Moorpark High and Chaparral Welcome New Assistant Principals
(Moorpark, California) June 22, 2026—Moorpark Unified School District is pleased to welcome Jess Fisher and Karina Barbosa as its newest school administrators. Fisher has been appointed assistant principal at Moorpark High School, while Barbosa will serve as assistant principal at Chaparral Middle School. Both officially begin July 1.
The MUSD Board of Trustees unanimously approved Fisher’s appointment May 19 and Barbosa’s appointment June 16.
“Jess and Karina bring a great deal of experience, but just as important, they understand the value of building strong relationships with students and staff,” Superintendent Dr. Kelli Hays said. “We’re pleased to welcome them to Moorpark Unified and look forward to the contributions they’ll make at Moorpark High and Chaparral.”
Fisher brings more than 20 years of experience as a teacher, school leader and teacher coach.
From 2023 to 2026, she served as the middle school program lead and a humanities teacher at Bridges K-8 Charter School in Thousand Oaks. She oversaw the middle school’s daily operations, mentored teachers, managed student behavior, coordinated schedules and testing and worked closely with families.
Before joining Bridges, Fisher spent 13 years at The Webb Schools in Claremont. She chaired the History and Humanities Department, taught humanities and played a key role in the school’s academic program. In addition to coaching teachers, she also led the design process and implementation of the school’s rigorous, interdisciplinary humanities curriculum.
Earlier in her career, Fisher taught social studies and humanities at Bow High School in New Hampshire and the Boston Arts Academy in Massachusetts.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in development studies with honors from Brown University and a master’s degree in teaching from Tufts University. She holds a California administrative services credential and a California teaching credential in social science. She is also fluent in Spanish.
Fisher lives in Ventura with her husband and two daughters, ages 13 and 10.
Barbosa comes to Moorpark Unified after 15 years at Granada Hills Charter High School, where she taught Spanish and served as a lead teacher and program facilitator.
In addition to teaching, Barbosa developed curriculum, supported other teachers and worked with administrators, counselors and families to promote student success. She also led schoolwide efforts to build stronger relationships between students and staff.
Barbosa led the school’s Nuestra Comunidad Dual Enrollment Program, which was designed to prepare Latino students to enroll in college courses. She tracked student progress, worked directly with families and connected students with the guidance and support they needed.
From 2024 to 2026, Barbosa also taught graduate courses at California State University Channel Islands. She previously taught future teachers at California State University, Northridge, guiding them in lesson planning, measuring student learning and reaching students from different backgrounds.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish language and culture and a master’s degree in multicultural and multilingual education from California State University, Northridge. She also holds California teaching and administrative services credentials. She is fluent in Spanish.