Vanessa Saldaña is the principal of James Hogg Middle School. She has 13 years of experience in education, all in HISD. She began her journey in HISD as a Teacher Assistant at Durkee Elementary School, and later served as a Math Teacher and Chair of the Math Department at McReynolds Middle School. In 2015, she transferred to Hogg Middle School to be the Math Instructional Specialist and then became the 7th Grade Assistant Principal the following year. In 2019, she became the Principal of Hogg Middle School. In her four years as Principal of Hogg, she has focused on systems and routines, teacher development, and student growth which helped to improve the TEA Accountability Rating from B to A, with five distinctions, and helped the campus to achieve Platinum Certification as a Family Friendly School. Mrs. Saldaña was the 2012-2013 Teacher of the Year at McReynolds Middle School, the 2018-2019 Northwest Area Assistant Principal of the Year, and the 2019-2020 First Year Principal of the Year.

Mrs. Saldaña graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and the University of St. Thomas with a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and her two beautiful daughters.