The district welcomes a new chief of staff, expands trustee support with new office

Austin ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde has announced to staff the appointment of Jacob Reach as Chief of Government Relations and Board Services. 

Reach, currently serving as the district's chief of staff, will be responsible for establishing the new office to best support AISD's trustees and the district. 

"Jacob's experience with AISD and familiarity with our board of trustees will be invaluable in this position," Elizalde said. 

Elizalde also announced that Toni Córdova, who has served as Dallas ISD's chief of communications for the past four and a half years, will join the district as chief of staff. 

As chief of staff, Córdova will lead more than 12,000 employees and will direct the district's communications and engagement efforts. 

Both Reach and Córdova will begin their new positions Sept. 1, and both will report directly to the superintendent to assist in supporting the district's strategic work. 

"Toni has proven to be an exceptional leader in Dallas ISD," Elizalde said. "She helped bring back students and families who had left the district, and she enhanced DISD's image in the community. In addition, she has had extensive experience as chief of staff in other large public school districts."

In Dallas ISD, the state's second-largest school district, Córdova oversaw communications, marketing, translation and the district's call center. A leader in public education for 25 years, she has served as chief of staff for school districts in San Jose, California; Tucson, Arizona; and El Paso, and has led communications efforts for five school districts.

About Toni Córdova

Prior to her work at DISD, Córdova served as chief of staff in Albuquerque Public Schools and as chief strategy officer and chief of staff for the Santa Clara County (California) Office of Education, where she developed a strategic plan to transform and recalibrate the organization's goals and priorities. 

Córdova also served as chief of staff in Socorro ISD and for the Tucson Unified School District. She has been a central communicator for the Isaac, Sunnyside and Tucson school districts in Arizona and chief of communications for the San Francisco Public Library.

Córdova earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and a Master of Business Administration, both from the University of Arizona.