Carole Quan, a former superintendent of California’s Oakland Unified School District, died on Jan. 2 at the age of 79.

Quan was the district’s first Asian American superintendent, serving from 1997 to 1999. A graduate of the school system, she began her teaching career as a substitute before becoming a full-time special education teacher. Prior to becoming superintendent, she was an assistant superintendent and principal.

“Superintendent Quan represented the community with passion and singular dedication,” said Oakland Schools Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell in a news statement. “She always put students first, was there for our staff in every way, and was a role model, being the pioneering Asian American education leader that she was. We are a better school district for having had her decades of service in the classroom and in leadership.”