Arizona school boards group's chief resigns after false claim to college degree

The Arizona School Boards Association on Monday announced the resignation of its executive director, Devin Del Palacio, following controversy over false information in his resume about obtaining a college degree.

The former president and two other officials with the influential association, which represents and is funded by more than 200 school boards in the state, resigned in July over concerns the matter was being ignored. The association fired the legal counsel who reported his findings about Del Palacio. Since then, a group of 22 past presidents of the association have put pressure on state school boards to hold the group accountable.

Del Palacio's resignation will be effective Dec. 15, according to the association. It will soon seek his replacement.

"A mutual agreement has been reached, which allows Mr. Del Palacio the ability to pursue other interests and time-sensitive opportunities for growth that have presented themselves on his professional path and permits the Board to pursue hiring another Executive Director," the board said in a statement to members released to The Arizona Republic.

The association didn't say what that agreement was, but that it was in all the parties' best interests and completed "to effectuate a smooth transition in this amicable parting."

Del Palacio, who briefly served as an appointed state representative last year, has never confirmed the accusation or spoken about it publicly.

He did not respond to a voicemail Monday.

James Bryce, the former president who resigned and current member of the Solomon Elementary School District governing board in Graham County, derided the Arizona School Boards Association for failing to fully explain what happened.

"Throughout this whole process, ASBA leadership has failed to formally address any of the concerns from its membership," Bryce said, adding that the lack of transparency was "typical" of its current leaders. "The silence says it all."

Investigation found resume wasn't truthful

Del Palacio remains a member of the Tolleson Union High School District governing board, a position he's held since 2014. Before taking the executive director position, he worked for the Arizona School Boards Association as a "strategic advocacy consultant" for two years. He previously had served as chair of the National School Boards Association’s National Black Council of School Board Members, and on the Arizona School Boards Association's board of directors.

ASBA is a 75-year-old nonprofit that helps set policies, find superintendent candidates, and train school board members.

Bryce told The Republic in August he quit his volunteer position after the group's 25-member board of directors overruled his decision to abstain from signing a contract with Del Palacio in June for the position, which pays $215,000 annually. As he explained then, a "whistleblower complaint" about Del Palacio led to an investigative report by a law firm that was ignored by the board.

The investigation found that Del Palacio submitted a resume to the association in 2021 for his consultant job but was told the position required a college degree. He then submitted a second resume indicating that he graduated from the former Western International University in Phoenix with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

He used the same resume when applying for his executive director job this year and last year to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. He offered his service to the county to fill out the remaining term in office for outgoing Rep. Diego Espinoza, a Tolleson Democrat who resigned in September.

Del Palacio's LinkedIn account — which he later deleted — listed Western International University as an educational institution that he attended from "2006-2006" and didn't mention a bachelor's degree. In a 2020 interview with podcaster Stevon Cook, Del Palacio acknowledged he attended Western with a plan to obtain a business degree but "dropped out."

Presented with the information of Del Palacio's fudged resume, the association's board of directors refused to acknowledge it.

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'Integrity and accountability' prevailed, says past president

The state association had called Del Palacio a "dynamic and visionary leader," in a news release after he resigned.

In its statement about his resignation Monday, the association extended its "best wishes" and appreciation for Del Palacio. It cited accomplishments that include expanding participation in its conferences, creating its first ASBA Women's Leadership Summit and Student Art Contest, and leading ASBA "through a transformative rebranding process, significantly reinforcing its financial stability and positioning it for future growth and success."

"Mr. Del Palacio thanks the Board of Directors for providing him with the opportunity to serve ASBA as Executive Director and would also like to express his heartfelt appreciation to the staff and the Arizona school community for their support of ASBA’s programs and services during his term," the statement said.

Linda Lyon, president of the Oracle School District and one of the past presidents who urged school boards around the state to take action, said the former presidents are "pleased" with the outcome.

"You would hope that integrity and accountability would prevail, and today, that's what happened," Lyon said.

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Reach the reporter at rstern@arizonarepublic.com or 480-276-3237. Follow him on X.com @raystern.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Leader of Arizona school boards group resigns after resume controversy