Melinda Conde, Director of Student Success Services at Menifee Union School District, was named the 2026 Riverside County Certificated Administrator of the Year.
Per the Riverside County Office of Education's announcement, the award reflects measurable outcomes from her work:
- 10% drop in chronic absenteeism
- 2% increase in average daily attendance (ADA)
- A comprehensive Attendance Re-Engagement Initiative that earned a 2025 Golden Bell from the California School Board Association
For school districts, those numbers are not small. Average daily attendance directly determines state funding allocations. A 2% ADA increase across a district translates to real budget impact.
What she actually does
Conde leads a team responsible for student wellness, attendance, and equity outcomes across Menifee Union. Her practical work includes:
- Systematizing community liaisons to support foster and unhoused students — historically two of the most under-served populations in California public schools
- Expanding access to mental health services
- Strengthening school connectedness — a measurable predictor of attendance and graduation rates
The career path
Conde's trajectory is unusual and worth noting:
- Probation officer (her first career)
- 8th-grade math teacher
- Curriculum coach
- Assistant principal
- Principal
- Director of Student Success Services (current role)
- Currently pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership
A career that started in juvenile justice and pivoted into education gives someone a particular lens on which students need the most support. Conde's record on absenteeism, foster youth, and unhoused students suggests that lens is shaping policy.
Why we're covering this
Menifee Union is technically outside the City of Riverside but well within our Inland Empire coverage. The951 covers the 951. And the kind of work that produces measurable results for foster and unhoused kids — quiet, systemic, unsexy work — is exactly the kind of thing local journalism rarely surfaces with the credit it deserves.
If you know an educator or administrator across Riverside, Corona, Moreno Valley, Jurupa, Eastvale, Norco, or Menifee whose work deserves attention — tip us at peter@the951.co.