A Canadian transplant with a bachelor’s degree in commerce, San Diego Unified School District Communications Director Peri Lynn Turnbull, 36, wasn’t really headed for that field; she just fell into it.

“In Canada I’d worked in politics and in the art sector, then went to work in a think tank in the area of corporate social responsibility,” says Turnbull. In San Diego, she opened a private consulting practice in corporate social responsibility. In that capacity, she addressed an American Marketing Association conference three years ago and so impressed San Diego City Schools employees that she was asked to join the district in the communications office. She now is director of that office.

“There’s something so rewarding, working in K-12 education, and even more so in community outreach and improved communication,” she says. “You know at the end of the day how valuable that is for parents, students and staff.”

The district’s 140,000 children attend 200 schools spread over 210 square miles. Students represent 64 home languages, and 30 percent to 40 percent are English language learners.

Turnbull’s tools communicate across language and ethnic lines and include a Web site and more than 200 one-page fact sheets that summarize initiatives or key curriculum. These are translated into five languages: Cambodian, Lao, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese. She set up computer presentations, newsletters and videos to help principals share information with the community.

A self-admitted workaholic, Turnbull strives to create balance in her life. She enjoys San Diego’s cultural aspects, the museums, the opera and Shakespeare at the Old Globe. “I have two cats and they’re my babies. Mostly, I like to read and they like to sit on me while I read.”

— Charlene Baldridge