Principal Robert D. Villarreal, Ed.D.
Nationally recognized and awarding winning, Dr. Robert Villarreal is true leader who “picked himself up by the bootstraps.” He was one of five siblings raised by a single mother who possessed boundless love, energy, and an indefatigable work ethic. Her dedication and selfless sacrifices made it possible each of her children to fulfill their enormous potential. Dr. Villarreal’s mother taught him that success is about how hard you work NOT where you are from. She also taught him to value education, and that education has liberated more people from bondage than all the armies of the world.
Dr. “V” has learned the art of leadership through study, internships, mentors, and practice over the past 34 years. His experience have taught him that every school, no matter how great – faces difficult times. There are no enduring great schools that have a perfect unblemished record. They all have ups and downs. The critical factor is not the absence of difficulty but the ability to bounce back and emerge stronger.
Creating a great school is achieved by first determining what is needed to realize unsurpassed results, and second, taking deliberate steps – one after the other – to succeed. As a leader, Dr. V has an absolute commitment to a Standard of Excellence. He is dedicated to making anything he touches the best it can possibly be because he simply can’t imagine doing it any other way.
Dr. V believes that letting something remain good when it can become great, is down right unforgivable. Dr. V is driven to build up West Generation Academy into a genuinely effective institution of learning over the long term for its students, parents, alumni, community, friends, and donors.
Servant leadership is Dr. V’s modus operandi. He espouses servant leadership principles whose vision centers around bringing West Generation Academy constituencies together and back on the road to achieving prodigious academic goals. Dr. Villarreal is prepared to handle the challenges of leadership and the difficult decisions that keep leaders awake at four o’clock in the morning.
Dr. Villarreal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of Denver, Master of Arts in Type D. Administrative Certification, from the University of Colorado, and a Doctorate of Education from the University of Northern Colorado
In the past fifteen years Dr. Villarreal has received numerous State and National awards:
-Dr. Villarreal has received numerous honors. A partial list follows:
-National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, U.S. Department of Education, 2001
-Tointon Institute for Educational Change Fellow, 2005
-Colorado Health, Physical Education Association Administrator of the Year Award
-Colorado Rockies Hispanic Outstanding Leadership Award, 2004
-Distinguished Educator Award, IDEA Academy of Fellows
-Member, United States Delegation of Administrators to China, 1999
-Terrel H. Bell Award. 1999
-Milken Educator Award, 1996
-Educational Policy Fellow, Institute for Educational Leadership, George Washington University, 1979