our governing board

Dr. Luna-Najera was appointed to the Tolleson Union High School District Governing Board on November 9, 2020, to fill a vacancy. Dr. Elda Luna-Najera is a licensed master social worker in the state of Arizona. The majority of her professional work has been with families and children in non-profit settings and public education. Her passion for working with children and youth has brought her to serve homeless and foster care youth in public high schools. She currently serves as the AFUHSD liaison for foster care and homeless education. Dr. Luna-Najera is a longtime resident of the Tolleson Union High School District for over 18 years. Dr. Luna-Najera believes that schools have always played a critical role in student success and that strong social-emotional health in conjunction with equitable academics will lead to a strong foundation for all students on their diverse paths after high school. 

Dr. Luna-Najera earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Arizona State University. She holds a doctorate degree in social work from the University of Southern California.

Mr. Chapman joined the board in December of 2010 and is currently in his third term as a Tolleson Union High School District Governing Board member. In 2006, he graduated from Westview High School, and has volunteered in the district and the community since. Mr. Chapman has been a strong advocate for CTE in the district and spearheaded the West-MEC ballot initiative for the district in 2012 that has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to the classroom. In addition to his support of students, during his presidency of the board, he worked with the board to create a strengthened meet and confer policy that brought all employees to the table to have a say in the direction of the district.

At the state level, Mr. Chapman has served as a member of the Arizona School Boards Association (ASBA) Board of Directors since 2015 and became the president of ASBA in April of 2019 through December of 2020. In his time as president of ASBA he has led advocacy efforts at the capitol to increase funding for schools, and defending local control so communities have a say in their school districts. As of January 2020, Mr. Chapman also began his term of service on the Arizona K12 Center Board of Directors. The center supports teachers seeking National Board Certification.

Beyond Arizona, Mr. Chapman has served in leadership roles with the National School Boards Association (NSBA). This year he serves as the chair for the Pacific Region, which represents the eight pacific state members of NSBA. His work there allows Tolleson UHSD, and Arizona, to have a voice at the national association and to congress during their advocacy efforts for federal resources to public school districts.

A believer in the importance of self and professional development, Mr. Chapman has received top accolades from ASBA for board development including a Masters in Boardsmanship and the Cluster Awards that recognize over 500 hours of professional development. In addition, he seeks all opportunities to learn and engage in the community. In 2019, Mr. Chapman graduated from the Hispanic Leadership Institute through Valle del Sol.

Mr. Chapman is a lifelong resident of the west valley and the district. He believes in the future of the district, its students, its staff, and its community members.

Mr. Del Palacio has been on the Tolleson Union High School District Governing Board since 2015 and was re-elected as Vice President on January 10, 2017. He is a Human Services graduate of Rio Salado Community College, and obtained a Constitution Law Certificate from Yale University. In 2015, Mr. Del Palacio was elected Pacific Regional Director for the National Black Council of the National School Board Association.  He represents schools, students, and Governing Board members in the Pacific region.  Beginning in 2012, Mr. Del Palacio contributed as a community organizer and worked with members of the community to register voters for upcoming elections. Community involvement is very important to Mr. Del Palacio. He is the founder of PHX United, which organizes community service programs for at-risk youth. Mr. Del Palacio believes that every kid deserves access to a quality education, and he knew that becoming a governing board member would empower him to achieve his goal. As a member of the TUHSD team, Mr. Del Palacio is looking forward to optimizing learning for all.