Juan Cabrera hired as EPISD’s new superintendent

The El Paso Independent School District board of managers hired Juan Eduardo Cabrera as the district’s new superintendent.

Cabrera was named the sole finalist for the superintendent job in early August. The board had named Cabrera a finalist on Aug. 12 but could not appoint him officially until after the 21-day waiting period in accordance with state law. Cabrera is the 16th official superintendent in the 130-year history of the EPISD.

“We are confident Juan Cabrera has the right character and the right commitment to this community to successfully lead and restore confidence in the District,” EPISD board president Dee Margo said in a statement overnight.

Cabrera has been in education for 15 years but his background is in the legal field. Cabrera has a law degree and an international business degree. He knows Spanish and Portuguese.

Cabrera was not at Tuesday night’s meeting but did release a statement overnight.

“I am humbled and honored by the Board of Managers confidence in me to lead EPISD. I look forward to starting next week, meeting my EPISD colleagues and working collaboratively on the important tasks of educating our children and continuing to rebuild the public’s trust in EPISD. As a team, I am certain that we will be successful in supporting the continued growth and success of EPISD’s students,” Cabrera said in the statement.

He was most recently the general counsel for an Austin-area school district and has served as attorney for several districts across the country.

In 2011-’12, Cabrera took part in Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents Leadership Academy. The academy “seeks to provide leadership training and coaching to aspiring Superintendents,” according to a cached version of Cabrera’s deleted LinkedIn account. “It seeks to have participants acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to assume senior roles in school systems, especially in urban areas or areas of high poverty.”

Cabrera also is the brother of ABC-7 anchor Rick Cabrera.

EPISD has had two interim superintendents since Dr. Lorenzo Garcia resigned amid criminal charges.

Juan Cabrera’s bio from the O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath law firm

Juan E. Cabrera obtained his Law Degree from the University Of Texas School Of Law in 1996. He most recently worked in the Enterprise Solutions Group for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and formerly served as Associate General Counsel with AIM Funds in Houston and International General Counsel for BMC Software, Inc. in Houston, Amsterdam and in Latin America.

In this role he managed all legal matters outside of the continental U.S. This opportunity provided him extensive experience in global technology contracts, consulting and licensing, employment law, and governance. Prior to his in-house experience, Mr. Cabrera was an associate in the administrative law/commercial litigation sections at Haynes and Boone, LLP in Austin and in the commercial and technology transactions section at Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell in Houston.

Mr. Cabrera has extensive experience in both the public and private sector and his legal practice covers a broad range of matters. He has counseled entities in many areas, including labor and employment, financial matters, governance, contracts, government procurement, technology, real estate and construction.

Mr. Cabrera graduated from Texas A & I University in 1988 with a Bachelors of Business Administration. He has also completed courses at the London School of Business and the Harvard Negotiation Project. He is a certified K-8 Bilingual teacher in Texas and is currently attending the ALAS Superintendent’s Leadership Academy.

Formal Education and Certification

• Texas A & I University, Kingsville, Texas , Bachelors of Business Administration, 1988

• University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas Teacher Certification, 1990

• University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas, Juris Doctorate, 1996

• London School of Business, London England, Leadership Academy, 2005

• ALAS Superintendent’s Leadership Academy, 2012

Mr. Cabrera is a member of The Travis County Bar Association, State Bar of Texas, and the Hispanic Bar of Austin and is admitted to practice in all Texas state courts.

Practice Area Information:

General Counsel Advice to Corporations, Governmental Agencies and Subdivisions

School Law (all areas)

Employment Law

Construction Law

International Law

Business and Corporate Law

Public and Commercial Contracting and Procurement

Technology Services, Licensing and Copyrights

Litigation

Real Estate