Dr. Geovanny Ponce
Houston ISD - East Area Superintendent

Thursday April 1, 2020

Raised in an impoverished neighborhood in his native Honduras, Dr. Geovanny Ponce experienced first-hand the hardships of poverty. But it was his persistence of going to school and love of reading that opened doors for a better future.  Today, through his work in education, Dr. Ponce continues to make a difference in the lives of children, who like him, have little or no opportunities. His calling is that every student, no matter their background or lack of resources will succeed.

For more than two decades, Dr. Geovanny Ponce has proven to be an innovative and knowledgeable educator. His childhood experiences have fueled his passion for supporting the growth of the urban child. Dr. Ponce, an immigrant from Honduras, instills collaborative leadership to ensure students from all social, economic and ethnic backgrounds have equal access to high-quality learning opportunities.

Dr. Ponce’s broad range of experience includes mechanical engineer, classroom teacher, campus network specialist, dean of instruction, assistant principal, principal of Hartman Middle School, and most recently principal of Jones Futures Academy. Through his work, he has received recognition from Rice University’s REEP Program and the George W. Bush Presidential Center. He was recognized as HISD’s Secondary Principal of the Year and the Region IV Secondary Principal of the Year for the 2017-18 school year. Previously, he was selected as Bilingual Teacher of the Year, HISD Assistant Principal of the Year, and HISD’s Rookie Secondary Principal of the Year.

Dr. Ponce earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the National Autonomous University of Honduras in Tegucigalpa, a master’s degree in educational administration and supervision at the University of Houston, a bilingual education certification from St. Thomas University, a REEP Business Fellowship for School Leaders from Rice University, and superintendent certification from Region IV. His accomplishments as a secondary school leader led him to serve as a lead principal working to support other secondary school leaders in HISD. Dr. Ponce earned his doctoral degree in fall 2019 in public school administration at Texas A&M University- College Station.