategic plan. He served previously as the deputy chief academic officer with the Dallas Independent School District where he led the district's efforts for early learning, special education, bilingual/ESL, advanced academics, extended learning, student activities, and intervention.  In addition, Derek led the district’s COVID recovery and acceleration efforts, including the ESSER strategy and implementation.  Prior to this, Derek served as the assistant superintendent for early learning with Dallas ISD.  In that role, Derek led the district's efforts from birth to 3rd grade.  

Before joining Dallas ISD, Derek served as the deputy director of early childhood at the Louisiana Department of Education, where he led policy planning for funding, accountability, enrollment, workforce, and governance of early childhood programs. Previously, Derek was the director of finance and operations for the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts and increased funding for the school at a time of budget cuts to education statewide. Derek started his career teaching high school math. 

He earned a bachelor's degree in molecular biology and a master's degree in finance from Tulane University. He has also earned master's degrees in educational leadership from Northwestern State University and the Broad Center for Urban Education. Derek holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Southern Methodist University. 

Haissam Mayasi is a dedicated technology and data leader with over 20 years of experience in education, specializing in data-driven decision-making, cybersecurity, and IT infrastructure.

Throughout his career at PSJA ISD, Haissam has held various key positions, including Software Analyst, Software Engineer, Senior Software Engineer, Coordinator, and most recently, Director of Data Services. In this capacity, he transformed the district’s approach to data, pioneering real-time reporting systems, developing critical applications to close operational gaps, and fostering a culture of data-informed decision-making. His leadership in data governance and analytics has helped streamline processes, increase efficiency, and build trust among stakeholders.

With a Master’s degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance, networking certifications, and a Data Leadership Certificate from MIT, Haissam brings deep technical expertise and strategic vision to educational technology. His background in software development and IT security allows him to bridge the gap between technical innovation and practical implementation, ensuring that technology serves as a driver for student success and operational excellence.

Haissam has called the Rio Grande Valley home since 2003 and is proud to be part of the community. It is where he built his career, met his wife, and is raising their three children. He is honored to have the opportunity to serve La Joya ISD and is committed and passionate to leveraging his experience to support the district’s mission.

S.B. Pierson serves as the Chief Operations Officer for La Joya ISD, bringing more than 22 years of experience in education, including the last decade in educational leadership with a strong focus on operations and strategic planning.

In his role, Pierson oversees the essential operational functions that ensure students learn in safe, supportive, and well-maintained environments. His areas of responsibility include:

• Facilities and Maintenance: Maintaining safe, accessible, and high-quality learning environments across all campuses.

• Transportation: Delivering efficient and reliable student transportation services.

• Child Nutrition: Providing nutritious meals and promoting healthy eating habits districtwide.

• Safety and Security: Implementing and managing comprehensive measures to safeguard students and staff.

• Capital Improvement: Leading construction and renovation projects while developing a long-range Facilities Master Plan that includes facility assessments.
   

Before joining La Joya ISD, Pierson held leadership positions in four districts, ranging from small rural systems to large urban districts. Across these roles, he gained extensive expertise in resource management, project management, organizational development, and fiscal responsibility. He is recognized for his ability to design and execute strategic operational plans, optimize resource allocation, and apply data-driven decision-making to protect and enhance learning environments.

Pierson is committed to fostering collaboration by working closely with the Superintendent, Executive Cabinet, department leaders, campus administrators, staff, and community stakeholders. His focus is ensuring that operational excellence directly supports academic success for all students.

He earned a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Bachelor’s degree from Angelo State University.

Key Skills:

• Operational Strategy and Implementation

• Strategic Leadership and Collaboration

• Financial Acumen and Budget Management

• Resource Management and Allocation

• Project Management and Execution

• Data-Driven Decision Making

• Team Leadership and Development

• Communication and Stakeholder Engagement

• Compliance and Regulatory Adherence