Mary Searcy Bixby

MARY SEARCY BIXBY, M.ED, founder of eight California charter schools, is widely recognized at the state, national, and international levels for her cutting-edge and bold educational reform leadership. She created the Altus Model for Organizational Leadership that focuses on improvement and high performance. A sought-after keynote speaker and advisor, Mary provides expertise in leadership training, educational reform, and the management of processes oriented toward organizational peak performance. A former school principal and administrator, Mary fulfilled her mission of providing quality educational options to neighborhoods across Southern California by founding the Altus Schools in 1994. In 2015, the United States Secretary of Commerce presented one of seven schools Mary founded, The Charter School of San Diego (CSSD), the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. It is the only performance excellence award given by the United States Office of the President. CSSD was the first K–12 school in America to receive this honor. Mary is a member of the El Dorado Charter School SELPA Governance/CEO Council and Vistage, a twenty-one-thousand-member business-advisory and executive-coaching organization that spans twenty countries. Mary has twice been a finalist for San Diego Business Journal’s “Women Who Mean Business” for her contributions to education and the community. She received the Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award, which recognizes role-model leaders. Her breakthrough contributions to education have earned her the Remarkable Leader in Education award from the University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education. The California Charter Schools Association honored Mary with both the Hart Vision Award and its Legacy Award, and she was a recipient of the Inspirational School Leader Award from the Charter School Development Center. In her personal time, Mary enjoys family gatherings, gardening, reading, and writing.