Yvonne Gonzalez

Yvonne Gonzalez is a former school superintendent, serving in that capacity in the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) in 1997 as well as in Santa Fe Public Schools from 1994 to 1996. She also served as interim superintendent of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) in 1994. Her career in education ended after a conviction in federal court for embezzling money from DISD. Early life and career Gonzalez was born in Brownsville, Texas, but she grew up in Laredo, Texas. She received her undergraduate degree from St. Mary's University. She initially became a secondary level teacher in the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD). She first worked as a principal in San Antonio before working as an instructor at Texas A&M University and Old Dominion University. During her career she got master's and doctoral degrees at Stephen F. Austin University and Texas A&M University, with the latter conferred in 1987. Houston Independent School District (HISD) superintendent Joan Raymond recruited her as a school administrator. In Spring 1990 she was the principal of Sharpstown Middle School. From 1990 to 1991 she was the principal of Robert E. Lee High School, now known as Wisdom High School. In 1994, after superintendent Frank Petruzielo left the district, the school district voted 6-1 to make Gonzalez the interim superintendent; the school district board members described this as a "symbolic" motion as Gonzalez was the first Hispanic interim superintendent. Gonzalez served until Rod Paige became the superintendent. She became superintendent of the Santa Fe Public Schools in 1994. A lawyer named Michael Gross stated that the Santa Fe Public Schools community saw her tenure there negatively. She married twice, with Chris Lyle being her second husband. Lyle was unable to obtain employment in Santa Fe.