Superintendent

Dr. Estrada Thomas has dedicated her entire professional career to public school education.  Her career spans 38 years in a variety of leadership roles with the most recent appointment as the superintendent for Hutto ISD in October 2017.  

Her life’s work has focused on ensuring equity for all children.  Her paternal grandmother, father, and mother are her inspiration.  Her father became a successful business owner as an adult, but he was an immigrant and a migrant worker as a youngster who wanted nothing more than to attend school.  The harshness of poverty required him to work at a young age for his family.  Growing up, her father instilled a love for education and continues to be her main encourager.  Dr. Estrada Thomas dedicates her life’s work to honor her father and ensures that all the children, especially those from poverty, receive a quality, equitable education. 

She believes that strong personal relationships among everyone in a school district are the cornerstone of all sound instruction.  She challenges herself annually to learn employees’ names and as many students as possible.  More importantly, she advocates for well-rounded experiences for children, which makes coming to school engaging, enriching, and motivating.  She is a strong supporter of the arts and athletics, innovative programs such as dual language and robotics, and anything career and technical education. She promotes innovation, leadership, and diversity of programming, all to serve students and prepare them for careers they may not know exist when they graduate.  

Her professional experiences include serving as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction in Fredericksburg ISD; Director of Human Resources in Bastrop ISD; a middle and high school principal for 19 years; and teaching at the elementary and high school levels.  She also worked as a Research Associate at the TEA and the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) in San Antonio, which was instrumental in assisting with the completion of her doctoral studies. 

Dr. Thomas takes pride in working closely with the City of Hutto officials to manage the immense growth in the area.  Visibility and a strong connection to the community are what make Dr. Thomas an effective, well-rounded leader in Hutto.  She is a regular attendee at school-related and community events and a member of various community-based organizations.  

Dr. Estrada Thomas holds a Doctorate Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Master of Education and a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Pan American University (now University of Texas Rio Grande Valley).  

Dr. Thomas is married to Michael Lee Thomas.  They have a blended family of six grown children, four daughters and two sons, and eight grandchildren.  Three of their daughters are public school teachers; both sons served in the military, one of whom is still an active duty 19-year Marine.  They enjoy spending time with their grandchildren, country western dancing, and loving on their two dogs, Koda and Cooper.