Vanessa Saldaña is the principal of James Hogg Middle School.  She has 12 years of experience in education, all in HISD. She began her journey in HISD as a volunteer tutor 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 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 three 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 distinctions and helped the campus to achieve Gold Certification as a Family Friendly School.

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.