2026 CITE Award Winners
2026 CITE Award Winners
CITE's Awards program congratulates and celebrates CITE members, partners, and others for the work they do and the accomplishments they've made to the education community. We're excited to share more about each award recipient!
CITE Hall of Fame Inductee
Andrea Bennett
CITE
Andrea Bennett was first introduced to CITE as a vendor supporting Student Information Systems before becoming a member while working in Northern California school districts. What began as professional involvement quickly grew into a deep commitment to CITE’s mission and community. After serving on the Board of Directors, Andrea became CITE’s first staff member and founding Executive Director in 2006. Over the past two decades, Andrea has been instrumental in building CITE into the statewide organization it is today, growing membership from several hundred to more than 3,000 and, more importantly, shaping a community grounded in service to others. Her leadership consistently centered on what matters most: supporting members, strengthening the work of IT professionals, and ultimately improving outcomes for students and the communities they serve. She championed collaboration, elevated the voice of education technology leaders, and ensured CITE remained focused on practical impact in schools across California. “CITE has always been about people - learning from one another, supporting one another, and working together to improve outcomes for students,” said Andrea. “I am incredibly proud of what this community has built and confident in CITE’s future under Laurel’s leadership.”
Learn More About Andrea Bennett
Educational Leader Award
Theodore "Ted" Alejandre
Superintendent of Schools
San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools
Ted Alejandre is the 34th Superintendent of Schools for San Bernardino County. He was first elected to the County’s lead educational seat in June 2014 and was reelected in both 2018 and 2022. He began his third consecutive four-year term in January 2023.
With more than three decades of experience in public education, Mr. Alejandre has been a teacher, vice principal, principal, and director of fiscal services at the district level. He joined San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools in 2008 as the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services and later was appointed deputy superintendent, overseeing all operations of the organization.
County Superintendent Alejandre works collaboratively with school districts, families, community partners, and other agencies to provide leadership, advocacy and services for nearly 400,000 K-12 students attending public schools in San Bernardino County.
Among the highlights of Mr. Alejandre’s service as county superintendent are nurturing the Cradle to Career Roadmap, implementing Footsteps2Brilliance and targeting early literacy, initiating “Systems of Support,” establishing the first ever countywide Student Advisory Panel, being President of the California County Superintendents coalition, and revamping the Alliance for Education to strengthen the alignment and connection of business and community organizations to education and workforce development.
For being a fierce advocate for education, Mr. Alejandre was selected as the California Superintendent of the Year for 2022 by the Association of California School Administrators.
Mr. Alejandre is also a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel serving since 1984. He was highly decorated receiving the USAF Meritorious Service Award three times, AF Commendation Medal, and AF Good Conduct Medal.
Technology Leader Award
Kenneth Richter
Coordinator - Broadcast/Network Engineering, Technology Serivces
Kern County Superintendent of Schools
Technology Staff Award
Bryan Powell
Lead IT Support Technician
Hemet Unified School District
Bryan Powell Bryan Powell began his career with Hemet Unified School District in 2020 as a Computer Technician, joining the district during the rapid transition to remote learning. That experience gave him a firsthand understanding of how important reliable technology is to keeping students connected to their education and shaped his approach to technology support. Today, Bryan oversees Hemet USD's student device repair program, coordinating the repair and support of more than 25,000 student devices across 27 school sites. His focus on improving repair, inventory, and deployment processes has helped strengthen district operations and keep technology available and ready for the students who depend on it.
Bryan is a graduate of CITE's Technology Management Advancement Program (TMAP) Cohort 7 and values the relationships and opportunities to learn from others that come with being part of the educational technology community. He enjoys exchanging ideas and sharing practical solutions with colleagues from other districts, particularly around student device repair and support. Within Hemet USD, Bryan has also mentored student interns and emerging technicians, sharing his experience and helping them develop the skills and confidence to grow as IT professionals.
CITE Volunteer Award
Josue "Josh" Valdez
Director of Technology
Rialto Unified School District
With over 15 years of experience in K–12 education technology, I currently serve as Director of Technology for Rialto Unified School District. I am a servant leader and lifelong student of leadership who is passionate about developing people, building trust, and creating collaborative teams where individuals feel valued and empowered.
At the heart of my “why” are people and students. I believe that when we invest in our people and help them reach their potential, we create stronger teams and better opportunities for the students we serve. I genuinely enjoy helping others grow, adding value to their lives, and creating opportunities for them to make an impact of their own. My involvement with CITE has allowed me to give back to a community that has contributed greatly to my own growth and to be part of something bigger than myself.
Regional Community Award
Mountain View/Los Altos High School District
IT Department
In 2019, the MVLA IT department had nowhere to go but up. The entire infrastructure was in shambles. Staff and students could not connect to the Wi-Fi. Classroom technology was inconsistent, unreliable, and in disrepair. There weren’t any established IT standards, nor were there best practices for security, inventory management, device refresh, etc. As a result, teachers attempted to solve their own problems, creating even more chaos. The bottom line: staff and students had zero confidence in MVLA technology.
In September of 2019, a new director was hired, and an overall infrastructure assessment was launched. Budgets were reviewed. Stakeholders were interviewed to determine instructional and technical needs. But just as that process began, the district was hit with ransomware, and six weeks later, distance learning began.
There was a silver lining to distance learning - campuses were empty, so the IT department went to work. They replaced the entire network - from the wiring, to the core, to the data closets, and to classroom and outdoor wireless access points. With input from teachers, they created a classroom standard for technology – and implemented it. Each classroom was outfitted with similar projection systems, distributed audio, docking-station monitors (to accompany new devices issued to staff), wireless projection, Wi-Fi, and document cameras.
Physical security was evaluated; the video safety system was at the end of its life. After reviewing different options and facilitating communication with the district admin and the board, the team successfully installed 300 new Verkada cameras across the district. They further enhanced security by installing access control systems. Lastly, they upgraded the server infrastructure (which was running Windows Server 2003!) with the latest and greatest - Nutanix.
The new infrastructure was ready to go when staff and students returned from distance learning. Training was provided so staff knew how to access and use the new tools in classrooms. Teachers were grateful and inspired. With new and functioning resources, teaching and learning were vastly improved across all campuses. The culture began to shift - trust in the systems and support was re-established.
Since then, the department has continued to build on this robust infrastructure. IncidentIQ was deployed as a helpdesk and asset management system. Regular training was provided for the various tools and software packages. A clear budget was created and approved by the cabinet and the Board of Trustees, allowing for proper refresh cycles, ensuring that the teaching and learning environment would not be compromised.