UPPER LAKE, Calif. — Upper Lake Unified Superintendent Dr. Giovanni H. Annous has received the prestigious California Superintendent of the Year Award for 2023 from the Small School District Association, or SSDA.

California has 939 school districts of which 730 are classified as small school districts.

Dr. Annous was recognized for his achievements and leadership of the Upper Lake Unified School District, or ULUSD, at the annual SSDA conference held in Sacramento.

“To be honored by SSDA and your peers with such a prestigious award is extremely gratifying,” said Annous. “To be recognized with an award that bears Charles Binderup’s name is of high honor. I am forever grateful to the Upper Lake USD community for believing in me and for their collaborative and continued support. I am also eternally thankful to our selfless and dedicated ULUSD school board and leadership team members for their hard work and commitment through our successful journey. Leading ULUSD has been my privilege, pleasure, and the best professional gift I have ever received.”

Dr. Annous hails from a family of educators; his father and mother are retired physical education and language teachers, his sister, Dr. Jinane Annous, is a retired superintendent, and his wife, Majda, is a school psychologist.

He and his wife are the proud parents of their 15-year-old son, Sebastien.

Dr. Annous graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in electrical, biomedical, and clinical engineering. He holds two Master of Science degrees in education with a focus on curriculum and instruction and educational administration.

He earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Laverne.

Dr. Annous’ career in education has spanned over 30 years; 26 of those years were spent in school and district leadership.

He started in the classroom teaching seventh and eighth grade science.

Annous served as a dean of students, assistant principal, middle school principal, high school principal and superintendent.

For 19 years, he served as a core adjunct professor for the University of Redlands, teaching in graduate and postgraduate programs.

In the past six years at the Upper Lake Unified School District, Dr. Annous has established and maintains positive relations with the Board of Education.

He has collaboratively passed two bond measures, solidified the unification of two districts and increased district average daily attendance.

With a strong balanced budget, he has increased employee compensation while establishing and maintaining successful relationships with labor partners. Moreover, Dr. Annous designed and developed a state-of-the-art Career Technical Education Complex, a cutting-edge health and fitness center, and phase one of the new elementary school.

In addition, Dr. Annous conceptualized and built a wellness center that serves the at-promise population of the district. Most of these accomplishments occurred against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which he kept the schools of the district open for in-person learning, with up to 78% of the students on campuses.

In 2018, Dr. Annous founded the Northshore Youth Club, a successful nonprofit organization providing academic, athletics, arts, and adventure programs serving upward of 600 children annually in and around Lake County.

Dr. Annous was named 2021 Superintendent of the Year for Association of California School Administrators Region 4 which encompasses all school districts in Marin, Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino and Colusa counties.

ULUSD board members and staff community lauded Annous as a visionary leader.

“Upper Lake Unified School District is very proud to have Dr. Annous as our superintendent and we are happy his hard work has been acknowledged by the education community and his peers. Our students and staff have received the best leadership and vision. Congratulations, Dr. Giovanni Annous!,” said Diane Plante, Upper Lake Unified School District Board president.

“Dr. Annous is a brilliant visionary without boundaries, he works tirelessly to provide the best for the staff, students, as well as the community. He is a phenomenal example of servant leadership,” said Upper Lake Unified Vice President Joanne Breton.

“Dr. Annous has been a transformational leader for our district, supportive and encouraging of the individual, fostering team development, and putting our community first. We have benefited from his experience and insight as we continue to develop and be inspired by the example he sets for us all at ULUSD,” said Anna Sabalone, president of the Upper Lake Employees Association, secondary assessment coordinator, and art, AVID and humanities teacher.

“Dr. Annous' passion, dedication, and tireless energy are evidenced by his remarkable accomplishments for our district. He treats us like family and is always willing to throw on his chef's hat and cook the entire staff a delicious meal. Under his leadership, he brought a vision to life, and our district thrived. I’m so proud to work for the Upper Lake Unified School District family. Congratulations, Dr. Annous!” said Angel Hayenga, English chair and teacher.

“Dr. Annous has made Upper Lake a destination district for our community. We appreciate his inspiration and energy, which is highly contagious. Our students are his top priority,” said ULUSD Board Member Claudine Pedroncelli.

“Dr. Annous’ dedication to education extends beyond teaching students. He is passionate about developing his staff and maximizing their potential,” said district Chief Business Official Michael Kauble.

“Dr. Annous is the epitome of a supportive, loving, giving, intelligent, visionary leader. He doesn’t just send his teams out to do the work. He is part of the change from the ground up. Everyone that works with Dr. Annous knows he has a heart of gold. Through his visionary leadership, the Upper Lake Unified School district is moving forward in an upward trajectory and there are only better things on the horizon with Dr. Annous at the helm,” said Tenderly Logan, assistant superintendent of pupil personnel services.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to be part of the ULUSD team under the leadership of Dr. Annous. His direction has turned our community into a destination district and established so many opportunities for the students of the Northshore to be successful,” said Upper Lake Middle School Principal Mike Smith.