Eric Barba, Ed.D., was selected as principal of Pasadena High School, effective July 1, 2024. Dr. Barba is an experienced secondary school principal with 26 years of experience as an educator. He has been the principal of Monache High School in the Porterville Unified School District (San Joaquin Valley) since 2015. Under his leadership, Monache was named a California Distinguished School in 2024, in part because of improvements in the school’s climate, a school-wide decrease in suspensions, improved attendance, and effective campus security and safety programs. Dr. Barba led the transformation of the school’s culture through transparent leadership, trust-building, and accountability; supervised four career academies; and was the lead site administrator during three major construction projects.
Dr. Barba brings a wealth of experience in secondary education: professional learning communities, career academies, career-technical education, and dual enrollment. He has served as senior director of college and career partnerships for Roll Global (now known as The Wonderful Company, LLC), senior high school instructional director in L.A. Unified, principal of Duarte High School and Northview Intermediate School, and assistant principal in the Baldwin Park and South San Francisco unified school districts. He has an Ed.D. in K12 Education Leadership from the University of Southern California, two Master’s degrees from Azusa Pacific University, and a Bachelor’s degree from Carleton College.