Marisa Janicek is the Superintendent of Del Mar Union School District in sunny San Diego, where she’s helping build K–6 learning that’s designed around trust, wellbeing, and student agency, not compliance.
With 20 years in El Segundo Unified and roles spanning teacher, principal, director and executive director, Marisa is known for turning “innovation” into something students can actually touch. She co-led a district-wide AI strategy rooted in clear guardrails, community involvement, and student voice, including student-designed AI use rubrics and student-led conferences where teens taught teachers (and occasionally outpaced the adults in the room).
Now in Del Mar, she’s continuing that same belief-led approach in an award-winning district where the learning environment is part of the pedagogy, from decentralized libraries to flexible spaces and outdoor education. Marisa’s focus is simple: build future-ready learners by strengthening the human skills that last, and using AI as a tool that supports thinking, not replaces it.
