Rachael Maves: Hi everyone, you are listening to the Rachael Maves podcast and I'm Rachael Maves, your host. Today we are talking to Filiberto Camacho. With 27 years of dedicated service in the field of education, Filiberto brings a firm commitment to leadership grounded in compassion, experience, and purpose. He is a tireless advocate for students approaching each child with the same care, respect, and responsibility as if they were his own.

At the heart of his professional philosophy is the belief that every individual, regardless of role, title, or background, deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Filiberto consistently strives to model fairness, integrity, and empathy in all interactions, setting high expectations while offering unwavering support. Filiberto, thank you for joining me today.

Filiberto Camacho: Good morning, Rachael. It's a pleasure and an honor to be with you this morning.

Rachael Maves: Well, I'm really looking forward to our conversation today and excited to start off with our question that we ask everybody at the beginning. Why did you choose a career in education?

Filiberto Camacho: Wow, that's a really good question, Rachael. I'm gonna share a personal story that not a lot of people actually know about me.

I'm a true believer that sometimes you're set for destiny or destiny set to take you in one direction. So I want to thank my parents for bringing us over to the U.S. I migrated from Mexico and their vision was always to give us a better life and seek the American dream. So throughout that time,

Rachael Maves: you

Filiberto Camacho: I worked in the fields and while I was in middle school, I was working in the fields and throughout high school. And after graduation, my boss asked me, so what's the next step? And I told him, I'm going to take a semester off. And without any hesitation, he reached in his pocket and took the truck keys out and threw them at me and said, you go sign up at the community college and don't come back.

until you have a schedule. Wow, did that person make an impact at that time? And a few months later, I asked him for a raise and Rachael, at that time I was making $3.25 an hour. And yeah, yep. So he said, well, how much are we talking about?

Rachael Maves: Seriously, wow.

Rachael Maves: my gosh. We won't talk about how long ago that was. Like, what, three years? Right? Like...

Filiberto Camacho: And I said, well, how about $3.50, $3.75 an hour? And he goes, I don't have that kind of money. So I went to apply it at the local school district and I got hired as a yard duty and my starting pay was $8.25, Rachael. So at that point I was like, okay, great. Now I can continue my education. And at that time, my

Rachael Maves: Hmm.

Rachael Maves: my word.

Filiberto Camacho: major was going to be an accountant. I wanted to be an accountant. So I took all these accounting classes. I think I was at 36, 40 units and I was like, do I really want to sit myself in a cubicle every single day punching numbers? No. You know what? I'm going to go into law enforcement. yep.

Rachael Maves: Wait a second, what? From accounting and then to law enforcement?

Filiberto Camacho: Yep. And so I started taking all these administration of justice courses. And again, I was at like 36, 40 units and my wife was not behind it. And so having a lot of law enforcement friends, they would always tell me, is that really what you want? Because we have one of the highest divorce rates. And if your wife is not a hundred percent behind it and you want to stay with her, then I would say,

Rachael Maves: Mm.

Rachael Maves: Mmm.

Filiberto Camacho: really, really think about it. And so I was like, you know what, if she's not behind it 100%, then I'm going to change directions. And throughout this time, as I was working at a school district, a lot of the teachers that I supported would come back and say, you're just a natural to be a teacher. You're just a natural to be in education. You should consider that. So then I...

Rachael Maves: Wow.

Filiberto Camacho: pivoted over to my liberal studies. Graduated from community college, went on to CSUMB, graduated with my bachelor's, started the first phase of the teaching program. And during that time, it was when the No Child Left Behind Act was in effect and how they were talking about attaching the student test scores to the teacher's evaluations.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Filiberto Camacho: And I was like, do I really want to do that? So then I was presented with an opportunity to start working at the district office. And at first I turned it down. And my assistant superintendent of business came back again and said, you know, we really want you to come to the district office. This is how much you're making. This is how much you're going to make.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Filiberto Camacho: Wow. So I was like, you know what? Money's not everything. And so her convincing line was, you're making an impact at this middle school. However, you can make a bigger impact in the entire district. So from a classroom assistant, from a yard duty, I went to a classroom assistant to a liaison leader at the middle school.

Rachael Maves: right.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Filiberto Camacho: and then to the district office as an executive assistant. And then from there, I learned so much from our state trustee because we're on a state takeover for academics. And so she was just phenomenal. She would bring everybody in, have conversations, have straight

Rachael Maves: Filiberto Camacho (06:32.376)

conversations with individuals. There was no sugarcoating. This is the direction we have to go in, in order to make improvements in the district and get out of state receivership. And from there, I moved into becoming a director of technology. And I'll be honest with you, Rachael, I didn't even want the position. And...

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Rachael Maves: Hmm.

I was going to say everything that you've shared so far I would not have guessed that.

Filiberto Camacho: Yeah, and so I was like, no, you know, and people would always tell me my superintendent sent me down and my assistant superintendent and they were like, Filiberto, you just don't give yourself enough credit. Look at all the things that you've done. You've already been overseeing the technology department this past year. You just don't have the title nor the money.

Rachael Maves: Mmm.

Filiberto Camacho: And I was like, no, I don't think I'm ready for that. Although I had already taken so many computer classes and I was very, very knowledgeable in terms of networking. So they were like, look, you've already been doing this for a year. I think it's time to take the next step and become the director. And so.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Filiberto Camacho: I ended up becoming a director of technology.

Since day one, I owe it to my mentor because we had a sit down and I was like, Maribel, I didn't really want this position. And she's all like, Philly, you're going to be okay. It's going to be fine. I'm going to be here to support you, but you have to make me a promise. And I said, uh-oh.

Rachael Maves: you

Filiberto Camacho: What's that, Maribel? And she says that the knowledge I share with you is the knowledge you share with others.

Rachael Maves: and

Filiberto Camacho: And boy, was that impactful. And so I always think about that. And I always have the conversations with people and I say, look, I've had a lot of really good people throughout my career and I think I owe it back. And so that's why I'm always looking for ways to support others and help others and lead them in the right direction. And I always tell them, look,

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Filiberto Camacho: We can have a conversation. If what I share with you is useful, use it. If not, in one out the other, and it's no hard feelings. As long as we are making an impact to the students and to the staff. And so I think with this also, Rachael, is knowing how to humble yourself and not allowing a title to get to your head.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Rachael Maves: Yeah. Yeah.

Rachael Maves: Yeah, that's right.

Filiberto Camacho: I think being able to respect others, treat others with dignity and respect will take you a long ways.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Yeah. So in that story, Filiberto, tell our listeners a little bit about your current role. What are you doing now?

Filiberto Camacho: I'm still the IT director for a small district and sometimes people are like, you know, it's a small district. It is a small district, but we wear a lot of hats. so. Yes, so just a little bit of a of a history when I came to Chawanica Unified is I came in. And again, I. Just came here.

Rachael Maves: That's true of small districts that is 100 % true.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Filiberto Camacho: just wanted to use it as practice for interview because it had been so long that I had not interviewed. And so my son was going to school at Fresno State and my wife, the typical Mexican mom, she was always like, we should go see our son on this weekend. And I was like every week and she wanted to promise like, let him be, he's a college boy now, give him his freedom, give him his space. And she was always like, no, we should go see him.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Rachael Maves: Ha ha ha!

Rachael Maves: Yeah, moms and their sons.

Filiberto Camacho: you know, a few months later, she says, maybe you should look for something out there. And so I saw this position that you want to key and I was like, where is your one key? You know, so I started doing some Googling and it's I was like, oh, it's going towards Yosemite, going towards Bass Lake. And so I applied and did my first round, got called for the second round and.

got called for a third round. I was like, boy, this is a rigorous process for a small district. And I got a call back after my third interview and the superintendent says, hey, we would like to extend the offer to you. And I said, you know, let me think about it because it's quite a ways coming from Monterey County to the Central Valley. And he said, yeah.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Rachael Maves: Yeah, that's a big shift. That's a big change. Big change.

Filiberto Camacho: And so was like, let me think about this. And he goes, what is there to think about? Chawanaki is the place you want to be at. And so I shared my story with him. I said, you know, I'm sorry that I made you, you know, go through this process, but I don't think I'm ready. And he says, you know what? Come down and we'll have coffee. And we had a coffee after he extended the offer to me and Rachael.

Rachael Maves: Mm.

Filiberto Camacho: After that, the things that he shared with me, was like, I think I need to be at Chawanakie. I think I can make a difference. And so the money wasn't, you know, an issue for me. Yes, it was a pay cut. However, I knew that I can make a difference. And so.

After a couple months, I sat down with my superintendent and said, this is what I've seen. Give me your top three priorities. And he says, well, Filiberto, we don't have that a lot of money. It's a small district. And I said, I understand that. But I'm not asking for the money. I'm asking for what are your top three priorities? It is my job and my due diligence to go out and seek grants and see how we can make this happen.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Filiberto Camacho: And so he gave me his priorities and I applied for a grant and we were one of six recipients to receive 500,000. And one out of two, yeah, one out of two in the state of California.

Rachael Maves: Wow, that's huge, especially for a small district. Yeah.

Wow.

Filiberto Camacho: And we went from managing seven different phone systems to one, Rachael. You can just imagine trying to manage all these different phone systems. So we did an upgrade on our infrastructure. We did an upgrade on our phone systems. We went with digital clock and speakers throughout the entire district to standardize.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Yes.

Filiberto Camacho: We implemented security cameras throughout the entire district and it was all thanks to that grant. And my superintendent was like, I cannot believe that we did this in such a quick time. It wasn't even six months, Rachael, when all of this got done.

Rachael Maves: That's amazing.

Rachael Maves: Yeah, that's not a small lift. my gosh. That's fast, Filiberti. When I was a superintendent, we did something similar with the phone system and then all of the clocks going digital. And I don't think people understand, I mean, what a massive lift it is and what a massive return on investment it is just as a time saver for the district and the staff there. That's impressive.

Filiberto Camacho: Yeah. And so, I mean, my biggest thing is what are we doing for our students? How are we making an impact in our students today? It's in and my philosophy is there is no room for adult issues. It's all about our students. Because if you really think about it, Rachael, as you mentioned, you've been a superintendent.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Rachael Maves: Yeah. Yeah.

Rachael Maves: That's right. Yep.

Filiberto Camacho: when a parent drops off their student, you know, in front of the school, we are now their parent. And so every time I make a decision, I always think about it. What if this was my my child? Because I consider all of the students within my school district, my children. And I always collaborate with other directors and other people.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Filiberto Camacho: outside of Chawanakee. And my sharing with them is it's not about your district, it's not about my district, it's about our future leaders. Because you know what? The next surgeon that is performing surgery on me may be from your school district. But how do we collaborate to move the work forward and ensure that the students are receiving the proper education and that we are providing

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Filiberto Camacho: the necessary resources for them to be successful.

Rachael Maves: Yeah, that's right. Yeah, it's a weighty responsibility and a high level of trust for parents. Yeah, so in in like hearing all of this, Filiberto, in your journey and story, what are the couple things that really keep you up at night when you think about your role as the director over technology, but then also just your current district and the students that you're supporting?

Filiberto Camacho: Yes.

Filiberto Camacho: I would say that one thing that keeps me up at night is when there's gonna be a big event.

Rachael Maves: Yeah, I bet it does.

Filiberto Camacho: I'm always thinking I'm over. I'm always overthinking it. And it's just like, why are you overthinking? Things are going to be OK. You went through the run through. You have everything it's going to, you know, but it's technology. And, you know, technology, I mean, you always have that little room for error. And so I think that's one thing that keeps me up at night when there's going to be a big event. In terms of.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Filiberto Camacho: what keeps me up at night when, you know, in terms of doing my job. I always give it 110 % or more, Rachael. And I always ask myself every night, did I do the right thing for these kids? Can I lay my head on the pillow knowing that I did the best that I could? And there are things that we can control, Rachael, and things that we cannot control.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Rachael Maves: Yeah, that's right.

Filiberto Camacho: the things that we can control, then we need to address them. And it's okay to say, hey, I don't know how to do this. Can you help me? Can you guide me through? Because I think that in terms of seeking out for help, and I go through this every single day because I'm the director of technology, but I also take care of a school site as a technician.

because that's where my office is at. And a lot of times the teachers will be like, can I ask you this stupid question? And I said, there is no such thing as stupid. The stupid question is the one that you don't ask. I said, what can I help you in? And so then I explained to them and they're like, my God, thank you for letting me know. And as a leader, I think it's very important that in technology that we bring ourselves to that level.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Filiberto Camacho: and make the teachers and staff feel comfortable using the technology and allow them to understand that, hey, it's OK. It's technology. You can learn it. Walk them through that process of understanding how to troubleshoot, you know, not being able to launch your Google meets. It's OK. And.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Rachael Maves: Yeah. Yeah.

Filiberto Camacho: What I see in that is if we take the time to support our staff and our teachers, they're also going to take the time to support our students in the classroom. And so I think it's mutual there where we have to make sure that the staff and the teachers have the necessary resources to be successful so that they can take those and bring it into the classroom. So.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Filiberto Camacho: I know I talked a little bit much in regards to this, but I mean, I think we just have to really think about, am I at peace with myself with what I did?

Rachael Maves: Mm-mm.

Rachael Maves: Yeah, well, and what I appreciate about just embedded within that reflection, Filiberto, this almost gets to the next question, which is ways to move forward.

What I hear you saying is like part of your role in that space of humility and doing the best that you can is you really created and hold valuable making technology accessible to everyone within your district and creating that space where teachers can be honest about where they're at and not feel.

badly about surfacing that, which I think is, I mean, that's huge. That's part of the battle when you're trying to learn something new or troubleshoot something in that tech space. Yeah.

Filiberto Camacho: Yeah, and you just have to, you know, allow them time to feel comfortable. And, you know, a lot of times I hear from my staff like, Filiberto, you're not the typical IT person. You know, I came from the private industry and they were like this, you know, they were like, like robots. And, you know, you're not like that. And I said, it's, not about what I want. It's about how do we support you? How do we bring the technology to you to allow you to have

Rachael Maves: Yeah, yep.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Filiberto Camacho: you know, a positive impact in these students. And so sometimes they're like, oh my God, I can't believe this. I put in an IT request for this. I said, I always come back and I say, if all my IT requests were as easy as this, I'd be happy for you every single day. But again, you have to give them that freedom to kind of come out of their shell and say, I don't know how to do this.

Rachael Maves: Yeah, yep.

Rachael Maves: Hahaha

Rachael Maves: Yeah. Yeah.

Filiberto Camacho: It doesn't matter how easy or how hard the request is. I think we just have to make them feel comfortable.

Rachael Maves: Yeah, well on that note, I do if there's anything else like on the two ways to move forward, what beyonds like the making technology accessible, helping people to feel comfortable. Is there anything else that's top of mind for you as you're thinking about how you continue to move technology forward in your district?

Filiberto Camacho: I always take the time to have conversations with staff. Hey, what's working? What's not working? How can the IT department support you in a higher level if need be? you know, working here at Yawanaki and as I mentioned, wearing many hats. I also oversee the data.

Rachael Maves: Mm.

Rachael Maves: Yeah. Yeah.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Filiberto Camacho: so that when my superintendent needs data, she'll reach out to me and say, Filiberto, I need this data. And so working with PARSEC education as well and really looking at the data and seeing.

the data, is it matching, is it not matching? And then providing that data to my superintendent and my superintendent providing that data to the principals. And the principals then looking at the data and having those data chats with their teachers. I think it's very important because that gives us that lens to look at our practices making a difference.

Rachael Maves: Yes.

Filiberto Camacho: Do we need to realign some or realign or readjust some of our processes to ensure that we see that growth? And so I think it's important in terms of things to move forward is to continue having those conversations and looking at ways to improve that outcome.

Rachael Maves: Yeah. Yeah.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm. I appreciate that that continuous improvement cycle is just part of the way in which you do the work. It's it and I'm not surprised, Philip, there too. I mean, you're just very humble in your position and though wanting to do really well and serve people really well comes through very clearly. So this is going to be our last question as we wrap up our time together. What question in education are we not asking that we should be from your lens?

Filiberto Camacho: I think a question that, you know, sometimes a lot of people will say, yes, I asked myself that, but am I really reflecting on it is why are we here and what is our purpose? I think it's very important to really reflect on that and really analyze our answer. Why am I here? And

Rachael Maves: Mm.

Filiberto Camacho: is my purpose being met in the organization and is my purpose making a difference? As I mentioned before, in my philosophy, there is no room for adult issues. So I always reflect and ask myself, why am I here? Am I here for the adults or am I here for the students? And it's always about the students because

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Filiberto Camacho: If it wasn't for the students, we wouldn't be here. And this is an opportunity for us to be part of their future and part of making a difference in them. Many times we just might say, well, you know, I'm here as a leader. I just want to make sure that things get done. And so.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Filiberto Camacho: I see that as a two-part thing, Rachael. I see it as, are you a leader or are you a manager? A manager will make sure that things get done on a daily basis and that the operation, the day-to-day operation continues to flow. But a leader goes beyond that. A leader has a vision. A leader includes other people.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Filiberto Camacho: A leader has discussions whether they're good or bad and determine is my philosophy the right direction? Are we moving in the right direction? know, many times in IT, we talk to vendors. And I always talk to the vendors and I said, look, just because I'm the director of technology doesn't mean that you're just going to say yes, yes. No, I want you to challenge me.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Filiberto Camacho: I want you to make me think differently because many times, you know, we're so overwhelmed with work that our issues may be very narrow. And we think about something and say, OK, this is what I want to do. But I want my vendor to challenge me and say, Filiberto, have you thought about this? Because this can lead you to this, to this, to that. In many times.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Rachael Maves: Yeah, that fresh perspective.

Filiberto Camacho: Yeah, and many times I'll be like, you know what, you have a point. Let's go with that because I see where this can really lead us in the future. And there's going to be times where I will say, I hear your perspective. However, this is my vision based on meeting the goals of our district. And so building that relationship with your vendors is very important as well.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Rachael Maves: Yeah. Yeah.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Filiberto Camacho: And so I think that overall, it's how do we build those relationships that we can take and make a positive impact in our students? Because whatever decision we make has an impact on the students, whether it's good or bad.

Rachael Maves: Yeah, yep.

Rachael Maves: Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Yeah. Well, and I appreciate that lens, Filiberto, because what I hear you saying is we think about like, one, grounding ourselves in our purpose and understanding that really clearly and especially in education when it's centered on the kids and being there to support the students first, then that everything kind of falls into place around that.

which is very clear that that's a very purpose-driven human filibuster, which the Tawaneke is so blessed to have you on their staff.

Filiberto Camacho: I try my best every day and having these conversations with my superintendent and just having those open communication chats and just help me understand the direction that you want to move in. For clarification purposes, is this what you're asking for? And I mean, because...

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Filiberto Camacho: If we are not all together in this, then students are not going to be successful. And I think it's very important that we always think about what is in the best interest of our students and how are we making that impact.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Rachael Maves: Yeah.

Rachael Maves: Yep. Yeah.

Yes, I love that. Well on that note, thank you for joining me, Filiberto. This was just wonderful. I appreciated your time today.

Filiberto Camacho: Well, thank you for inviting me, Rachael. And I hope this can really help others understand the leadership style as well and really motivate them to collaborate with others and just build a path for the future.

Rachael Maves: Mm-hmm.

Rachael Maves: Yes, absolutely. Well thank you for that and as the new year dawns we at PARSEC are here to support you and your teams. We have a variety of free resources on our website built to support mid-year LCAP updates, climate and culture surveys, and your budget planning for the 26-27 school year. Check out what we have at parseceducation.com resources.

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This transcript was created from the episode's captions and lightly edited for readability. It may contain small errors; please refer to the audio for exact wording.