From Trinity Shortstop to Assistant Superintendent

Frank Alfaro ’94, Ed.D., may hold only one official title with the Alamo Heights Independent School District (AHISD)—assistant superintendent for administrative services—but his impact is felt in nearly every corner of the district.

Alfaro supports a variety of AHISD offices, such as human resources, communications, technology, counseling services, nursing services, and athletics, just to name a few. He is also the district point of contact for legal matters, policy, government and legislative relations, school board planning, student discipline, and other administrative items. Additionally, Alfaro is involved with the curriculum and the school foundation.

“I get to work with a wide variety of people and programs that comprise public education,” Alfaro says. “I find great meaning in my work because it involves two of my core values: usefulness and grace. I get a great deal of satisfaction from ‘being of use’ to others, helping them to think through complex issues and finding workable solutions. I also love to lift up and encourage others when they stumble, offering grace, at least as much as others have offered to me.”

Beyond his district work, Alfaro has shaped future school leaders as an adjunct professor for Trinity’s education department since 2010, teaching classes in school leadership for educators seeking principal certification.

For Alfaro, choosing Trinity for his own educational journey was the result of an ideal blend of academic rigor, personal connection, and opportunity.

“Trinity’s strong academic reputation, the small class sizes, and the community feel of the campus were all reasons why Trinity was among my top considerations,” Alfaro replies. “When I was offered a Murchison Scholarship—which covered full tuition for four years—attending became more realistic for my family. Being able to play baseball sealed the deal for me.”

Alfaro was in the Tigers' baseball starting lineup all four seasons from 1991 to 1994, playing shortstop and second base. In his sophomore year, Alfaro received a spot on the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference All-Conference Second Team. He also played intramural flag football for Omega Phi and “spent lots of time in the library.”

After graduating cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in history from Trinity in 1994, he returned to his hometown of Lytle, Texas, where he jumped into teaching English and debate, coaching two state medalists in the district, and bringing his Trinity Baseball experience to coach athletics.

A master’s degree in education leadership from the University of Texas at San Antonio was next on the agenda. Then AHISD came calling, and he was hired as a part-time assistant principal and teacher at Alamo Heights High School. Alfaro taught two periods of English, and the rest of the day, he was an assistant principal. He also coached University Interscholastic League (UIL) speech, debate, and current events.

“This setup enabled me to continue to work with students in the classroom,” Alfaro says. “I built a strong relationship with them and kept a foot in the world of all our teachers’ experience in the classroom.”

Alfaro had this arrangement for five years before he spent one year as a full-time assistant principal. While he was an assistant principal, Alfaro earned a doctoral degree in educational administration from Texas A&M University in 2008.

In 2010, Alfaro was named the district’s assistant superintendent for secondary education. He and his colleagues restructured the district-level leadership to have one assistant superintendent for elementary education, headed by future Superintendent Dana Bashara, Ed.D., and Alfaro’s position for secondary education. Another restructuring in 2018 placed Alfaro into the role he continues to shape today, drawing upon lessons he learned from Trinity to thrive in his work.

“The analysis of complex ideas and readings in my classes prepared me for my current position,” Alfaro says. “Whether it was Socratic discussions in the classroom led by professors or the papers I wrote and the feedback I received from professors, my coursework honed the critical thinking I use as a school leader.”

For students considering a career in education, Alfaro offers the following heartfelt advice:

“I would say to remember the important teachers you had growing up, the ones who made a profound impact on you,” Alfaro says. “You could be that person for countless children. Regardless of what age you teach, you will make a life-changing impact on young people. Because of this, your work as an educator will bring you meaning and fulfillment.”

Alfaro’s wife, the former Michelle Grajeda, is a retired high school English teacher. Their daughter, Abby Grajeda, graduated from the University of the Incarnate Word and works in San Antonio.