2026 NBG Booklet
A proud native of San Bernardino, California, Heather Morris is a transfor- mational educator, mentor, and college access advocate whose work continues to shift the trajectory of students and families across the Inland Empire. A product of San Bernardino City and Rialto
Unified schools, she attended Rio Vista Elementary, Martin Luther King Middle School, and Eisenhower High School before earning her Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Clark Atlanta University. She is currently pursuing her Master's in School Counsel-
WE ARE THE EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR
Heather MORRIS ing at Grand Canyon University. Since 2015, Ms. Morris has served the San Bernardino City Unified School District across North Park Elementary, Shan- din Hills Middle School, and Cajon High School, where she has spent the past five years advancing equity and target- ed student achievement. Her impact extends beyond the classroom through her leadership in community-based initiatives, including The Swans Club, and as founder of the Inland Empire's first majorette team, The Dazzling Divas, while also coaching a step team that builds confidence, discipline, and pride in young people.
A relentless advocate for marginalized students, Ms. Morris has expanded college and career pathways with a focused commitment to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), ensuring students are not only exposed to opportunity, but equipped to pursue it with confidence and clarity. Heather Morris embodies the spirit of this recognition-uplifting students to see themselves as scholars, leaders, and architects of their own future.
Too often, leaders like her do the work without the spotlight, quietly shaping lives, holding standards, and carrying others forward. Today, we name it, we honor it, and we lift her up, because the world deserves to see the brilliance that our students have always known."
EMBODYING THE SPIRIT OF THIS RECOGNITION-UPLIFTING STUDENTS TO SEE THEMSELVES AS SCHOLARS, LEADERS, AND ARCHITECTS OF THEIR OWN FUTURE.