The Clark County School District (CCSD) Board of School Trustees welcomed two new members and one returning member during a special board meeting Tuesday, January 3, 2023. During the ceremony, each newly elected and re-elected Trustee took the oath of office.
Current Board of School Trustees member Linda P. Cavazos took the oath of office after being elected to a second term. Newly elected Trustees Irene Bustamante Adams and Brenda Zamora all took the oath for the first time.
“We welcome Trustees Bustamante Adams and Zamora to the Board and congratulate Trustee Cavazos on her re-election to serve the education community,” said CCSD Superintendent Dr. Jesus F. Jara. “We remain committed to focusing on the future and working toward improving academic outcomes for all students. Our work ahead must remain focused on investing in our employees as we strive to increase student achievement.”
Linda P. Cavazos – Trustee District G
Linda P. Cavazos was appointed to the Clark County School District (CCSD) Board of Trustees on August 17, 2017, then was elected in November of 2018 to a full four year term. Trustee Cavazos represents District G.
Ms. Cavazos is from Superior, Arizona, a small copper mining community, where she attended public schools with two sisters and three brothers. Her parents strongly supported higher education, so with the help of loans and scholarships, Ms. Cavazos first began college at Arizona State University before transferring to, and graduating from, UNLV with a Bachelors in Secondary Education and a Masters in Educational Psychology and Counseling. She has spent more than 40 years in Southern Nevada working in the Henderson/Las Vegas community. Ms. Cavazos also worked as a food server to help finance her university education, and after graduation, taught at Basic High School for 15 years. She then was an adjunct instructor at UNLV for 9 years, while
beginning a private counseling practice. Trustee Cavazos currently works as a family therapist part time, working with young children and adolescents, suicide and gun violence survivors, and veterans suffering from PTSD.
She believes the trustee position is an effective way to combine her counseling and teaching experience into meeting the many challenges that our students, staff, and communities face at this time. Trustee Cavazos very much wants to familiarize herself with and understand the unique needs of the schools and their neighborhoods in District G and to reduce the dropout rate by ensuring that every student has the best opportunity and access to resources that the District can offer. Trustee Cavazos and her husband Bob have five grown children, and seven grandchildren, with one of the grandkids currently attending school in CCSD, and two others who graduated in 2019 from Green Valley and Arbor View High Schools.
Irene Bustamante Adams – Trustee District F
Irene Bustamante Adams was elected to the CCSD Board of Trustees on November 8, 2022. She represents District F, which includes Spring Valley, Mountains Edge, Southern Highlands, and Sandy Valley.
She was raised in the farming community of Kerman, California and woke before dawn to work the agricultural fields alongside her siblings. She was the first in her family to attend and graduate college, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from California State University, Fresno. In 2007, Bustamante Adams became the first Latina in Nevada history to earn an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degree from University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She holds certificates from Harvard Kennedy School of Government and from the Kettering Foundation.
Irene serves as the Deputy Director and Chief Strategy Officer for Workforce Connections, Southern Nevada’s Local Workforce Development Board. She is a dynamic and transformational leader christened with many recognitions like the “National Trailblazer” by Emerge America and “Women Inspiring Nevada” by Vegas Inc.
Prior to joining Workforce Connections in 2017, Bustamante Adams spent 18 years at MGM Resorts International, working her way up from clerk to a corporate position. From 2010 to 2018, she also represented District 42 in the Nevada Assembly, serving as Speaker Pro Tempore in her last leadership role.
She is married to Army Sergeant Brad Adams, and has two daughters, Olivia, and Alaina. She also is a new grandmother to her first grandchild.
Brenda Zamora – Trustee District D
Brenda Zamora was elected to the CCSD Board of Trustees on November 8, 2022. She represents District D, which includes Downtown Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, a portion of the resort corridor and the northeast valley.
Zamora is a mom of 3 kids: the oldest is in 3rd grade with an IEP, her middle child in 2nd grade, and youngest is a year old. As Trustee of District D, she will be working in the community to make sure every single one of the families of CCSD have the resources needed to be successful. She has worked on issue campaigns like paid sick days in Nevada and was involved in the national fight for paid leave. Zamora understands that these issues are bi-partisan and can help families thrive. She is also passionate about a safe, successful school district.
As a mom, Zamora understands the need of wanting to be involved in your children’s education and notes accessibility as one of her priorities, which goes hand in hand with a better communication system between the district and its communities. Zamora wants to be available to CCSD’s communities and let teachers and support staff, who are on the ground with the children, know that she is an ally to them.
To learn more about the District, visit newsroom.ccsd.net.
