About The Superintendent

2025-26 End of Year Message From Dr. Turkie

Dear North Monterey County Unified School District Community,

As we close out the 2025–26 school year, I want to take a moment to express my sincere appreciation for our entire community. From our students and staff to our families and community partners, each of you has contributed to the work of supporting and strengthening our schools throughout my second year as Superintendent of NMCUSD.

Our mission is clear: ensuring every student graduates college, career, and life ready. This year, I have witnessed meaningful growth, progress, and achievement across our schools and departments. At the same time, we know our work is far from complete. While we have much to be proud of, we must also remain committed to addressing challenges, closing gaps, and continuously improving outcomes for all our students. Progress is important, but so is our willingness to honestly recognize where we need to do better.

To our teachers, thank you for the creativity, care, and resilience you bring to your classrooms each day. You continue to support and inspire our students, often navigating complex demands while keeping student learning at the center of your work. Alongside you, our classified staff members provide essential services every day, supporting students and schools in countless ways and ensuring that our campuses remain functional, welcoming, and supportive places for learning.

I also want to recognize our administrators and school leaders, whose leadership and compassion guide our campuses through obstacles and moments of change. Your commitment to students, staff, and continuous improvement is critical to the progress we are making as a District.

In addition, I am deeply grateful for our support staff and district teams in IT, maintenance, health services, business, counseling, transportation, nutrition services, and beyond. Your expertise and dedication keep our district operating each day and play a vital role in supporting student safety and well-being.

To our families and caregivers, thank you for your partnership, trust, and engagement throughout the year. Your involvement strengthens our schools and ensures that we remain focused on meeting the needs of our students and community.

Together, we will continue building on our successes and learning from our experiences. I wish everyone a well-deserved summer, and I look forward to continuing this important work together in the year ahead.

Sincerely,

matt signature
Dr. Matt Turkie, Superintendent of North Monterey County Unified School District

Superintendent's Cabinet

Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Division

About Brenda Ramirez

A dedicated leader with deep ties to our community, Brenda Ramirez brings not only a wealth of professional experience, but also a personal commitment to the success of our students and schools.

Brenda is no stranger to NMCUSD. As a proud alumna and current parent, her connection to the district is both heartfelt and lifelong. Now, she returns in a leadership role, ready to give back to the community that helped shape her and that continues to shape her children.

With a master's degree from Boston College and a bachelor's degree from Saint Mary's College of California, Brenda Ramirez has build a strong foundation in business administration. She brings nearly 13 years of experience in school finance and operations, most recently serving at the Monterey County Office of Education. In her previous role, she led efforts to grow and support internal business teams while collaborating across multiple districts.

Brenda's approach to school finance goes far beyond the numbers. She views her work as an opportunity to be a responsible steward of public resources, always keeping students, equity, and long-term impact at the heart of every decision.

Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services

photo of woman wearing a green blouse and white blazer standing in front of office

About Swati Dagar

Swati Dagar is a strategic, relationship-centered, and data-driven leader who consistently places students at the heart of every decision. Her career spans teaching, site leadership, and district administration, including service as a principal, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, and Director of
Student/Administrative Services.

Ms. Dagar brings extensive experience supporting diverse student populations, including leading migrant and Title I schools, and is widely respected for building strong, collaborative teams and aligning curriculum, assessment, and professional learning to improve student outcomes. At the district level, she has led system wide efforts to
strengthen instructional clarity, enhance Multi - Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), and implement a Science of Reading-aligned literacy program to support early learning success.

She brings a forward-thinking approach to innovation, including leading the development of an engineering-focused academy that expands opportunities for critical thinking, problem-solving, and real-world application.

Grounded in service and a deep commitment to students and school communities, Ms. Dagar maintains a strong and visible presence across school sites and steps wherever support is needed. You will often see her rolling up her sleeves and working alongside school teams, reflecting her hands-on and collaborative leadership approach. In addition to her responsibilities as Director of Student/ Administrative Services, she has even provided support to a school during a principal transition, helping ensure continuity, stability, and ongoing care for students, staff, and families.

Her work reflects a deep belief that leadership is both thoughtful and service-driven - rooted in strong relationships, supporting those closest to the work, and creating the conditions for every student to succeed.

Ms. Dagar is honored to serve the North Monterey County community and is committed to
working in partnership with students, staff, families, and community members to ensure every
student is prepared to learn, lead, and thrive.

Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources

About Curtis Wilson

Mr. Wilson’s career in education began as a sixth-grade teacher in Galt, CA. He then joined the Folsom-Cordova Unified School District, where he served as a teacher at multiple sites and later as a site principal, before advancing to the role of assistant superintendent of K-12 Instruction. After a decade in this position, Curtis became the superintendent of the Mother Lode Union School District. Recently, he was honored as Superintendent of the Year for Region 2 by the Association of California School Administrators.

Like many educators, Wilson considers himself a lifelong learner. He graduated from Sacramento State University and continued his education at the University of Phoenix and the University of Southern California. His advanced degrees focus on educational leadership, including a doctoral program specializing in organizational change and leadership.

Outside of his professional life, Mr. Wilson enjoys visiting his grown children, playing guitar, and tinkering with cars.

Mr. Wilson is excited to join the North Monterey County family and looks forward to serving this community as the new Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources.

In this role, Mr. Curtis Wilson will focus on enhancing employee engagement, fostering professional development, and ensuring a supportive and inclusive work environment for all staff members. Curtis aims to implement strategic HR initiatives to work for our current and prospective staff within the district and is committed to promoting a culture of continuous improvement and excellence in education. His leadership will be instrumental in aligning the district’s human resources practices with its overall mission and goals, ultimately contributing to the success and well-being of both staff and students.

Navigation

Dr. Matthew Turkie

Superintendent

Ireri Cabrera
Executive Assistant to the Superintendent
(831) 633-3343 ext. 1210

ASK THE SUPERINTENDENT

Logo Image

Logo Title

In This Section