About The Superintendent

Welcome Back Message From Dr. Turkie

Dear North Monterey County Families and Staff,

Welcome back to a new school year at North Monterey County Unified School District! I hope you had an enjoyable summer and are ready to begin another year or learning. Our first day of instruction is Wednesday, August 13, 2025 and we are looking forward to welcoming you back into our schools!

We are excited to share that federal funding has been restored by the United States Department of Education, including English Learner support and the Migrant Education Program. This ensures that all of our programs and services will continue for the 2025-26 school year. This is an important step forward for not only our district, but school districts across the country.

Reflecting on my first year as superintendent, I am deeply grateful for the feedback and partnership of our staff, families and community. I have learned so much about what make NMCUSD special, and I am looking forward to building on what we do well as well as integrating best practices and continuous improvement into everything we do.

At NMCUSD, our mission is to ensure every students graduates college, career and life ready.

Our core values are:

To have high expectations for all, and to provide the necessary support each student needs to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
To be culturally responsive, human centered and kind; To be inclusive, collaborate across differences and find common ground.
To engage in continuous improvement and data based decision making.

Thank you to our dedicated staff for your commitment to our students, and to our families for your ongoing partnership. Your continued support helps make our shared vision for students success a reality.

Here's to a great 2025-26 school year filled with growth, opportunity, and achievement for all.

With appreciation,

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

About Antonio Garcia

Mr. Garcia is an equity-driven, transformative leader with over 23 years of experience serving youth and their families in New York City, Los Angeles, and Monterey County. A former classroom teacher and site administrator, Antonio has served as a district administrator for the last 9 years creating systems and supporting teams to ensure students have equitable access to a high quality educational experience. Most recently, he has served as a school principal supervisor and coach.

Antonio recently completed his doctoral coursework at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education’s Educational Leadership program and is preparing to defend his dissertation study entitled, “Futurity and Wellbeing: Perspectives of Black, Indigenous, People of Color Principals”. Mr. Garcia also earned a Master’s of Arts degree in Teaching and Curriculum from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Latino Studies from Columbia University. He also holds a California Administrative Services Credential and a Teaching Credential in Social Sciences.

Antonio is a child of Mexican immigrants. Many of his family members were farmworkers in this very county and across other communities in the United States. Born and raised in Los Angeles, he was the first in his family to graduate from high school and earn a college degree. He sees his rich cultural and linguistic heritage as a gift and a connection to many of our North Monterey County families. When not dedicating himself to education, Mr. Garcia enjoys spending time with his family, enjoying nature, music, exercising, traveling, and gaming.

As our new Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, Mr. Garcia is excited to collaborate with our staff, students, and families in order to build trust and community. His priority will be to strengthen structures and systems to ensure students, families, and staff feel like they belong in our schools. Antonio will collaborate with our amazing Educational Services department to support our site leaders in creating and sustaining conditions that will prepare our students for College, Careers, and Life.

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.

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Dr. Matthew Turkie

Superintendent

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

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