District Lead Security Officer from Moreno Valley USD Named Final 2023 Riverside County Educator of the Year

Dwight Taylor has served in multiple campus security roles in the Moreno Valley Unified School District (MVUSD). In 2017, he was named the MVUSD Classified Employee of the Year and was ultimately selected as the 2017 Riverside County Classified Employee of the Year.

Six years later, Dwight now serves as a District Lead Officer (Campus Security Officer II) and was recently selected as MVUSD’s 2023 Site Support Employee of the Year. On Wednesday, he was surprised with the news that he is being recognized again at the county level—this time as the 2023 Riverside County Site Support Employee of the Year.

“Thank you to everybody in this room, and for always helping me to be positive,” said Dwight Taylor to the gathered crowd of family, colleagues, and board members, immediately after receiving the award. “For all those, we serve in this district, we know what they face, and I try to be somebody who does something.”

In his position, Dwight Taylor supports the educational efforts of the students and staff by providing a safe and secure place for teachers to teach, and for students to learn. Dwight’s personalized approach includes serving as a coach and a mentor who advocates, de-escalates, and collaborates while building his own skills as an empathic listener, restorative justice supporter, and servant leader. He is also involved as a 2nd Vice President for CSEA Chapter 410 in MVUSD and serves as a Freedom Writer teacher.

The Riverside County Educators of the Year are selected from the more than 36,000 educational employees in the county. The rigorous application process starts with nominations by teachers, classified employees, and school district administrators throughout the county. Applications are then submitted to the Riverside County Office of Education, where an outside selection committee selects the honorees before the county superintendent's announcement.

Along with the 2023 Riverside County Teachers of the Year named previously, all 2023 Riverside County Educators of the Year will be honored at the Celebrating Educators Luncheon, set for Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at the Riverside Convention Center.

• Autumn Lundblad
  1st Grade Teacher
  Sundance Elementary School
  Beaumont USD
  
• Heather Hanlon
  Dance Teacher
  Dorothy McElhinney Middle School
  Murrieta Valley USD
  
  
• Anthony Gomez
  Dual Language Immersion World/U.S.
  History Teacher
  Jurupa Middle School
  Jurupa USD
  
• Beth Schwandt
  Music Teacher
  Lake Hills Elementary School
  Alvord USD