Fresno Unified school board hires new spokesperson following A.I. scandal
The Fresno Unified school board on Wednesday hired a new chief spokesperson as it seeks to move forward from an artificial intelligence controversy that led to the departure of the district’s former spokesperson.
Adela Garcia Duncan was named as the district’s new chief information officer and starts in mid-September. According to Fresno Unified’s 2025-2026 salary schedule, the position yields an annual salary of between $187,883 and $228,375.
The position had been vacant since late June after Nikki Henry, Garcia Duncan’s predecessor, received a $162,000 payout in her departure.
Henry had been placed on leave prior to her exit in late June after she admitted to using artificial intelligence to compile a document of news articles in which teachers union officials were critical of Superintendent Misty Her and the school district. The document, compiled by ChatGPT, included fabricated quotes attributed to local news sources, including The Bee.
Manuel Bonilla, president of the Fresno Teachers Association, said that district leaders used the document prepared by Henry to accuse union leadership of “personally targeting” Her.
Following the incident, the district said it would train staff on the proper use of A.I.
School board hires new deputy superintendent
Fresno Unified trustees also approved the hiring of Ben Amuku Drati as a new deputy superintendent.
Drati is the former superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and has ties to the Central Valley. Drati taught at Central High School in the late 1990s before serving in administrative roles at Riverdale High School in west Fresno County and Clovis West High School.
Drati’s contract will run through June 2028. He’ll earn an annual base salary of $310,000, Her said.
This story was originally published August 29, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
