San Lorenzo Schools Supt. Dr. Daryl Camp previewed his term as president of the Association of California School Administrators on May 8, asking its members to “build bridges” by communicating the importance of public education to their communities and elected leaders.
Quoting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who said the moral arc of history “will bend toward justice,” Dr. Camp urged ACSA’s 18,500 members to be loud and proud in support of students and schools.
“But our loudness is here, and our power is here, in the stories you have,” he said during a 20-minute address in Burbank, adding, “Many of us live, and pray, in places that probably have similar values as you have. The problem is, if you’re not getting outside of your own homogenous populations, then we’re not building and we’re not connecting in such a way that’s going to move us forward.”
Dr. Camp, who has led San Lorenzo Unified School District since 2019, was sworn into this new role with the nation’s largest state-level advocacy organization for public education during an annual leadership meeting. He began his path to the ACSA presidency in 2023, when he was elected as vice president. He was president-elect last year and will continue as past president in 2026-27.
A public school educator in California for more than 30 years, Dr. Camp was previously superintendent of the Riverbank Unified School District and has been a high school principal and a middle and high school assistant principal, beginning his career as a math teacher and coach at James Logan High School in Union City.
The Oakland native is a graduate of Morehouse College, a Historically Black College in Atlanta that was also Dr. King’s alma mater. Dr. Camp completed his master’s degree in educational leadership at then-California State University, Hayward, and his doctorate in educational administration at Sacramento State University.
His call to action for the audience of about 300 attending ACSA’s three-day Leadership Training, Leadership Assembly and Board Meeting was in the context of national political polarization, including around issues of education funding and diversity, equity and inclusion.
ACSA lobbies in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., for financial support, legislation and policies that affect TK-12 school districts like San Lorenzo, as well as providing a wide range of professional development and leadership opportunities for site- and district-level administrators.
As ACSA president starting July 1, Dr. Camp will succeed Rafael Plascencia, director of personnel for the Tustin Unified School District. Parvin Ahmadi, who is retiring this year as superintendent in Castro Valley, was ACSA president in 2023-24.
He was introduced by a longtime mentor, Dr. Odie Douglas, a retired assistant superintendent for the Pleasanton school district, who described Dr. Camp’s career-long commitment to public service. The induction took place at the Marriott Convention Center.
“In an era where leadership is often equated with position, power and prestige, Dr. Camp reminds us that the most powerful leaders are those who serve,” Dr. Douglas said. “… He leads with purpose, with humility and a deep uncompromising dedication to academic excellence for all children, especially those who have been historically underserved.”
In his remarks, which received a standing ovation, Dr. Camp paid tribute to his late parents, who were committed to education and who exposed their children to culture and daily life in other regions of the United States and other nations of the world.
He thanked his wife, Janee Cornelison Camp, and the couple’s two grown sons, Myles and Kendall, for their love and support and also credited his team of assistant superintendents for their dedication to improving outcomes for students.
Dr. Camp’s year as ACSA president was acknowledged by members of the SLZUSD Board of Education on May 6, when several trustees thanked him for his commitment to students and families, both on the local level and beyond.
“It is a huge deal,” Trustee Samuel Medina said, addressing Dr. Camp directly. “We really appreciate the work that you do in our community, but also the work you do in our state and nationally.”