W.I.S.E. (Women in Successful Endeavors) Luncheon featuring Maria Vazquez, OCPS Superintendent

W.I.S.E. (Women in Successful Endeavors), presented by The Orlando Health Foundation is Women supporting Women quarterly networking brunch focused on guiding members to improve confidence, self-esteem, building relationships, cultivate determination and elevate potential.  

This year we are celebrating the ConnectHER Series: Inspirational Leadership featuring outstanding leaders in our community. 

This month we celebrate Maria Vazquez, first Hispanic Superintendent for the Orange County Public Schools.  Joining us as our guest interviewer is Luana Munoz, News Anchor & Reporter for WESH 2 News.

Dr. Vazquez has served at every level of the education system and has extensive expertise in curriculum and instruction. After beginning her career as an elementary school classroom teacher and resource teacher in reading and language arts, Dr. Vazquez served as an assistant principal and principal in OCPS. She served the district across multiple roles including area superintendent and chief academic officer before being promoted to deputy superintendent in 2018. During her tenure at OCPS, Dr. Vazquez has developed a proven track record of leadership for educational equity. She has expanded access to advanced coursework for historically underserved students, recruited great teachers to the most vulnerable schools, and reprioritized the district’s budget to support teaching and learning.

As the daughter of immigrants, Dr. Maria Vazquez understands the power education has to transform lives. Her parents fled Cuba, leaving everything they owned behind to provide a better life for their family. They instilled in her that education was the most valuable currency she had and she could not squander it. A first-generation American, Dr. Vazquez traces her passion for education back to the talented, dedicated teachers who changed her own life. Through the work of caring adults, school was a safe place where Dr. Vazquez thrived; she succeeded despite her language barrier. It is because of those experiences that she has made it her life’s work to create learning environments where students feel supported and successful.

An active community member, Dr. Vazquez currently serves on several boards including, City Year of Orlando, The American Heart Association, CareerSource Central Florida and Orange County Government Citizen’s Commission for Children. She is also a member of the prestigious Future Chiefs, Chiefs for Change.  

Join us to enjoy a unique lunch experience and timely topics to help with your personal and professional development.  


Luana Munoz is a bilingual journalist of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Puerto Rican descent. She has won two Emmy awards and has 15 years of professional experience in television news. She believes her upbringing in a split republican and democrat household, life experiences, and political science background from UCLA allows her to tell stories through a balanced and lens. In today’s political climate, Luana sees this as an opportune time for journalist to do what they do best, seek the truth and report the news in a fair, balanced and accurate manner.