Dr. Leslie Torres Rodriguez

Biography

Leslie Torres-Rodriguez is a prominent education leader in the Greater Hartford region, with a career spanning over 25 years in various leadership roles. She currently serves as the Superintendent of Hartford Public Schools, a role she has held since 2017. Dr. Torres-Rodriguez is a proud graduate of Hartford Public Schools and completed her undergraduate studies in Human Development at the University of Connecticut. She furthered her education with a Master of Social Work and earned her Doctorate of Educational Leadership from Central Connecticut State University. Under her leadership, she led a comprehensive citywide engagement process that culminated in a unanimous vote from the Board of Education to support the District Model of Excellence, focusing on equity and redesigning the educational framework to enhance student outcomes. She has developed and executed an equity-centered budgeting process that allocated targeted resources to Multilingual Learners and students with diverse learning needs, ensuring that the voices of students are included through initiatives like the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. Dr. Torres-Rodriguez has also partnered with elected officials to secure substantial funding for capital improvements, facilitating the creation of new schools and enhancing educational facilities in the community.

Research Interests