AEA Superintendent

Dr. David Sciarretta

Dr. Sciarretta served as principal of AEACMS since the school’s founding before being promoted to Executive Director of AEA in October, 2013 and Superintendent in December, 2017. With a B.A. in history and political science, a Master’s of Education in cross-cultural teaching, a California Administrative Services Credential and a doctorate in Educational Leadership, Dr. Sciarretta is committed to life-long learning for students, staff and the community. His doctoral dissertation explored California charter school principal communication techniques with a focus on leadership storytelling. A 1993 Thomas J. Watson Fellow, Dr. Sciarretta has lived and worked in Mexico and Central America and is fluent in Spanish. In 2022, Dr. Sciarretta was named the Hart Vision Leader of the Year by the California Charter School Association (CCSA) and was presented with the award at their annual conference. In addition to his leadership role at AEA, Dr. Sciarretta is active on non-profit boards as well as on a statewide level with charter school policy-making, political advocacy and university teaching. On a personal level Dr. Sciarretta enjoys spending time with his daughter, exercising, attempting to meditate, reading and international travel.

Middle School Principal

Dr. Jose Diaz

Dr. Jose A. Diaz, a Filipino immigrant and Fulbright Global Leaders Awardee (2025), brings over 25 years of experience in education, encompassing classroom instruction, school leadership, and systems-level improvement. He earned a Bachelor of Music Education (2000) and a Master of Music Education (2005) from the University of Southern California. He later obtained his Administrative Services Credential from San Diego State University in 2015 and his Tier II Clear Administrative Credential from the University of California, Irvine in 2019 (Document #250197007).

Dr. Diaz completed his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership in 2022 through the Joint Doctoral Program at the University of California, San Diego and California State University San Marcos. His doctoral research focused on intervention systems and the social networks within Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) teams, emphasizing collaborative decision-making and student-centered outcomes.

Throughout his career, Dr. Diaz has taught at all secondary grade levels (6–12) and has accumulated over 17 years of direct instructional experience. While serving at San Diego High School, he successfully rebuilt the school’s music program—expanding Band, Orchestra, Drumline, and Choir to an enrollment exceeding 400 students—and established the school’s first AP Music Theory and International Baccalaureate (IB) music courses.

Since 2019, he has continued his leadership trajectory at Albert Einstein Academies, where he has served as ASB Director, Dean of Students, Assistant Principal then Principal, supporting student leadership development, school culture, and instructional systems across the organization.

Beyond education, Dr. Diaz honorably served over 11 years in the California Army National Guard, attaining the rank of Captain as an artillery officer. His military service included both state and federal missions, as well as a 10-month overseas deployment, from which he returned in July 2018.