Allan R. Bonilla Coaching4Educators
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Dr. Allan R. Bonilla was born in Orlando, FL, a bit before Disney, and was raised in NYC, where he graduated from Forest Hills High School. After a brief stint at Hofstra College in NY, as well as a year and a half at Cal Poly in Pomona, CA, Allan returned to his home state of Florida where he earned his B.A from the University of Miami. Not knowing what career direction to take, he was told that Miami was in great need of teachers, and so there he began a career in education which lasted 40 years.
Teaching both English and Spanish at the middle and high school levels, led this educator to a role as a counselor, after earning a Master’s at Barry University, and then to an assistant principal position in a half dozen middle schools. Feeling that he had the ideas and beliefs that could lead to creating successful schools, Allan pursued his doctorate in education at Nova University and was appointed principal of one of the largest and most troubled middle schools in the 4th largest school district in the nation.
Dr. Bonilla was indeed a “turnaround principal” and was recognized for his school’s accomplishments by being selected Principal of the Year out of a field of over 300 K-12 principals. Upon retiring from the Miami-Dade School System, Allan became a mentor to principals in the district and also a trainer with Southern Regional Education Board (SREB).
Upon relocating to Austin, TX, Allan became one of the first educators in the state to be trained through Region X111 Education Service Center as a Leadership Coach. He has worked with some 50 educators in assisting them to work through difficult situations, to achieve goals, and to celebrate their accomplishments. In addition to Coaching, Allan is a frequent speaker at state and national conferences including ASCD, NAESP, NASSP, High Schools That Work, National Charters, Texas Charters, and Florida Charters. He is also a faculty member of the National Principals Leadership Institute in NYC.
Allan’s family includes his wife, two sons and their wives, and three genius grandchildren. Spare time, if any, is taken with reading to keep current with the changes and latest developments in the world of education.