Mrs. Applegate was raised in San Bernardino and began her career with SBCUSD in 1993, when she was hired as a bilingual teacher at Jefferson Hunt Elementary. After teaching at Hunt for about eight years, Mrs. Applegate was promoted to reading support teacher, full-time BTSA support provider, and also served as program specialist in Elementary Instruction.

Her teaching experience and passion for education gave Mrs. Applegate a solid foundation to pursue a career as a public school administrator, first as Assistant Administrator of Instructional Improvement and Academic Coaching at Lincoln Elementary and then as a principal. She went on to serve as principal of several SBCUSD campuses for over ten years, including Warm Springs and Lytle Creek Elementaries. Mrs. Applegate returned to the District office for the next five years to serve as Director of the Multilingual Programs Department, a position that allowed her to grow her leadership and advocacy work on behalf of students and families. The Board of Education named Mrs. Ana M. Applegate Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services in October 2020.