A long-standing Glendale resident, Vivian Ekchian is a 30+ year urban school district educator with a proven track record of implementing reform in complex systems.  Her refined ability to develop leadership and talent, focus internal and external stakeholders on a common goal, and build coherence has benefited countless students, families, communities, and staff members.  Much of her success stems from her life experiences including a multi-cultural upbringing and journey to Southern California as an immigrant.

Dr. Ekchian is currently the Superintendent of the Glendale Unified School District, which serves 26,000 students in grades Pre-K through 12. Before coming to Glendale, Dr. Ekchian was Deputy Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the nation serving nearly 600,000 Pre-K through adult student learners. She has dedicated her career to serving students, educators, and communities in a variety of roles, including teacher assistant, classroom teacher, principal, director of instruction, chief of staff to the superintendent of schools, chief human resources officer, chief labor negotiator, local district superintendent, associate superintendent, and interim superintendent.

As a visionary and transformational leader, Dr. Ekchian ensures students are at the center of every decision and creates coherence, inspires innovation, and accelerates the academic success of all students. A proud servant of the people, she embraces diversity and values the indispensable contributions of every student, educator, employee, parent, and community partner. Throughout her career, Dr. Ekchian has been recognized for her keen ability to accelerate student outcomes by generating innovative solutions, removing barriers, and confronting challenges head-on.

Dr. Ekchian is the recipient of a Distinguished Educator award from California State University, Los Angeles, and Women in Educational Leadership – Outstanding Contributions to Education award. In 2018, she was honored by Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian for her dedicated service and immeasurable contributions to the Armenian community. These awards underscore Dr. Ekchian’s vision of education as a “game-changer” that holds the power to create leaders of the future who will thrive in our globally competitive workforce.

As a lifelong learner, Dr. Ekchian has a bachelor’s degree and teaching credential from California State University, Northridge; a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of California, Los Angeles; and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Ekchian remains committed to providing a world class education to all students in order to ensure they are college, career and life ready.