Stacy Totten Castaneda, Ed.D.

About

Dr. Castaneda was raised in West Central Louisiana by her mother and maternal grandparents, whose loving Christian values and steadfast support profoundly shaped her life. She also credits her education in the Vernon Parish School System with fostering a lifelong passion for learning. By the age of seven, she knew she wanted to become a teacher. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Education from Louisiana College in 1993, launching a 31-year career in education that began at Bolton High School in Alexandria, Louisiana.

Committed to continuous professional growth, Dr. Castaneda earned a Master of Arts in English from the University of Central Arkansas in 1996 and achieved National Board Certification for Professional Teaching Standards in 2000—the first teacher in Rapides Parish to achieve this distinction. She has been affiliated with the National Writing Project since 2008, serving as a co-director for two summer institutes at the Northwestern State University Writing Project site and participating in national scoring conferences several summers.

Dr. Castaneda completed her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2021. Her doctoral research examined expert teachers and teacher leaders, with a particular focus on the relationships among school culture, professional learning, and teacher leadership in developing professional capital.

In the summer of 2026, Dr. Castaneda retired from Rapides Parish Schools after more than three decades of dedicated service. Her experience spans grades 4–11, with the majority of her career devoted to middle school English Language Arts instruction. She most recently served as an instructional coach and school administrator at Brame Middle School in Alexandria, Louisiana, where she supported both student achievement and teacher development.

Dr. Castaneda and her husband, Alex, are active members of Calvary Baptist Church in Alexandria. She serves on the praise team and sings in the choir, while Alex leads a Life Group for young adults with special needs. Together, they share five adult children, three grandsons, and two doodles. In her free time, Dr. Castaneda enjoys writing poetry and baking.