Dr. Misty Navarro was sworn in Wednesday to fill the vacant Area 7 seat on the Pajaro Valley Unified School District board of trustees after being appointed by the board in a special meeting on Monday.
Navarro is an emergency medicine physician who has worked for Salinas Valley Health for the past 16 years. She succeeds former board president Jennifer Holm, who resigned in September after six years representing Area 7. Navarro will serve as an appointed member of the board through the two remaining years of Holm’s term.
Navarro grew up in the East Bay and was the first member of her family to attend college, obtaining both academic and financial need scholarships to the University of Southern California, where she studied psychobiology and neuroscience. She earned her medical degree at UC Davis Medical School and completed her residency in emergency medicine at Stanford University.
Navarro studied Spanish in Oaxaca, Mexico, and Guatemala, and uses the language daily in her work. Throughout her career, she has held numerous leadership positions within the Salinas Valley Emergency Medicine Group and Salinas Valley Health. She served on the Salinas Valley Health Foundation board for six years until her term ended.
“Committed to mentorship, she has guided individuals in both professional settings and across the community, speaking to students at Aptos High and Watsonville High School to inspire and motivate them,” the school district said in a release.
District superintendent Heather Contreras said that Navarro’s “dedication to the community and commitment to student success align perfectly with our goals as a district.”
“As a mother of two teenage boys who are my pride and joy and attend Aptos Junior High and Aptos High, I look forward to fulfilling my responsibilities in this challenging yet vital position, advocating for students, and supporting the superintendent staff. I am grateful for this opportunity and am eager to listen and learn as I embark on this new path,” Navarro said.
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