About NSPRA
The Superintendents to Watch award recognizes school district leaders who have fewer than five years of experience as a superintendent and who demonstrate dynamic, fast-paced leadership with strong communication at its core.
Superintendent Cabral leads Redlands Unified with a communication-driven approach that connects strategy, culture and community voice. Since becoming superintendent in July 2023, he has focused on building trust, strengthening engagement and creating shared direction across a district of more than 19,000 students and 26 schools.
Superintendent Cabral’s professional journey spans more than three decades of recognized leadership, from earning Teacher of the Year honors in 2003 and Principal of the Year in 2014 to completing elite national programs including the AASA Superintendent’s Academy for Latino and Latina Leaders and the Future Superintendents Institute.
“Superintendent Cabral exemplifies the definition of a ‘Superintendent to Watch’: a leader who communicates with clarity, vision, and purpose while fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and forward momentum.” — Christine Stephens, Communications Manager / Public Information Officer, Redlands Unified School District
A Unifying Vision Built Around Communication
Since 2023, Cabral has guided Redlands Unified through a period of significant transformation, strengthening academic performance while rebuilding community trust through transparent, accessible and relationship-centered leadership. His leadership philosophy, known as the “Genius of And”, focuses on finding solutions that serve students, staff and families without forcing false tradeoffs.
Cabral’s signature initiative, Portrait of a Graduate EMPOWER, serves as both an academic framework and a communication strategy for the district. Developed collaboratively with educators, students and families, EMPOWER defines the skills and attributes Redlands graduates should demonstrate, including effective communication, collaboration, wellness and reflection.
EMPOWER is used consistently across district messaging, school culture and recognition programs, ensuring that families, staff and students share a common understanding of what success looks like. It functions as both a student outcomes framework and a strategic communications tool, aligning messages, instruction and culture around shared goals. Districtwide surveys, focus groups and feedback processes are used to guide communication priorities and measure progress over time. Graduation rates increased from 86% to 92% and attendance from 90% to 92% through targeted student supports and districtwide engagement.
In Spring 2025, Cabral announced that EMPOWER would formally anchor the district’s upcoming Strategic Communications Plan (2025–2026), ensuring board alignment and community input prior to adoption. Data from surveys, LCAP feedback, and focus groups are directly shaping district goals and defining communication benchmarks for families, staff and partners.
“Superintendent Cabral represents the future of educational leadership. He understands that strong districts are built on strong relationships, and strong relationships require consistent, transparent, and strategic communication.” — Jason Hill, Deputy Superintendent, Business Services, Redlands Unified School District
Under his leadership, the district also earned three CSBA Golden Bell Awards for CSTEM, the K–12 Science Pathway, and the BRIDGE Adult Transition Program, reflecting a strong commitment to equity and inclusive pathways.
Using Communication to Build Engagement and Pride
Cabral expanded how the district tells its story, blending accessibility with consistent storytelling across platforms. Under his leadership, Redlands Unified has strengthened its communication approach through:
These efforts have increased engagement, visibility and pride across the district.
Visible, Two-Way Leadership
A visible and approachable leader, Cabral is a regular presence in classrooms, at school events, and in conversations with students and families, modeling the openness and connection he expects across the district. He visits schools weekly, meets regularly with student groups, attends community events and leads direct conversations with families and staff.
During moments of uncertainty, Cabral’s transparent communication reinforces calm and trust. When the District entered into a five-year stipulated judgment with the California Department of Justice and Office of the Attorney General, Cabral approached the process with openness and integrity. Rather than viewing the agreement as a setback, he communicated it as an opportunity for growth and systemic improvement. He ensured that families, staff, and the community understood the District’s commitments, emphasizing accountability, equity, and student safety. Internally, Cabral established clear communication systems to monitor progress, provide regular updates, and maintain public transparency. He also prioritized professional learning, implementing trainings for students and staff to strengthen understanding of rights, responsibilities, and inclusive practices. His proactive leadership and empathetic messaging transformed a compliance requirement into a shared commitment to trust, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Through these efforts, Redlands Unified has strengthened how it communicates, aligns its work and engages its community around a shared vision for student success.
B.A. - Mississippi State University; MPA - University of Georgia
I believe school PR/communications is what I was born to do! One of the biggest decisions a parent can make is where to send their child to school, and it’s an honor to share with our parents the engaging work that their children are doing under the guidance of world-class teachers and leaders. On any given day, in any given school, there are many stories to be told and I take that charge seriously. As school communicators played a key role in COVID-19 communications, storytelling was more important than ever – not only did I share information with parents about our protocols, but I also made over 80 visits to schools last year and told a variety of stories about how students were thriving with both in-person and distance learning options. I also worked with principals to determine best mitigation practices and helped make those pervasive, because positive action must be the foundation of what we are ultimately communicating. School public relations is incredibly complex and I love that each day brings a new challenge.
My greatest school PR success was completing 11 nationally-innovative school communication audits using a process of research, planning, implementation, and evaluation. I am now in phase two of this project and am attending school council meetings to garner feedback from parents about school-level communication and how I can better support the work of their schools. One of the most significant findings is that as students take more ownership of their learning, they also take more ownership in parent communication. Therefore, next steps are to better prepare parents for this transition and to also determine best practices from exemplar teachers and coaches at the secondary level so we can strike the right balance with parents feeling informed and fostering student independence.
My greatest school PR challenge is overcoming rigidity. Like many PR professionals, I am detail-oriented and a self-described perfectionist. It’s a blessing and a curse to see when something is one pixel off, but the greatest challenge I have faced in my 13 years in this field is to learn to be more flexible. I might have an aversion to Comic Sans or Curlz, but it’s not the end of the world if those are a font favorite elsewhere. What’s more important is the bigger picture – staff and parents feeling well-informed and students growing and learning in positive school cultures. Instead of telling someone their website isn’t formatted properly, I now make a 2-3 minute screencast if I think there’s a quick tutorial I can offer to provide ongoing professional learning. By being much more flexible, I have deepened relationships and become better at supporting the most important job that occurs in our school system: teaching.
My favorite part of my job is the relationships. I often say that there is no substitute for showing up, and that’s why I make so many school visits each year. From getting to hold a gorgeous monarch butterfly to watching a vibrant student musical to seeing 3-D printing in action from engineering students, I have witnessed countless unique opportunities, and these experiences are just a small piece of what our students get to take part in each and every day. If I didn’t take the time to form relationships, I wouldn’t know that what students value is knowing that the photos I take may show up in their yearbooks. I wouldn’t know the myriad of annual activities that teachers do across our schools because I wouldn’t have witnessed them firsthand. I wouldn’t know about the families of our principals or what they believe makes their school unique. All of that is invaluable because at the end of the day and at the end of this career, relationships are what will remain – both professionally and personally.
The communication tool I use the most is Canva! I would be a brand ambassador if they asked! I am not very mathematically-minded and it can be challenging for someone with an eye for good design – but not an eye for rulers and gridlines – to be a graphic designer. However, Canva has made it possible and I am able to create aesthetically-pleasing graphics with short turn-around times. I have trained communication ambassadors at our schools how to use it as well. Right after Canva, the tool I most use is iMovie. I am completely self-taught in videography and using iMovie and Canva together has made me someone who can add “videographer” to their list of expertise.