Rodriguez Named RCOE Confidential Employee of Year

DSUSD’s Consuelo Rodriguez Named RCOE Confidential Employee of the Year

It is with great pride that Superintendent Scott Bailey shares the news that Desert Sands Unified School District‘s Consuelo “Connie” Rodriguez has been named Confidential Employee of the Year for the entire Riverside County.

IMG_0105 (2) Connie serves as the confidential administrative assistant for the director of classified personnel. In a school district, certificated personnel are teachers and guidance counselors or administrators holding teaching certificates. Members of the classified personnel team include bus drivers, security agents, nutrition services workers, and those in departments such as purchasing, communications, and the team of administration assistants, and more. Connie was selected as the DSUSD confidential employee of the year in December 2020. She is one of over 2,700 members of the DSUSD team and one of more than 36,000 employees in the Riverside County Office of Education.

Connie was notified of her award in a surprise virtual announcement by Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Edwin Gomez, Ed.D. on Tuesday, March 10. He was joined by DSUSD Superintendent Scott Bailey as well as team members from both Desert Sands and the county.

In honoring Connie, Dr. Gomez noted, “Consuelo Rodriguez is a confidential administrative assistant for Personnel Services, Desert Sands Unified School District. She has worked in education for 12 years with five of them serving as a confidential employee. Her work has afforded her the opportunity to directly connect with employees – whether it be in good times such as assisting with leaves to bond with their newborns, leaves to pursue higher education, and promotions and bad times such as their time of loss, mourning, illness, and discipline processes. At the end of her career, Consuelo hopes to have made every single employee feel heard, valued, and part of the team.” Visibly moved by the surprise announcement, Consuelo Rodriguez said, “I am honored by this recognition and so very grateful. I look up to people, they motivate me to be a better employee, and there are many I look up to in this district. I am so grateful and this is so unexpected.”

Walking out of her office following the announcement Connie was surprised to find the entire personnel services department waiting with a tiara, a banner, and a cake.