Keeping Kids at the Center: Meet BVSD’s New Deputy Superintendent

Photo: Dr. Nativity Miller, right, talks to Maisy, a second grader at Mesa Elementary in Boulder. (Photo by Cliff Grassmick)

The choice of Dr. Nativity Miller to become Boulder Valley School District’s next Deputy Superintendent brings both an opportunity for continuity and change.

Continuity in the sense that Dr. Miller has helped shape nearly every major academic and strategic effort in BVSD over the past eight years. Change in the sense that her new role expands her ability to influence the district’s future at a critical moment for public education.

But if you ask Dr. Miller what has guided her journey into leadership, she doesn’t begin with titles or strategic plans.

She begins with her mother – a longtime teacher.

“I grew up in a school, basically,” Dr. Miller shared. “My mom worked for 35 years in a really impacted Title I school (in Adams 12) and she genuinely believed every student could learn and make academic progress, regardless of where they started”. Long before data platforms and progress monitoring systems, she would sit on the floor with a spiral notebook, reviewing her notes, and think about exactly what every child needed. I have vivid memories of sitting on book room floors, choosing books to meet the needs of every student in her classroom.”

That experience shaped Dr. Miller’s philosophy as an educator and leader.

For more than a decade, she taught alongside her mother in the same school, serving students in high-needs communities while developing what she describes as a passion for “handling hard.”

“I just always knew Title I was where I wanted to start,” she said. “I believe all kids can learn and all kids have the capability if we put in both love and strategic planning in teaching.”

That belief would carry Dr. Miller through a career path that moved steadily from teacher, to coach, to assistant principal, to principal, to executive leadership. Along the way, she led turnaround work in a heavily impacted elementary school, coached principals, oversaw district networks, and eventually helped lead the academic systems and strategic planning work that has coincided with some of the strongest student outcomes in BVSD history.

Yet despite the increasingly broad scope of her responsibilities, Dr. Miller says she has worked intentionally to stay grounded in the realities of classrooms and schools.

“I have to intentionally think about what my touch points are in schools,” she explained. “I never want to forget what it was like to be a teacher or principal. I work to stay aware of what educators are lifting every single day.”

That mindset has become a defining part of her leadership style — balancing system-level strategy with authentic relationships and practical understanding.

“I genuinely care about people as human beings,” Dr. Miller said. “Relationships not only build strong teams, they also help us move the work together”.

She describes herself as someone who intentionally recognizes the behind-the-scenes work of district staff who often operate outside the spotlight.

“I tell my Academics team they’re the offensive line of the district,” she said with a laugh. “They may not always be the ones scoring the touchdowns, but they create the space for success to happen.”

Those who have worked closely with Dr. Miller say that combination of high expectations, consistency, and relationship-building has become one of her greatest strengths as a leader.

At a recent District Leadership Team meeting, Dr. Miller reflected on the last eight years in BVSD — years marked by curriculum redesigns, strategic planning, transportation changes, pandemic response efforts, and organizational transformation.

“When I think about BVSD and what has defined our work, the two words that come to mind are grit and persistence,” she told district leaders. “Through the hard, we do it with grit and we do it with persistence.”

“I think hard is always going to happen,” she added. “The key is preparing for hard instead of waiting for hard to happen and reacting to it”. 

Dr. Miller says one of her priorities will be sustaining and refining the district’s long-term strategic work rather than chasing constant reinvention.

“I think there’s comfort in knowing we’re going to continue the work we’ve already started as a system,” she said. “We’re not interested in the status quo. We still have work to do. But we know where we’re headed.”

That continuity matters during a period of significant leadership transition across the organization, as several longtime district leaders prepare for retirement or new opportunities.

“We would be naïve to think that when you have new people in leadership roles you don’t have to intentionally rebuild culture and relationships,” Dr. Miller said. “But I also think of such changes as an opportunity.”

Dr. Miller also shared her gratitude for her predecessor, Dr. Lora de la Cruz.

During her remarks to district leaders, Dr. Miller paused to recognize the outgoing Deputy Superintendent for helping build the role she now inherits.

“I have a lot of respect for somebody who can create the path, but also look back and pull you up through it, that’s exactly what she’s done for me.”

Now, as she prepares to help lead BVSD into its next chapter, Dr. Miller says her focus remains remarkably simple.

“In every role I’ve had,” she said, “I’ve tried to keep kids at the center."