Paula (Cordeiro) O'Brien
Graduating class: 1972
Inducted into Hall of Fame: 2024
Hall of Fame Category: Lifetime Achievement
Paula (Cordeiro) O’Brien is a former teacher, principal and school head in bi-lingual education in both Venezuela and Spain. And, from 1998 to 2015 she served as the Dean of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences at the University of San Diego. But that’s only a peek into the educational life and accomplishments of this 1972 Fairhaven High School graduate.
Paula also was the Dammeyer Distinguished Professor of Global Leadership and Education before taking a leave of absence to work with the education program in Sub-Sahara, Africa and Central/South America.
Paula was a board member of the James Irvine Foundation … the Boston-based non-profit Community Technical Assistance Center, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the Midway Museum in San Diego and BEST (Building Engineering and Science Talent).
Her lengthy list of educational accomplishments also include: former board member of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, member of both the International Council on Education for Teaching and the California Commission on Teaching Credentialing.
Paula is also the past president of both the Academy for International School Heads and the University Council for Educational Administration, and in 1998, the latter awarded Paula a fellowship. She also received the Classroom of the Future Foundation’s Visionary Leadership Award in 2014 and two years later was the recipient of the Luso-American Foundation’s Global Award. Paula has authored numerous articles and written three books, including Educational Leadership - a Bridge to Improved Practice (five editions).
Paula presently resides in Jamul in San Diego County, California with her husband David and they enjoy traveling to Africa and Central and South America promoting education and prosperity.