Cierra Standford
Cierra Standford was born and raised in Oakland, California. She served the Oakland community as KIPP Bridge Rising’s Director of School Operations (DSO) for the last five years. As a DSO, Cierra has developed an ambitious school operations vision in partnership with her school leader that maximizes outcomes for students, maximizes instructional time for teachers, and ensures that her campus has the long-term and sustainable systems and resources needed to create a safe, efficient, and financially stable school environment. Her school operations vision is based on school and student data and a shared commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Furthermore, Cierra successfully engages students, staff and families in developing and implementing the vision.
As a team leader, Cierra has cultivated an environment where junior operations members feel supported and respected in their work. They work as a team, which has been described as “spectacular” by her direct reports. They have ownership of their roles under Cierra’s leadership and have been able to grow and develop professionally. Cierra regularly seeks feedback so that she can be an effective leader and does not shy away from difficult conversations. She prioritizes collaboration and ensures that her team has the tools needed to be successful.
As a campus leader, Cierra balances her clear vision and high bar of excellence with a commitment to interacting, collaborating, and participating in school and region-wide activities with colleagues of diverse identities in a manner that contributes to creating a positive school and regional environment for students and staff. Her previous school leader noted that Bridge Rising is strong operationally because of the work that Cierra did directly and/or led through the work of others. Ciera has set priorities and developed systems that directly impact what matters most for her staff and students.
