Leadership & Impact
The work behind the leadership
Professional Leadership
Schools and districts
Two decades of work moving from direct student and family support to schoolwide and districtwide leadership.
2022–Present
Chelsea Public Schools
District Administrator, PK–12
Leads districtwide strategy across an 11-school PK–12 system serving approximately 6,300 students, aligning academic, attendance, behavioral, SEL/MTSS, family-engagement, and specialized-support priorities. Leads and develops professional teams through PLC structures and data-informed routines, advises central office leaders, principals, and school teams on crisis response and compliance, and directs grants, vendor and community partnerships with families, public agencies, healthcare and crisis providers, and regional organizations.
2021–Aug 2022
Waltham High School
Principal
First Latina and first woman to lead the school in 53 years. Directed schoolwide instructional strategy, operations, culture, and student-success priorities through an improvement plan centered on academic growth and belonging; led the Instructional Leadership Team in developing the Quality School Plan; supervised and evaluated faculty and school-based teams; and expanded family partnership through the PTO, School Site Council, home visits, adult education, and the Latinx Parent Leadership Group.
2017–2021
Waltham Public Schools
Associate Principal
The district's first Latina administrator. Led high school house operations, student-success systems, school climate, and discipline, advancing the School Improvement Plan with department leaders. Provided staff supervision, coaching, and professional learning, and introduced and scaled restorative practices as a schoolwide approach to belonging, accountability, and culture.
2014–2017
Bentley Academy, Salem
Head of Family & Community Engagement / Dean of Students
A founding member of the school's turnaround work, partnering with families, staff, and community organizations as the school achieved Level 1 status.
2006–2014
Waltham Public Schools
School Adjustment Counselor
Eight years of direct practice with students and families — supporting transitions, emotional well-being, peer relationships, and academic stress, and connecting families to community resources.
District Programs
What the work looks like in practice
Programs and structures under Brenda's Chelsea PK–12 district leadership, 2022–present.
Young Parenting Program
Oversight of the grades 7–12 program supporting pregnant and parenting students to stay enrolled and on track.
Districtwide SEL
Leading PK–12 social-emotional learning implementation, curriculum alignment, and staff professional learning.
Mediation & Intervention Specialists
Building a program that resolves conflict early and keeps students connected to school.
School Mental Health & Telehealth
Coordinating clinical supports, telehealth providers, and youth mental health programming across schools.
McKinney-Vento, Migrant & Military Families
Ensuring students experiencing housing instability and transition receive enrollment, transport, and support.
Crisis Response & Safety
Leading crisis response protocols, de-escalation training, and districtwide safety coordination.
Grant Development
Writing and managing grants that fund student support, mental health, and family engagement work.
Data & Continuous Improvement
Using YRBS and districtwide survey data to shape priorities and measure whether supports are working.
Staff Leadership & Development
Supervising school social workers and multidisciplinary teams, and leading professional learning across the district.
Community Partnerships
Connecting schools with community organizations that extend care beyond the school day.
Chelsea: evidence in practice
Bilingual, bicultural supports
Building a team that reflects the community it serves — in Chelsea, a majority-Latino district with multilingual needs — so mental health support is genuinely accessible to every family.
Reaching families proactively
An annual districtwide mental health event drawing close to 1,000 families, alongside Parent University programming that builds familiarity with mental health support long before any individual family needs it.
A trusted person in every school
A family liaison in each of Chelsea's 11 schools, giving families a consistent, familiar person to talk to about what they and their students need — separate from any single referral moment.
Data that strengthens access
Monthly clinical consultancy meetings where the team reviews real-time referral data together, so access to care is measured, discussed, and improved rather than assumed.
Original Initiatives
Programs she created
Leadership work beyond a single school or district.
Creator
MijaLumbre Leadership Framework™
Developed a culturally grounded framework for Latina women leaders around identity, voice, purpose, and power, with a book, cohorts, and facilitated learning.
ExploreCreator
CoreKind360 Family Connect
Built a family-centered approach connecting character, belonging, and whole-child support across home, school, and community.
ExploreEducational consulting
Innovate · Lead · Elevate
Works with schools and organizations on leadership, student support, and systems change tailored to their goals.
ExploreAuthor & Publisher
Building Systems of Belonging
A culturally responsive MTSS & SEL handbook and workbook guiding schools and districts through tiered support, with a walkthrough rubric and ten planning tools — free to download.
ExplorePublic & Community Service
Governance, boards and advisory work
Elected and appointed service connecting education with housing, mental health, and community opportunity.
Current
Elected School Committee Member, Policy Chair & DEI Chair — Lynn School Committee
Providing public governance, budget oversight, policy review, constituent communication, and accountability for district priorities; chairs Policy and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion work through a student-centered, equity-minded, fiscally responsible lens.
Current
Vice President, Lynn Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Supporting access to higher education for Latino students in Lynn.
2023–2026
Commissioner, Essex County Commission for the Status of Women
Served on the National Association of Commissions for Women, advancing equity, opportunity, and women's rights across Essex County.
Current
Board Member, Lynn Housing Trust Fund
Advocating for housing stability as a foundation for student success.
Current
National Advisory Board, Alongside
Advising on youth mental health supports and how schools can reach students earlier.
Current
Massachusetts Association for Mental Health Advisory Council
Contributing a school-systems perspective to statewide mental health policy and practice.
Current
Healthy Families Advisory Board
Supporting programs that strengthen young families and early childhood well-being.
Current
Advisory Council, Eliot Family Resource Center
Guiding family-centered services that connect caregivers to mental health, wellness, and community resources.