Dr. Carolyn S. Reedom Elementary
CAROLYN S. REEDOM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Dr. Carolyn S. Reedom
Dr. Carolyn S. Reedom was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Dillard University, New Orleans, Louisiana, and her Masters and Doctorate degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). In addition to her 35 years of service to the school district, Carolyn Reedom has served as an adjunct professor at UNLV and other universities across the country.
Dr. Carolyn S. Reedom began her tenure with the Clark County School District in 1970. She served as a teacher, dean of students, high school assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent. She served as principal for 23 years at Red Rock, Paradise, Estes McDoniel, and John C. Vanderburg Elementary Schools. She served as assistant superintendent in the Southeast Region from 2000 until her retirement in 2005. Carolyn Reedom continues to serve as a member of the Clark County School District’s Expulsion Review Board.
While principal at John C. Vanderburg Elementary School, Dr. Reedom led the campaign to solicit funding to build the $1.4 million-dollar Rain Forest Biosphere; she was instrumental in the creation of the Marine Laboratory at Estes McDoniel. Both of these science laboratories have received local, state, and national recognition; and serve as field trip destinations for all of the students in the Clark County School District. Under Dr. Reedom’s leadership, John C. Vanderburg became the first elementary school in the Clark County School District to be named a High Achieving School by the State of Nevada under the federally mandated No Child Left Behind legislation. Dr. Reedom introduced and successfully maintained the first inclusion program in the district.
At the regional level, Dr. Reedom worked with district departments to secure funding for the first international school in the Clark County School District, which opened in 2002. She worked with school communities to implement a successful voluntary school uniform program and led the campaign for mandatory school uniforms which has evolved into the current Standard Student Attire policy in the CCSD.
Dr. Carolyn Reedom served as a member of the Drug Abuse Commission for the State of Nevada. She was the first female and African American president of the Nevada Association of School Administrators. She has been active in the Girl Scouts of America, the Frontier Girl Scouts Council, Boy Scouts of America, The United Way, the National Urban League, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the We Can organization (Working to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect), the Links, Inc., The Girl Friends, and served many years in various capacities in the St. James Catholic Church.
In addition to Dr. Reedom’s many accomplishments, awards, and honors; she is a National Distinguished Principal selected by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Association of Elementary School Principals, recipient of the Woman of Achievement Award presented by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, and recipient of the Outstanding School Administrator Award presented by the Las Vegas Alliance of Black School Educators.
Irene Bustamante Adams was elected to the CCSD Board of Trustees on November 8, 2022. She represents District F, which includes Spring Valley, Mountains Edge, Southern Highlands, and Sandy Valley. She was raised in the farming community of Kerman, California and woke before dawn to work the agricultural fields alongside her siblings. She was the first in her family to attend and graduate college, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from California State University, Fresno. In 2007, Bustamante Adams became the first Latina in Nevada history to earn an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) degree from University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She holds certificates from Harvard Kennedy School of Government and from the Kettering Foundation.
Irene serves as the Deputy Director & Chief Strategy Officer for Workforce Connections, Southern Nevadas Local Workforce Development Board. She is a dynamic and transformational leader christened with many recognitions like the National Trailblazer by Emerge America and Women Inspiring Nevada by Vegas Inc.
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Prior to joining Workforce Connections in 2017, Bustamante Adams spent 18 years at MGM Resorts International, working her way up from clerk to a corporate position. From 2010 to 2018, she also represented District 42 in the Nevada Assembly, serving as Speaker Pro Tempore in her last leadership role.
She is married to Army Sergeant Brad Adams, and has two daughters, Olivia, and Alaina. She also is a new grandmother to her first grandchild.
To contact Irene or find out about District F meetings, visit https://ccsd.net/trustees
