“Focus on Results” Symposium

EDUCATORS
CALSA 2013
7th Annual
“Focus on Results” Symposium
February 1 - 3, 2013
Intercontinental The Clement Monterey Hotel on Cannery Row, Monterey, CA
OUR MISSION
The California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators is a community of educational leaders whose mission is working to increase the number of successful Latino/Latina administrators, committed to closing the Latino/Latina student achievement gap.
CALSA will achieve its mission by...
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2013 EXECUTIVE BOARD
Executive Committee/Officers
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Ofelia Ceja Lariviere
Administrative Director
Pomona Unified School District
1460 E. Holt Ave. Suite 130
Pomona, CA. 91767
(909) 397-4740 ext. 5206
(909) 967-6258 (cell)
[email protected]
José L. González
Superintendent
Planada Elementary School District
P. O. Box 236
161 S. Plainsburg Rd.
Planada, CA 95365
(209) 382-0756
(209) 535-3259 (cell)
[email protected]
Dr. David Gomez
Retired Superintendent
176 Stanislaus Ave.
Ventura, CA. 93004
(805) 300-5139 (cell)
[email protected]
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Interim Executive Director
Executive Assistant
Yvette Irving
Supervisor, Alternative Education
1290 Ridder Park Drive MC213
San Jose, CA 95131-2304
(408) 453-4280
[email protected]
Dr. Rich Malfatti
Retired Superintendent
28816 Calabria Drive
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
(805) 207-3287
[email protected]
Gicel Beas
1029 J Street, Suite 500
Sacramento, CA. 95814
(916) 329-3847
[email protected]
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Director of
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Socorro Shiels
Superintendent
Santa Rosa City Schools
(916) 335-3847
[email protected]
Tom Davis
1545 Moorland Dr.
San Diego, CA. 92109
(619) 607-2876 (cell)
[email protected]
," Ê,*,- //6Northern
California Representative
Central
California Representative
Southern
California Representative
Alejandro Hogan
Superintendent
South San Francisco Unified SD
398 B St.
South San Francisco, CA. 94080
(650) 877-8705
[email protected]
Ruben Diaz
Director
Bridges Charter School
1335 Calle Bouganvilla
Thousand Oaks, CA. 91360
(559) 647-0953
[email protected]
Dr. Irella Perez-Martinez
Administrator
Compton USD
(562) 556-8268
[email protected]
Dr. Gloria Hernandez
Assistant Superintendent
Twin Rivers Unified School District
5115 Dudley Blvd.
North Highlands, CA. 95660
(916) 566-1600 ext. 50198
[email protected]
Dr. Nancy Carroll
Retired Superintendent
10527 Darling Rd.
Ventura, CA 93004
(805) 340-7033
[email protected]
Dr. Cesar Morales
Assistant Superintendent of HR
Lawndale Elementary School District
4161 West 147th Street
Lawndale, CA, 90260
(310) 973-1300 ext. 1275
[email protected]
LEGAL COUNSEL
Paul Loya
Partner
Atkinson,
Andelson, Loya,
Ruud & Romo
5075 Hopyard Road,
Suite 210
Pleasanton, CA 94588
(925) 227-9200
(925) 227-9202 (fax)
[email protected]
Salvador O. Holguín, Jr.
Partner
Atkinson, Andelson,
Loya, Ruud & Romo
12800 Center Court Dr.,
Suite 300
Cerritos, CA 90703
(562) 653-3200
(562) 544-8110 (cell)
[email protected]
CALSA CONSULTANTS
Wendy Brickman
(831) 594-1500 (cell)
Meeting Coordinator
www.brickmanmarketing.com
Iliana Perez
Meeting Coordinator
(209) 648-6091
[email protected]
Dear CALSA Familia,
WELCOME to the California Latino Superintendents and Administrators
Association’s Seventh Annual Focus on Results Symposium. CALSA wants to
personally thank you for your participation as a valued participant and Corporate
Partner. We anticipate that this experience will surely enlighten your vision and
thoughts on what can be accomplished when outstanding educational leaders and
Corporate Partners come together for the well-being of all our students - especially
our Latino/Latina students.
CALSA staff has devoted itself to ensuring the entire experience is of value to
everyone in attendance. The Symposium’s location at the Intercontinental Clement
Monterey Hotel provides a venue where two and a half days of cooperative learning,
networking and relationship building, and in-depth discussions, result in improvements
Dr. Rich Malfatti
Interim Executive Director,
California Latino
Superintendents and
Administrators Association
to materials and services offered by the participating Corporate Partners. This year we
expect nothing less.
The Focus on Results Symposium would not be possible without the support of our valued participants and our Corporate
Partners. Without the willingness of our Partners to commit time, manpower and financial support, CALSA would not
be holding its seventh symposium. CALSA has a long history of working with our Corporate Partners in ways that ultimately
lead to the development, refinement, and delivery of quality products and services for our Latino/Latina students.
CALSA welcomes this opportunity to improve excellence and innovation in our public schools.
I want to thank all of you for attending this year’s Seventh Annual Focus on Results Symposium. The students our
administrators serve will benefit from the discussions and cooperative learning experiences that we have this weekend.
Educational leaders working collaboratively with our valued Corporate Partners will inspire excellence and innovation
in the education of our Latino/Latina students.
Muchas gracias,
Dr. Rich Malfatti
Interim Executive Director
California Latino Superintendents and Administrators Association
EDUCATORS
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¡Bienvenidos! The California Association of Latino Superintendents and
Administrators (CALSA) welcomes’ you to its Seventh Annual “Focus on
Results” (FOR) Symposium. Since 2006, CALSA has been able to provide a
unique venue for educational leaders to influence the development, refinement,
and delivery of products and services impacting educational settings where
Latino children are enrolled. We thank you for being part of this exciting
opportunity to provide feedback to our business partners about curriculum
and its alignment to pedagogy that best addresses the needs of our second
language learners. Your unique experience and collaboration with colleagues
who have your passion, will help our business partners with market research
Ofelia Ceja-Lariviere
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California Association of Latino
Superintendents and
Administrators
that not just addresses the specific needs of English Language Learners but
also build’s on an intelligent, adaptive learning platform personalized to
accelerate student achievement and deepen learning per the upcoming
Common Core Standards.
To our Business partners, we thank you and welcome the opportunity to be of assistance at providing you with
feedback on ways to make your product student-friendly and pedagogically sound. The CALSA Board of Directors
and I, see this as a “win/win” relationship at a time when new products seem to be emerging from all corners of
the market in an effort to be the first to provide Common Core Standards aligned curriculum specific to English
Language Learners. It is hoped that as we work collaboratively during the course of the Symposium, our member
district’s can expand their relationships with you and perhaps even emerge with an opportunity to “road test” your
latest products. Shrinking resources and mandates to teach 21st –century skills has created a “perfect-storm” for
collaborative relationships with all of you.
Once again, a big thank you to our member districts Administrators and our valued business partners! Let’s let the
beauty of Monterey, create a window of time for us to reignite the relationship between us and allow us to rekindle
our passion for driving the education of EL students to extraordinary levels. As Zig Ziglar states, “passion is the
prerequisite for peak performance.” True peak performance is influenced by the conditions of our physical, spiritual,
business and family life. I trust that we can accomplish this and more in just a few quality days.
Muy agradecida,
Ofelia
President
California Association of Latino Superintendent’s and Administrators
EDUCATORS
MR. TED ALEJANDRE
Assistant Superintendent, Business Services, San Bernardino County
Enrollment: 435,081
Ted Alejandre is the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services for the San Bernardino County
Superintendent of Schools. Mr. Alejandre joined the organization in 2008 and oversees the
Business Services Division, which includes the development and management of a $350 million
annual budget and other services in support of internal business functions.
The Business Services Division also supports San Bernardino County’s local school and community
college districts by providing support in areas such as information technology, facilities planning,
purchasing, contracts management, and business advisory services. Business advisory services include revenue determination
and budget monitoring of cumulative annual budgets of several billion dollars, accounting, payroll, and retirement.
Mr. Alejandre has more than 20 years of public education experience. He began in 1988 as a Fiscal Analyst with Rialto
Unified. Mr. Alejandre began teaching in 1989 at San Bernardino City Unified School District and then served as vice
principal, principal, and director of Fiscal Services. In 2004, he became the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services
for Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified. He served as president of Region 12 of the Association of California School
Administrators and served on the state organization’s board of directors, representing Region 12. Currently, Mr. Alejandre
serves as the 2013 of the Business Administration and Steering Committee for the California County Superintendents
Educational Services Association.
Mr. Alejandre is a Major in the Air Force Reserves and serves as the Assistant Director of Operations for the 701ST
Combat Operations Squadron. Additionally, he is an Air Force Liaison Officer for several local high schools and is responsible for recruitment of prospective students for the Air Force Academy.
Mr. Alejandre is a graduate of Cal State University, San Bernardino where he also received his master’s degree in
educational administration.
EDUCATORS
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Enrollment: 7,400
Dr. Eric D. Andrew became Superintendent of Campbell Union School District in February 2010.
Prior to becoming the chief executive of the preschool-through-eighth-grade district, he was
Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services in Glendora Unified School District, in southern
California.
Dr. Andrew began his education career in 1979 as a teacher in Claremont Unified School District,
where he taught students in kindergarten through sixth grade. He has been a school principal for
elementary, middle and high schools, and Director of Student Services in Redlands Unified School District.
He is a member of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), Santa Clara County School Superintendent’s
Association, and serves on the board of the California Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (CASCD).
As an administrator and instructional leader, Dr. Andrew has earned several distinctions, including both the State and the
Region 15 awards for 2009 Central Office Administrator of the Year from the Association of California School Administrators
(ACSA), the ACSA Region 12 Pupil Services Administrator of the Year award, and was named a Graduate Fellow by the
Institute for Educational Leadership. He holds a master’s in education from Cal-Poly, Pomona, an administrative credential
from Cal State San Bernardino and a doctorate in education from the University of LaVerne.
He and his wife live in Campbell, Calif. He has two grown children.
Campbell Union School District operates 12 schools serving 7,500 students in Campbell, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno,
San Jose, Santa Clara, and Saratoga.
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Director, Santa Clara COE
Enrollment: 270,000
Dr. Lisa Andrew is currently a Director of District and School Support Services at the Santa Clara
County Office of Education in San Jose, California. Her current duties include working with
educational administrators in system reform, strategic planning and visioning, and development of
district and school plans for improvement. She also directs the work of the Integrated Behavior and
Learning Support Technical Assistance Center which provides training and technical assistance to
districts and schools sites on Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS). She has held
several positions in the field of education including teacher, principal, Director of Student Services,
and Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Andrew has presented throughout the state on the topics of
leadership, curriculum and instruction, professional goal setting, and navigating the political waters of education.
She earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from San Francisco State University where her doctoral work focused
on effective professional development practices that prepare and prompt administrators to narrow the achievement gap
through organizational system change. Recently Dr. Andrew was named a Woman in Leadership grant award recipient by
the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce for her successful career in leadership and continuing education efforts. She is an
active participant in the Association of California School Administrators where she serves as Vice President of Legislative
Action for Region 8, charter president for her local ACSA charter, and strategic plan action planning team member.
EDUCATORS
MS. LESLIE ARNOLD
Assistant Superintendent of Assessment, Clark County School District
Enrollment: 311,000
Leslie Arnold is the Assistant Superintendent for Assessment, Accountability, Research and
School Improvement for the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, NV. She oversees
instructional assessment and software tools for teachers and works to provide high quality
data stories to teachers and administrators. Leslie’s professional interests have led her to the
“Shared Learning Collaborative”, which brings together vendors, developers, teachers and
administrators that work to identify the right technology solutions for teachers and students
while integrating data systems seamlessly. She has served for 14 years as a teacher and an
administrator in Colorado and most recently was a Vice President for a private organization that offers assessment and
curriculum resources for school districts. She holds a MEd in Instructional Leadership and an MBA, with an emphasis
in Innovation and Management, both from Colorado State University.
MR. CUAUHTÉMOC AVILA
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Los Angeles County Office of Education
Enrollment: 1,700,000
Cuauhtémoc Avila came to LACOE in July of 2012, bringing with him a diverse set of K-12
educational experiences. During the past five years he served as director of Educational
Services and principal of Alternative Education in Glendale USD. Prior to Glendale, he
worked in Compton USD as a high school principal, middle school principal, elementary
principal, curriculum specialist and middle school teacher. Dr. Avila holds a doctorate in
Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree in
Educational Administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a bachelor’s degree from the
University of California, Los Angeles.
EDUCATORS
MR. MARCO BAEZA
Director of Technology, CCTO, Roseville City School District
Enrollment: 9,000
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to provide leadership and support to administration, staff and students in the design,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the District’s technology, data and communication
systems. The following projects highlight his project management skills for the systems assessed,
planned and implemented within the past dozen years:
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In addition, Marco co-authored, co-designed and implemented Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology;
this was a federal funded grant in cooperation with California State University, Sacramento, and Student Teacher
Department (Capacity Building Grant 1999-2000 and Implementation Grant 2000-2001).
Finally, Marco continues to seek better ways to increase employee productivity using technology in cost efficient
systems that contribute to greater student learning.
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EDUCATORS
MR. JOSE BANDA
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Enrollment: 56,000
José L. Banda was appointed Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools in May, and started on
July 1, 2012.
Mr. Banda has spent the past four years as Superintendent of the 20,000-student Anaheim City
School District.
During this time, the District saw increased student achievement for all students, including
English Language Learners. In addition, the District narrowed the achievement gap and 19 of 24 schools met their
school-wide Academic Performance Index (API).
Under Mr. Banda’s direction, the District created a focused approach to instruction, assessment and interventions,
while at the same time maintained fiscal solvency during one of the worst economic crises in the state’s history.
Mr. Banda also developed strong relationships with the business community, city government and service organizations,
as evidenced by an innovative math partnership with the MIND Institute and the successful passage of a $170 million
construction bond in 2010.
Mr. Banda spent 13 years as a secondary administrator, including eight years as a high school principal before becoming
the Superintendent of the Planada School District from 2002-2005.
Before Anaheim, Mr. Banda was the Deputy Superintendent at Oceanside Unified School District. He has also served
as a high school counselor, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and board member for Salida Union School
District. He brings over 30 years of experience in the field of education.
Mr. Banda is fluent in Spanish and holds a Bachelor of Arts from California State University in Bakersfield and a master’s
in Educational Leadership from Chapman University.
MS. YOLANDA BENITEZ
Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services, LACOE
Enrollment: 1,700,000
Yolanda M. Benitez is currently the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services for the
Los Angeles County of Education. She has an extensive educational background: from a High
school teacher, an elementary principal, special educational principal, director of special projects,
assistant superintendent and superintendent—a position she held for eight years. She is a
charismatic child advocate who had successfully negotiated Ventura’s County first school based
medical and psychological center on an elementary school. As Assistant Superintendent of
Educational Services she enthusiastically teams with her staff to provide county districts with
services in the area of the Common Core Standards, AVID, English Learner Services, Educational Leadership, Charter
Monitoring, Transitional Kindergarten and The Smarter Balance Assessment Consortium.
EDUCATORS
DR. JOHN BERNARD
State Administrator, Former State Trustee
Dr. John Bernard was named in July 2009, as the State Administrator for the King City Joint
Union HSD in Monterey County, now named the South Monterey County Joint Union HSD.
John retired in June 2008, after more than 38 years in California public education, having served
as Superintendent of Schools in Newark Unified School District (Alameda County), Novato
Unified School District (Marin County), and Bakersfield City School District (Kern County) the largest K-8 school district in California with more than 27,000 students. Prior to becoming a
superintendent, he was the Director of K-12 Instruction, and later the Assistant Superintendent,
in Mt. Diablo Unified School District (Contra Costa County). John Bernard began his career at
San Francisco Unified School District where he worked for twenty years as a classroom teacher, resource teacher, assistant principal, personnel administrator and principal. Prior to and overlapping his career in education, John worked
eight years in data processing for Bank of America in San Francisco. A native of the Oakland, CA, John Bernard is a
product of the Oakland Public Schools as are his three grown children. Dr. Bernard earned his Bachelors and Masters
Degrees from San Francisco State in Psychology and Education Administration, respectively; and earned his Doctorate
in Multicultural Education from the University of San Francisco. John Bernard has taught graduate courses at California
universities, and has often been invited to speak at conferences on instructional leadership, multicultural education, and
educational technology issues throughout the state, the nation, and abroad.
DR. ELIZABETH BLANCO
Assistant Superintendent, San Francisco USD
Enrollment: 56,000
Dr. Elizabeth Blanco, Assistant Superintendent of Special Education Services of the San Francisco
Union School District, provides leadership and oversight of the redesign of Special Education
Services (preschool, K-12 and adult), including cross departmental planning, negotiated
agreements, parent and community advisory committees, and Board relations. Dr. Blanco is the
key leader of the Superintendent’s Cabinet and Deputy’s Superintendent’s Instruction,
Innovation and Social Justice Team, leading systemic change for the District resulting in equity,
access, and increased student achievement for all students. She is responsible for the fiscal
operation of the a single District SELPA, Special Education department managing a $130 million dollar budget, reducing
general fund contributions, monitoring grants, monitoring and non-public school/agencies billing.
Dr. Blanco holds an Ed.D. in Urban Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California. She also has a
Master of Arts in Educational Administration and a Master of Arts in Special Education from California State University,
Los Angeles as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development from California State University, Los Angeles. She has
a Professional Administrative Services Credential, California, Cross-Cultural and Academic Development (CLAD),
Resource Specialist Certificate, Multiple Subjects, Credential and a Severely Handicapped Credential.
EDUCATORS
DR. HELIO BRASIL
Superintendent, Merced River SD
Enrollment: 210
Dr. Brasil oversees all aspects of the Merced River School District, which includes 200 students,
25 employees and a budget of roughly $1.5 million. He joined Merced River School District in
2001 as Superintendent/Principal.
He began his career in education as a high school social studies and reading teacher in the Oakdale
Joint Union High School District. After three years in the classroom, he became the Activities
Director and Assistant Principal with the same district at Riverbank High School. Three years later
he joined the Sylvan Union School District as Principal of Ustach Middle School in Modesto and then left after two years
to his current position. He has assured that his focus is to support students and staff, by supporting teachers to engage in
whole-school, standards-based reform aimed at closing the achievement gap.
A native of the Azores, (Portugal), Brasil graduated from the California State University Stanislaus, and earned master’s
degrees in educational leadership from Saint Mary’s College. He also holds a doctorate in international Relations, from
University of Toulouse, France.
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Superintendent, Compton USD
Enrollment: 25,000
MS. JACKIE CANFIELD
Executive Officer, Fresno USD
Enrollment: 73,000
EDUCATORS
MR. IVAN CHAIDEZ
Director, English Language Learners, Napa Valley Unified School District
Enrollment: 18,000
Ivan Chaidez is currently the Director of English Language Learner Services and Alternative
Education Services for the Napa Valley Unified School District in Napa, CA. This is Ivan’s
second year in the Director position. Before coming to Napa Valley, Ivan had a successful
tenure as High School Principal, Assistant Principal, and Teacher all at Dixon High School in
Dixon, CA.
Ivan served as leader and principal of Dixon High School for 4 years. In his first year he opened a
brand new state of the art 80 acre high school, led his school through the WASC accreditation process receiving a 6 year
WASC accreditation, and raised his school’s API score to the highest in school’s history. In his last year in 2011 at Dixon
High School, the school had the highest college going rate in Solano County for all public high schools and led his high
school to be named as a California Distinguished School.
Ivan was born and raised in Salinas, CA. Ivan moved to Davis, CA for college and received his Bachelors of Arts Degree
in Spanish and Chicano Studies from the University of California, Davis, then continued his education and earned his
teaching credential and BCLAD certificate from Sacramento State University and a Master of Science degree in
Educational Administration. He plans on enrolling this fall in a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Ed.D Program.
MS. KRIS COREY
Assistant Superintendent, Fairfield-Suisun USD
Enrollment: 21,534
Kris Corey currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services for FairfieldSuisun Unified School District in Northern California. Under her leadership, the Educational
Services Team developed a Program Improvement Model. The implementation of the plan
resulted in one school exiting from Program Improvement and three other Program Improvement
schools meeting Safe Harbor. The district’s eight Program Improvement schools experienced a
collective API gain of 267 points in the 2010-2011 school year.
Kris has over twenty-five years of experience in education. Her career began when she was recruited to California from
South Dakota to teach at the elementary level. After thirteen years in the classroom, Kris entered administration.
She has served as an assistant principal, elementary principal and Director of Elementary Education. Kris graduated from
Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Early Childhood
Development. She received her Master’s Degree from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California, in Educational Leadership.
Kris is a member of CALSA and attended the July, 2010, educational trip to Cuba.
Kris Corey resides in Vacaville with her son, Andrew, and twin daughters, Katie and Megan.
EDUCATORS
DR. XAVIER DE LA TORRE
County Superintendent of Schools, Santa Clara COE
Enrollment: 260,000
Prior to taking that position, he was superintendent of the Socorro Independent School District
in El Paso, Texas. While he was there, the district was a two-time finalist for the prestigious
Broad Prize for Excellence in Urban Education. He also led a facilities bond campaign that
secured nearly $300 million dollars to build new schools in response to accelerated growth in the
Socorro district.
Prior to his time in Socorro, he spent four years as associate superintendent of Human Resources
in the Elk Grove Unified School District near Sacramento. Before joining Elk Grove, he provided leadership over all
aspects of personnel and labor relations as the associate superintendent of Human Resources in the Fairfield-Suisun
Unified School District.
In 1999, Dr. De La Torre opened a new, state-of-the-art, comprehensive high school in Porterville, and served as its first
principal for five years. During the period of time, Granite Hills High School saw nearly a 100-point increase in its
Academic Performance Index, outperforming neighboring high schools although it served the most economically depressed
area in the city.
Prior to his career as a school administrator and school leader, Dr. De La Torre spent 10 years in the classroom as a social
studies and Spanish teacher. In 1993, he was honored as Teacher of the Year in the Hamilton Unified School District.
He has been named Coach of the Year on four different occasions for his work as a varsity baseball coach and a varsity
football coach. He also was the recipient of the 2005 Edgar L. Morphet Award from the National Council of Professors
of Educational Administration (NCPEA).
Dr. De La Torre earned a B.A. from California State University-Chico; an M.A. from the University of San Francisco;
and his Ed.D. from UC-Davis. He is originally from northern California. He is married to Amy, an elementary school
teacher and personal trainer. They have four children.
EDUCATORS
DR. LILY DEBLIEUX
Superintendent, Adelanto SD
Enrollment: 8,000
Lily was born in New York, N.Y. where she attended elementary school and two years of high school.
In 1973, the family moved to Isabela, Puerto Rico where she completed high school and college.
Her professional preparation includes degrees in Elementary Education (BA), Educational
Leadership and Supervision (MA and PHD), all from the University of Southern Mississippi.
She also obtained a Business Administration (BA) degree from the University of Puerto Rico.
Her experiences include Director of Religious Education at a military base, Teacher, Elementary
Principal, Middle School Dean, Assistant Superintendent, Adjunct Professor, ESOL Instructor, Business Owner and
Volunteer Extraordinaire. Lily owned a technology company for six years before returning to her true love: Education.
Dr. DeBlieux was appointed Superintendent of Adelanto Elementary School District on January 22, 2013. She is looking
forward to working with the students, staff, parents, and community of Adelanto in the very near future.
Lily loves to spend time with family, read, travel, and serve her community. She is active in many organizations to
include Rotary. She is married to her best friend, Earl, a retired chaplain who served 30 years in the United States Air
Force. She has two children; Joel is a Network Engineer who owns his own business in Ft. Myers. FL and Linda is a
Pharmacist in Tucson, AZ.
DR. ARTURO DELGADO
Superintendent, Los Angeles COE
Enrollment: 1,700,000
Arturo Delgado, Ed.D, was appointed Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools by the Board
of Supervisors effective July 1, 2011, designating him as the top education leader of the nation’s most
populous and diverse county.
Previously superintendent of the San Bernardino City Unified School District, Dr. Delgado now
serves as the chief executive officer for the Los Angeles County Office of Education, and as secretary
of the County Board of Education. In this post, Dr. Delgado provides general leadership and support
to the superintendents and other top administrators of the county’s school districts.
Before leaving San Bernardino, where he served with distinction for 14 years, Dr. Delgado was named to State Superintendent
Tom Torlakson’s Transition Advisory Team. This select group of education and business leaders developed the just-released
“Blueprint for Great Schools,” offering a wide range of recommendations to improve public education in California.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Dr. Delgado began his career in education more than 31 years ago as a bilingual teacher in the
Baldwin Park and Rowland Unified School Districts. He has received numerous awards for institutional and community leadership, including Educator of the Year by Hispanic Heritage Magazine.
EDUCATORS
DR. DANNA DIAZ
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Enrollment: 82,000
Dr. Danna Diaz is the Director of Student Engagement & School Completion for the Fort
Worth Independent School District. Dr. Diaz has worked in the public schools for approximately
twenty-three years.
Her experience as a classroom teacher, principal and central office administrator in suburban
and urban schools; her experience working with students of color as well as dominant cultures,
working with students from diverse economic backgrounds, and her bilingual skills have provided
her with the tools and skills to engage all stakeholders in the educational process as they embrace and celebrate diversity.
Specifically, as a leader she has responded to the needs of stakeholders by establishing positive relations with the school and
community and working with the members of the school district. In addition, she has promoted effective school
communication and built coalitions to support the entire learning community.
Dr. Diaz serves on numerous boards and committees in Fort Worth. Currently she serves on the following boards and
committees: Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) Central Office Advisory Committee, 2011 present; Scholarship Chair, Hispanic Women Network of Texas (HWNT), Fort Worth Chapter, 2011 – present;
Education committee member, HWNT; Statewide Education Committee Member, Hispanic Women Network of
Texas, 2010 – present; Executive Board Chair, Proyecto Inmigrante, ICS, Inc., 2010 – present; Education and
Conference committee chair, Proyecto Inmigrante, ICS, Inc.; Board Member, YWCA of Fort Worth, 2009 – present;
Governance Committee, YWCA; Advisory Member, Campfire, Fort Worth, 2010 – present; Oral Health Coalition
Member, Cook Children’s Hospital, 2007 – 2012.
She received the 2008 Bold Woman Award from Girls Inc.; 2009 Rising Star Award from the Hispanic Women’s
Network of Texas, Fort Worth Chapter; 2010 Texas’ Women of Influence Award from the Fort Worth Business Press
and the 2011 Educator Appreciation Award from State Representative Marc Veasey.
Dr. Diaz is a member of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS). She completed the
first Superintendent’s Leadership Academy as a charter member in May 2012. In addition, she completed the
California Association of Latino Superintendent’s and Administrators (CALSA) Mentor-Protégé, Cohort Seven,
Two-Year Program in July 2012.
Dr. Diaz understands the resilience and persistence that is needed to succeed in today’s public schools. Dr. Diaz is
the first in her family to attend college. She received her Associates in General Studies from Central Texas College,
Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Masters of Science,
Mid-Management and Superintendent Certifications from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and a Doctor of
Philosophy in Educational Administration from The University of Texas at Austin. She knows how important it is to
receive an education and break the cycle of poverty, addiction and domestic violence. Her passion is to make a
difference in the lives of students and families, especially those that have been underserved.
EDUCATORS
MR. RUBEN DIAZ
Director, Bridges Charter School
Enrollment: 407
Ruben Diaz is currently in his first year as the Executive Director at Bridges Charter School in
Thousand Oaks. In his current position, he serves as both principal to the school site and
superintendent to the school board. Ruben’s wife and kids also support Bridges Charter
School as a parent and students of the school. The school is in its third year of existence as a
fairly new charter school in Ventura County. Previous to serving at Bridges, Ruben served as
principal at Rafer Johnson Jr. High School in Kingsburg for 4 years. He has also served as an
elementary principal and high school vice principal. He has served as a principal for 9 years in
addition to a vice principal for 2 years. In working with these various communities, he has found that communicating
with students, parents, teachers, administrators, community members and board members requires patience and good
listening skills. Ruben started his educational career as a middle school English teacher in the Evergreen Elementary
School District in San Jose. He also served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Phoenix in Fresno for
the past 7 years.
MR. JOHN DURAN
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Enrollment: 270,000
I was blessed to be introduced to after school programs 11 years ago with Coachella Valley
Unified School District. I became the director of after school programs and an advocate for
rural schools and programs. I worked as a consultant prior to my new position of one year. Currently I work as a specialist with ASAPconnect in the Santa Clara County Office of Education. I support technical assistance providers with strategies, coaching, training, mentoring
and resources for program sustainability. Formally I worked in advertising, owned a design firm
and published a Latino Newspaper. I call it the “Menudo Recipe,” the more spices you have in
your caldo, mejor el sabor. I know I’m still missing a few spices, pero poco a poco.
EDUCATORS
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District Superintendent, Merced City SD
Enrollment: 10,700
RoseMary Parga Duran holds a Doctor of Education Degree from the University of Southern
California with a degree in Educational Administration. Dr. Parga Duran also possesses an
Administrative Services Credential, Multiple Subjects Credential and a Certificate of Competence
in Spanish.
Before being named District Superintendent in May 2009, Rosemary served five years as the
associate/assistant superintendent of Educational Services. In the fifteen years before coming to
district office administration, RoseMary was a site principal at all levels of traditional elementary, year-round elementary
and middle school.
Dr. Parga Duran has a comprehensive knowledge of all facets of elementary education RoseMary gained experience
in many different educational settings including teaching designated Hmong, Spanish bilingual and regular education
classes.
Her purpose was to gain a well-rounded background as she pursued her professional goals. She served as a superintendent
panel member for CALSA’s Fresno State University Research to Practice Conclave on Student Achievement. In addition,
she lectures teacher and administrative credential classes for CSU Stanislaus and Chapman University.
Dr. Parga Duran has served as a California State Department of Education Commissioner. She has been recognized as an
outstanding Teacher and Woman of the Year by the Merced County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and by the Merced
Business and Professional Women and recently was named the 2011 Educator of the Year by the Greater Merced Chamber
of Commerce.
RoseMary is striving to make a positive contribution in her community. Currently, she is a Merced Community College
Puente Mentor. She serves as Director of Youth Services for the North Merced Rotary Club.
EDUCATORS
DR. MIKE ESCALANTE
Executive in Residence, USC
Dr. Michael Escalante was appointed Executive in Residence in the Rossier School of
Education at the University of Southern California in July of 2010 after serving 36 years in
K-12 public education. In his current position he teaches doctoral level classes and serves as
Chair of doctoral committees. His current research looks at the critical partnership between
the superintendent and the school board building trust and a clear understanding of roles and
responsibilities. This research supports his consulting interest with Leadership Associates in
placing highly qualified candidates into superintendent positions and providing them ongoing
support in these most challenging times.
Dr. Michael Escalante previously served as Superintendent of Glendale Unified School District from February 2004 to July
2010. Glendale Unified School District encompasses 31 schools with approximately 27,000 students, 2,500 employees and
an annual operating budget of $227 million. Twenty-three schools in the district have been recognized as California
Distinguished Schools; nine as National Blue Ribbon schools; and 11 as Title 1 Achieving schools. Before coming to
Glendale, he served as Superintendent of Fullerton Joint Union High School District for seven years.
Dr. Escalante started his career teaching at the elementary and high school level for seven years before serving in
various administrative assignments including Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, administrative assistant,
elementary principal, intermediate principal, and twice as a high school principal in the Hawthorne, Centinela Valley,
Santa Monica, Malibu, Palos Verdes Peninsula, and Long Beach Unified School Districts.
Dr. Escalante holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California, a Master’s degree
in Educational Administration from Loyola Marymount University, a Bachelor’s degree in History and Industrial arts
from San Diego State University.
Outside of education, he is a licensed California General Building contractor and has varied interests, including bicycling,
surfing, woodworking, motorcycling and fishing.
DR. FRANCISCO ESCOBEDO
Superintendent, Chula Vista ESD
Enrollment: 28,500
Dr. Francisco Escobedo, who has been in education the better part of 25 years, currently serves
as Superintendent in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. He is the former Assistant
Superintendent for Educational Leadership in the South Bay Union School District.
His experience includes serving as Principal Research Analyst for the American Institutes for
Research as well as California Regional Vice-President of Achievement/Operations for Edison
Schools. Since 2001, Dr. Escobedo has served as an adjunct professor of Educational
Administration at San Diego State University and is currently a member of the doctoral faculty.
He earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University, M.A. degree from San Diego State University, and Ed.D. from
the University of California, San Diego.
EDUCATORS
DR. CARMELLA FRANCO
Retired Superintendent and Educational Consultant, Los Angeles Music and
Art School
Dr. Carmella S. Franco most recently completed her tenure as Interim Superintendent for the
Compton Unified School District while the search for a permanent Superintendent was completed.
The Compton Board of Trustees selected Dr. Franco to provide stability of leadership and fiscal
advisement. Prior to that assignment, she was appointed by the State Board of Education to serve
as the State Trustee for the Alisal Union School District. In selecting Dr. Franco, the State Board
of Education recognized her expertise in working successfully with districts facing difficult
challenges, mobilizing them towards a common goal. Her mantra has been “I will do anything I can
to see that students receive the quality education they deserve.” At the same time, she has supported employees to join her
in seeing that that indeed occurs.
Dr. Franco taught and began her administrative career in the Rowland Unified School District; served as a Principal in
Grades K through 8 in Bassett Unified School District; and headed the Personnel Department in the Lennox School
District. Dr. Franco was selected as Superintendent of the Whittier School District in 1996, serving 12 years at the helm of
that district before retiring in 2008. Retirement was short-lived, however, as she began an Interim Superintendent position
in the Woodland Joint Unified School District located outside of Sacramento, the very next day. That assignment lasted
nearly one year, through June 2009.
In addition to serving the students for nearly 40 years, she has been committed to working for the professional good of
colleagues in organizations, at the local, state-wide, and national levels. Dr. Franco sits on the Boards of Director of the
YMCA of Greater Whittier and the Whittier Rotary Club. Her prior Rotary experience included serving as President of
the LAX International Airport Rotary Club. At the state level, Dr. Franco currently serves as one of the Directors of the
Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Superintendents Academy. She has served as President of a
number of organizations, including California City School Superintendent’s and the California Association of Latino
Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA).
Dr. Franco is an alumna of California State University at Los Angeles, where she graduated Cum Laude with a degree in
Music, and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education; and also earned two credentials. Her Doctorate in non-traditional
negotiation methods was received from the University of La Verne where she has lectured for the doctoral program and for
the educational administration department.
A book co-authored by Dr. Franco, Dr. Maria Ott, and Dr. Darline Robles titled “A Culturally Proficient Society Begins in
School: Leadership for Equity” was published in September 2011.
EDUCATORS
MR. JAVIER FUENTES
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Enrollment: 22,000
Javier Fuentes is responsible for supervising and evaluating principals and overseeing the
instructional programs at all Alliance schools located in the north and east portions of Los Angeles
County. He began his career in education twenty three years ago as a middle and high school
teacher and athletic director. He has more than a decade of experience as a successful assistant
principal and principal at elementary, middle, and high schools. Mr. Fuentes also spent six years as
adjunct faculty for Northern Arizona University, National University, San Diego State University
and Southwestern College, where he focused on bilingual education. He holds a bachelor’s in
Education from Northern Arizona University and a master’s degree in Education and Multicultural Bilingual Education from
Northern Arizona University. Mr. Fuentes success in school improvement and great success with English Language Learners
is evident by having turned around and met AYP for 3 schools with a high ELL population. Currently all schools that
Mr. Fuentes supervises as area superintendent/vice president of schools are averaging an increase of 38 API points!
DR. JOHN GARCIA
Deputy Superintendent, Glendale USD
Enrollment: 27,000
Dr. John Garcia has served the field of public education for over 20 years in four California
districts—Inglewood, Norwalk-La Mirada, Newport-Mesa, and Glendale. Dr. Garcia has
experience, as a teacher and as a site administrator, working with grades kindergarten through
high school, leading schools to excellence through constructive reform and innovation in
curriculum and instruction.
Through his broad range of educational and professional experiences, Dr. Garcia has developed
particular expertise in the theory and practice of Focus on Results, Family Friendly Schools, Smaller Learning Communities
(SLCs), Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), curriculum and educational product development, organizational
leadership, technology management, and resource allocation.
In addition to his work in the California region, Dr. Garcia has also been involved at the international level, serving as
the chief ambassador for a delegation of educators who traveled to Isehara City, Japan. In that role, Dr. Garcia visited
schools and facilitated the exchange of ideas and practices between American and Japanese education systems. Dr. Garcia
has also studied the relationship between education, government and non-profit organizations at Templeton College at
Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
Dr. Garcia earned his Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in Urban Education at the Claremont Graduate University,
as well as an Executive MBA at the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont
Graduate University. He holds a second Master’s Degree in Education Administration from California State UniversityFullerton and a California Bilingual (Spanish) Cross-cultural Language and Academic Development (BCLAD) Credential.
Beginning in July 2007, he began serving as the Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources & Director, Classified
Personnel, in the Glendale Unified School District working with over 2,500 employees to serve over 26,000 students.
In July 2010, he assumed the role of Deputy Superintendent, Educational Services where he oversees, among other areas,
federal and state categorical programs, instructional and information technology, and dual immersion programs in seven
languages.
EDUCATORS
DR. DAVID GOMEZ
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Dr. David Gomez was the Superintendent of the Santa Paula Union High School District in
Santa Paula, CA from July 2003 until his retirement in June 2011.
He is highly recognized for his educational leadership, support, and service to our students and
school administrators. He is especially known for his commitment to eliminating the achievement
gap among Latino and EL students and for the mentoring of school administrators. Dr. Gomez
served as CALSA President from 2010 to 2012. He is currently the State President for the
Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), the largest school administrators
association in the nation. He is also advising Governor Jerry Brown and State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Tom Torlakson on matters relating to education.
Before coming to Santa Paula, Dr. Gomez served as the Associate Superintendent for Human Resources for the Berkeley
Unified School District. Prior to accepting the position in the Bay Area, Dr. Gomez worked in a variety of school district
leadership positions in Ventura County including Principal, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, and Assistant
Superintendent of Human Resources and Support Services.
He has taught in several K-12 public school systems in California as well as lived and taught in Mexico, Spain, Brazil,
and Portugal. Dr. Gomez has also worked as a university professor and instructor for the California Lutheran University,
U.C. Santa Barbara, and Universidade do Maranhao in Brazil. Dr. Gomez is also very proud of the fact that he served as a
U.S. Army Officer for twenty four years in active duty and reserves and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. His last assignment
was as a Battalion Commander of a Special Operations Unit. He participated in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Dr. Gomez obtained his Ph.D. in Educational Administration from U.C. Santa Barbara, his B.A. in Spanish and M.A. in
Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Languages and Literatures, also from UCSB. He has several teaching credentials including a
bilingual specialist credential. He has also studied at the Instituto Panamericano in Mexico City, Universidad de Madrid
in Spain, and the Universidade de Lisboa in Portugal. He is married to Kathryn, an elementary teacher, and he has two
sons. Dr. David Gomez has been an active CALSA member since its inception in 1990 and he is honored to presently
serve on the Board of Directors as CALSA’s Past-President.
EDUCATORS
DR. LISA MARIE GONZALES
Coordinator- Curriculum & Instructional Development, Santa Clara COE
Enrollment: 1,800
Dr. Gonzales is Coordinator of Curriculum & Instruction with the Santa Clara County Office
of Education, with a focus on best practices, partnerships, and research on using arts integration to engage students while closing the achievement gap. She speaks at regional, statewide,
and national conference on technology, Common Core, and arts integration. She currently
serves as the Region 5 Lead for the arts for CCSESA.
Dr. Gonzales spent 11 years in educational administration at the elementary, middle, and high
school level as well as Director of Curriculum and Teacher Training at the NASA Ames Research Center. Lisa also held
the position of Vice President of Education at the Silicon Valley Education Foundation where she managed their grants,
research, and student/teacher programs in the area of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). She was also
responsible for multi-million dollar research programs to increase student achievement and promote teacher training,
worked with Open Educational Resources, and harnessed energy around topics pertinent to education at Education Forums.
In CALSA, Dr. Gonzales was part of the Mentoring Cohort #6. With ACSA, she serves on the State Board, Women’s
Leadership Network, Technology Leadership Group, and is the current Vice President of Legislative Action.
She is also a TICAL cadre member and recently served on two Department of Education’s Task Forces: CreateCA
Task Force and the Education Technology Task Force. She and her husband, Erik, have 2nd grade twin girls who are
soccer super stars and attend a downtown San Jose public school in the San Jose Unified School District.
MR. JOSE GONZALEZ
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Enrollment: 800
José believes in the unlimited potential of our students by respecting and developing their
unique learning styles and interests. He is committed to setting challenging and demanding
expectations for performance and support of all students to achieve high standards. He believes
in fostering a culture of civility where students and adults are treated with fairness, are respected
for their contributions, and are celebrated for their successes. He believes in using data to
guide decisions and to improve student learning, differentiate instruction, and promote social,
emotional and physical growth. José believes in the power of personal connections and relations
between staff, students, parents and the community.
José was appointed Superintendent of the Planada Elementary School District in January of 2011. He had previously
served as Superintendent/Principal of the Ballico-Cressey School District, a K-8 District. José has vast experience in
all levels of administration having served as Middle School Vice Principal, Elementary Principal, Director of Alternative
Education and Special Projects. José taught high school biology prior to becoming an administrator. Aside from his
professional duties as an educator, José is the Vice President of CALSA and also serves on the FCMAT Board of
Directors, a state recognized non-profit fiscal and support program. In 2009, José was awarded the ACSA Region IX
Superintendent/Principal of the Year Award.
José is the son of Mexican and Portuguese immigrants. Growing up, he saw the challenges his mother and father faced due to a
lack of formal education. As a result, José feels a deep commitment to ensuring that all children, regardless of their personal
struggles or circumstances, receive the quality education that will give them opportunities in life. He is married to María
González who is a Third Grade Dual Language Teacher in Livingston. They have two beautiful daughters, Alexí 12 and Alía 6.
EDUCATORS
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Deputy Superintendent, Lynwood USD
Enrollment: 15,493
Paul Gothold has served as a public educator for over 18 years, both in alternative and
comprehensive high school programs. He began his career as a teacher with LACOE, working
with at-risk youth in a self-contained setting at Alhambra High School. Soon thereafter, he
became a BTSA Teacher-Mentor and Assessor, authored various curricula, and conducted
numerous trainings in school to career, differentiated strategies, and integrating technology
with content standards.
Mr. Gothold moved up the ranks as an Assistant Principal, High School Principal, Assistant Director Secondary Schools,
and Director of Secondary Schools at Montebello Unified School District. In July, 2010, he was appointed as Chief
Academic Officer and currently serves as Deputy Superintendent for the Lynwood Unified School District.
In Montebello, Mr. Gothold oversaw the curriculum development for a new high school, The Applied Technology
Center, which features 5 career technical academies based on current and future demands of skilled labor.
In Lynwood, Mr. Gothold created and implemented a comprehensive professional development plan for all teachers
and administrators to improve the instructional program in the district. As a result, Lynwood Unified experienced the
single largest API gain for any comprehensive, K-12 district in the state of California with more than 7,000 students.
Mr. Gothold has also worked as an adjunct professor at Whittier College teaching Secondary Curricular Method for
aspiring teachers and graduate students in the credentialing program.
EDUCATORS
MR. ANTHONY GRIEGO
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Enrollment: 1,350
Anthony Griego has been an educator for 29 years. He is currently the principal of Valley
High School. He has been principal of Valley High for the past 13 years. During this time
he has brought a Family Center on to campus, a parent center is also located on the campus,
parent workshops are offered (topics vary). A new CAD, Woods and Metal building have
been added, as well as a new Music wing. Mr. Griego also restructured the school. Valley has
gone from a departmental structure to an Academy structure. Anthony has been an assistant
principal, athletic director, coach and mentor. He also was a PTA President of the elementary
school his children attended.
As well as being principal he currently is Co-President of ALAS de Nuevo Mexico, which is a state affiliate of the
National ALAS Organization. Anthony has also been a Cluster Leader Principal (regional superintendent) when
the Albuquerque Public schools were in the Cluster system. Anthony was in charge of 12 schools and principals.
He aligned all programs from preK-12 within the Valley Cluster. Part of the alignment that took place were the
Reading and Math Programs. As part of his work, Anthony has been part of the reform efforts of the Albuquerque
Public Schools. Part of the reform efforts that Anthony has done at Valley High School has been to initiate Small
Learning Communities and Academies. Currently Valley has a 9th and 10th grade Academy with upper level Academies
that consist of Architecture and Construction, Manufacturing, Arts, Audio/Video Technology, Hospitality and
Tourism, Law and Public Safety. Professional Learning Communities have been established for teachers. The PLC
are interdisciplinary within the academies, Math PLC are through content subjects. Valley High School is also an
AVID school. AVID strategies have been initiated school wide.
Anthony is currently on the board of the Albuquerque Public Schools Principal Association and is a member of the
New Mexico Coalition of School Administrators. Anthony received his Bachelors in K-12 Education from Western
New Mexico University. He completed his Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of New Mexico.
He is native New Mexican. He has two children; (boys) 26 and 22 years old. He has been married to Karen SanchezGriego 29 years.
EDUCATORS
MS. NORA GUERRA
Director of Educational Innovation & Development, Oak Grove USD
Enrollment: 12,000
Nora Guerra – Ms. Guerra was recently appointed Director of Educational Innovation and
Development in the Oak Grove School District in San Jose, CA. This new and exciting
opportunity will serve the district’s schools in collaboration with staff, parents, community
members, and other stakeholders to develop and implement major innovation initiatives
across the district. The Oak Grove School District is proud of recent academic gains in student
achievement for all students and subgroups; and a function of Ms. Guerra’s work in the district is
to lead the way for developing exemplars of 21st Century schools and classrooms.
A short time ago, Ms. Guerra served as Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services in the Alum Rock School
District and also served the district as Academic Achievement Officer, Director of Curriculum & Instruction, and
Coordinator of New Teacher Programs. Ms. Guerra began her career as a 7th grade Science teacher in San Mateo where
she also participated on various district-wide committees before accepting a middle school Assistant Principal position in
nearby Evergreen School District. Ms. Guerra was also an elementary school principal in the Mountain View-Whisman
School District where she was responsible for overseeing a K-5 school as well as a parent participation program within
the school.
The various roles held by Ms. Guerra have provided many opportunities to focus on the effectiveness of instructional
programs and innovation in education, specifically for English Learners, in several different types of districts ranging in
size from 9 to 26 schools while serving diverse student demographics and communities. Most recently, Ms. Guerra was a
member of a team of instructional leaders who transformed the instructional programs at each school in the district over
the past 11 years. While the district served a high SED population and over 67% ELs not to mention a mobility rate close
to 40%; under Ms. Guerra’s leadership, the district’s API increased 190 points during those transformation years.
EDUCATORS
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Deputy Superintendent, San Francisco USD
Enrollment: 55,571
As Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, Innovation and Social Justice for the San Francisco
Unified School District, Guadalupe Guerrero is leading the implementation of the district’s
equity focused strategic plan. His responsibilities include the redesign of the district’s central
office to better support school sites and the implementation of a core instructional curriculum
to achieve more equitable educational results for all students.
For the past two years Mr. Guerrero has served as an SFUSD assistant superintendent
overseeing the Superintendent’s Zone Mission District area schools. Under his leadership, historically underperforming
schools have received millions in federal School Improvement Grants (SIG) and undergone major transformations
resulting in increased academic achievement for students over the past two years.
In 2008, Mr. Guerrero was selected as one of six educational leaders nationwide to participate in the Urban Superintendents Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). He holds an Ed.M. in Education, Policy,
& Management and a second Ed.M. in Administration, Planning, & Social Policy, both from Harvard. He earned his
B.A. in History from UCLA and completed the teacher education program at New College of CA in San Francisco.
He is presently completing a doctoral degree, also from Harvard. This past year, he also completed the Association of
Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) Superintendents’ Leadership Academy.
Mr. Guerrero brings eighteen years of experience in public education, as a district leader, school principal, and bilingual
teacher in both the SFUSD and Boston Public Schools. After teaching for ten years, he was selected to attend the
School Leadership Program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Upon completion, he served for six years as a
school principal in Boston where he developed educational programming to better serve second language learners and
students with disabilities and instituted performing arts and mental health initiatives at a historically low performing
school. While principal, he was appointed a cluster leader in the school district, supporting the professional learning
of K-12 principals and serving on the superintendent’s leadership team.
Mr. Guerrero is married to an SFUSD classroom teacher and has two children who both attend SFUSD schools. He is
also a classically trained violinist who promotes music education and the arts in schools.
EDUCATORS
DR. GLORIA HERNANDEZ
Assistant Superintendent, Twin Rivers USD
Enrollment: 28,000
Gloria M. Hernández, Ed.D. is an experienced educator and community organizer. She has
been a classroom teacher, reading specialist, Title 1 resource teacher, staff development trainer,
school administrator, and lecturer at Sacramento State University in the Bilingual Multicultural
Education Department where she taught for over nine years.Currently, she is an assistant
superintendent with the Twin Rivers Unified School District in Sacramento, California.
In her former position as an organizer and then executive director of the Sacramento chapter
of PICO, a faith-based community organization, Dr. Hernández was instrumental in bringing
community stakeholders and partners together to find common ground for education reform efforts in the Sacramento
City Unified School District. She is an expert in community building and capacity development. Dr. Hernández is
often invited to present and participate in state and national education reform conferences and workshops. She has
presented at the California Association of Compensatory Education; the California Association for Bilingual Education,
the Center for Community Change in Washington, D.C.; Institute for Education and Social Policy, New York
University; and Educational Organizing Conferences at Temple University. She and a group of Sacramento PICO
leaders conducted Parent/Teacher Home Visit workshops throughout California, as well as in New York, Colorado,
Oregon, Ohio, Washington D.C. and Kansas.
MR. ALEJANDRO HOGAN
Superintendent, South San Francisco USD
Enrollment: 12,145
Alejandro Hogan has been the Superintendent of the South San Francisco Unified School
District (SSFUSD) since July 1, 2011. SSFUSD with nine (9) elementary schools, three (3)
middle schools and three (3) high schools is the largest unified school district in San Mateo
County. With 28 years in education, his career began at the Defense Language Institute in
Monterey, California as a Spanish language Training Specialist. He became an elementary
teacher in Salinas and taught first, third and fifth grades. While in Salinas he became an
assistant principal and subsequently a school principal. He also has been a director and assistant
superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. Prior to his arrival in South San Francisco, Mr. Hogan was the Associate
Superintendent of Human Resources for the Salinas Union High School District.
He received his Master’s degree in Spanish and Latin American literature from the University of California Santa
Barbara in 1982, and a Bachelors Degree in Foreign Language in 1980. Mr. Hogan is a member of the Association of
California School Administrators where he served as the Region 10 representative on the Board of Directors from
2009-12. In 2003 he received the award of Negotiator of the Year in the State of California. He is also a member of
the California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE), the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development
(ASCD). He is also an adjunct professor for San Jose State University in the Administrative Services Credential
Program. He served as an Equal Opportunity Commissioner for the Monterey County Board of Directors. He currently
lives in San Mateo with his wife Vickie. They have three grown children.
EDUCATORS
MS. YVETTE IRVING
Director III, Alternative Education, Santa Clara COE
Enrollment: 250,000
Yvette M. Irving is the Director of Alternative Education for the Santa Clara County Office of
Education and the current Vice President of CALSA. With over 25 years in education, she has
worked in a classified, certificated and management role and has experience in Pre K-secondary
education. She holds a Multi Subject, Special Education, Bilingual/ELD, and administrative
credentials.
Ms. Irving has been honored as a National Administrator of the Year at the Summit for
Courageous Conversations in Baltimore, Maryland. This award is given on an annual basis to public school administrators
who are “passionate about transformational leadership at the personal, professional and organizational level; whose
practices are strategic, equity- focused, mission driven and results oriented, and are persistent in the pursuit of racial
equity in schools.” In addition, she is the recipient of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA)
Administrator of the Year award for Valuing Diversity, the Benito Juarez Humanitarian Award, and the Multicultural
Education award from San Jose State University. She has taught as adjunct faculty in Educational Administration programs,
committed to developing future racially and linguistically responsive teachers and administrators and serves on different
community based advisory boards and committees in the Bay Area. Her work in Educational Equity has been featured in
Glen Singleton’s book Courageous Conversations and in the Video Journal’s Closing the Achievement Gap series.
DR. JOVAN JACOBS
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Enrollment: 31,500
Dr. Jovan Jacobs currently serves as the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) Director for
Compton Unified School District (CUSD). The SELPA focuses on implementation of special
education services and oversees the state and federal compliance requirements. She possesses over
12 years of special education experience as a Special Education Director, Resource Specialist, and
a classroom teacher. Prior to joining CUSD, Jacobs was a Director of Special Education for Alliance
College-Ready Public Schools, a leading charter management organization. In order to ensure
compliance and increased student achievement for students with disabilities, she facilitates and
plans meaningful professional development on various special education topics for administrators, teachers, parents, and
community members. Jacobs earned her B.A. in Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego. She holds an
M.A. in Special Education from California State University, Dominguez Hills and a second M.A. in Administration with an
emphasis in Urban Leadership from California State University, Sacramento. She is a recently received her doctorate degree
from The University of Southern California in 2012.
EDUCATORS
MR. ABRAM JIMENEZ
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Enrollment: 17,000
Abram Jimenez works for the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools as Coordinator of School
Transformation. He has an expertise in analyzing academic achievement data to drastically
improve student achievement. Abram works directly with principals and site leadership to
strategically target students not meeting grade level content standards and design calculated
interventions. Abram guides site core content department leadership in the effective utilization of
Professional Learning Communities grounded in student assessment data, instructional practice,
curriculum development, and reteach- retest strategy. Abram specializes in secondary master
schedule development based on student need. He supports school leaders with master schedule tools in budget development,
scheduling, disaggregating data, section allocation, and building of a site’s final matrix. Abram holds a B.A. in Political
Science and a minor in Education from UCLA. He received his Masters in Educational Leadership Studies from the
University of San Diego.
DR. STEVE LADD
Superintendent, Elk Grove USD
Enrollment: 62,000
Steven M. Ladd, Ed.D, was named superintendent of the Elk Grove Unified School District in
December 2004. He is the fifth superintendent since the district formed in 1959.
He brings years of experience and a commitment to educational leadership that includes
administrative positions in Florida, Oregon and California. At EGUSD, Ladd continues his
legacy of academic success and community involvement matched with fiscal responsibility.
Ladd is respected among peers for his communication skills and ability to collaborate with educators and community
members. His areas of interest include leadership development and improved academic achievement. In addition, Ladd
has made closing the achievement gap a key component of his agenda at Elk Grove Unified.
Prior to heading EGUSD, Ladd served as superintendent of the San Luis Coastal Unified School District, from 2000 to
2004. Before coming to California, Ladd worked at two diverse school districts – Dade County, Florida and Beaverton,
Oregon. Ladd began his educational career in 1972 as a teacher’s aide in Dade County, Florida. He earned a doctoral
degree in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University, a master’s degree in administration and supervision
of vocational education, and a bachelor’s degree in industrial arts education from Florida International University.
Ladd is a member of several professional and civic organizations. In 2007, Ladd was named to the National Superintendents
Roundtable, a select group of 50 U.S. school superintendents supported by the College Board and Johnson and Kellogg
foundations. He is also a member of the American Association of School Administrators, the Association of California
School Administrators and the Suburban Superintendents Symposium.
EDUCATORS
MS. OFELIA CEJA-LARIVIERE
Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, Inglewood USD
Enrollment: 16,400
Ofelia Ceja-Lariviere is currently serving Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services with
the Inglewood Unified School District. She has also served as Administrative Director for Child
Development with Pomona Unified School District. She has been in the field of Education thirty
years serving as teacher, Staff Development Specialist, Program Coordinator, Vice-Principal,
Principal of a Multi-Track Year-Round Program and as a Director. She has managed and lead
District-wide programs such as the Mentor Teacher Program, Drug Education program, Goals
2000, Choose Well, Be Well and Healthy Start. She is the proud recipient and Principal of a
“California Distinguished School.” She successfully helped to implement District Wide Assessments for Reading/
Language Arts in Grades 1-10 and in Mathematics for grades 1-6, Pre-Algebra, Algebra, and Geometry. She has planned,
implemented and monitored the Academic Plan for Student Achievements at school sites. She has effectively mentored
and coached site administrators in the implementation of the Instructional Program Indicator Rubric. She has participated
in the District’s Coordinated Compliance and Comite Reviews. She Coordinated and lead her school in the Participatory
Research study of “Voices from The Inside” in conjunction with the Claremont Graduate School. She has designed and
delivered numerous trainings in the areas of Reading, History-Social Science, Lesson Design, Assertive Discipline,
Cooperative Learning, Bilingual education, Drug Education, TRIBES, TESA, etc. Currently, she manages a staff of over
400 with a budget in excess of $54,000,000. She received her M.Ed. from the University of La Verne and her Bachelors
of Art Degree from Cal Poly Pomona. She is currently servicing as President of the California Association of Latino
Superintendent’s (CALSA), Past Board of Directors Member At Large for ACSA, a member of ACSA’s Elementary
Curriculum Council, serves as Executive Board Member to the YMCA Pomona Chapter, and was Executive Member to
the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles. In addition, she holds professional memberships with ACSA, ASCD, CABE,
Phi Delta Kappa, NAESP and United Who’s Who.
MS. EVA LUECK
Chief Business and Financial Officer, Glendale USD
Enrollment: 26,000
Eva Rae Lueck, Chief Business and Financial Officer of the Glendale Unified School District.
She has twenty seven years of experience in California School Finance, of which seven years is in
Glendale Unified which has 26,250 students with a combined budget of $417 million in 17 Funds.
Her current responsibilities include the fiscal management of the District, facility construction and
funding, maintenance and operations, risk management, and food services. Additionally, she is
responsible for the development of the facility program for the $270 million bond, which passed in
April 2011.
Educational background includes a Masters in Public Administration and a Bachelors of Science in Accounting.
She is currently serving on the Schools Excess Liability Fund Board providing excess liability insurance to approx.
800 school districts and community colleges, and she is a member of the California Statewide Delinquent Tax Finance
Authority which has provided over $56 million of additional unrestricted revenues to the 93 participating school districts
in Los Angeles County.
EDUCATORS
MR. JOSE MANZO
Superintendent, Oak Grove SD
Enrollment: 11,400
Currently serving as the President of the California City School Superintendents Association,
Mr. Manzo was appointed as Superintendent of the Oak Grove School District in San Jose, CA on
July 1, 2012. He is highly motivated to work collectively with all stakeholders to create and develop
effective systems at the district and site levels that will have direct, positive results in improving
student success at all schools. Oak Grove School District consists of sixteen elementary schools,
three intermediate schools, and several parental choice alternative programs that provide outstanding
educational experiences for over 11,000 students.
Prior to his appointment in Oak Grove, Mr. Manzo served seven years in the Alum Rock Union School District as Assistant
Superintendent of Human Resources, Deputy Superintendent, and Superintendent. During his tenure in Alum Rock,
Mr. Manzo played a pivotal role to turn a once under-performing district into a district where every school was positioned to
exit Program Improvement (PI) status while no additional schools were entering PI status and where each of the 26 schools
realized significant academic improvements in exceeding API and AYP targets. As Superintendent in Alum Rock, the district
realized an increase from two schools to fourteen schools with an API over 800.
A professional educator for over 22 years, Mr. Manzo also worked in the San Jose Unified School District as Manager of Human
Resources and Director of Elementary Education.
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Enrollment: 1,667
Pamela Martens’ professional career includes teaching experience in the Hueneme Elementary
School District, site administrative experience in Ojai Unified and Hueneme Elementary School
Districts, seven years as Assistant Superintendent in the Ojai Unified School District, and thirteen
years as Superintendent in Coast Unified and Sonoma Unified School Districts. During the 201011 school year she was Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services and Certificated Human
Resources, in the Santa Paula Elementary School District. She is currently the Superintendent of
the Santa Paula Union High School District (SPUHSD).
Under her leadership, Coast Unified obtained two school bonds and matching state funds for the construction of a new
elementary school and for middle and high school modernization projects. The District elementary and high schools earned
Distinguished School status during her tenure. SPUHSD is currently engaged in facilities renovation, with a science and
technology building project scheduled to start in Spring 2013.
She worked in two Program Improvement districts prior to starting in Santa Paula Union High School District, which is
also a Program Improvement District. As in the past districts, she is working closely with Trustees, Staff and community
members to provide enhanced services for students to close the achievement gap and promote higher levels of student
achievement. During her career, she has collaborated with many local non-profit organizations, businesses, and county social
services as a way to reinforce positive communication and to provide additional services for students in each of the districts
in which she has served.
Dr. Martens has been the recipient of several educational awards including the Cuesta College Susan Dressler Women in
Administrative Leadership Award, Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Administrative Excellence
Award (Region and Charter levels), and ACSA Curriculum and Instruction Administrator of the Year.
She has been a member of the California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA) since 2006
and was honored to serve as a Mentor in the CALSA Administrator Mentoring Partnership Program from 2007-2009.
EDUCATORS
MS. MARTHA MARTINEZ
Director, District & School Support Services, Santa Clara COE
Enrollment: 270,000
Martha L. Martinez serves as Director, District/School Support Services, for Santa Clara County
Office of Education, providing leadership to districts in sustainable systemic change resulting in
improved student achievement. Martha is the Region 8 Lead of Regional System of District and
School Support, providing technical assistance and professional development on systemic reform
that address the tenets of ESEA.
Martha has over 30 years in education; the last 16 years in K-12 administration serving as principal,
EL Administrator, and Director, Categorical and Special Projects. Her lifelong belief is that leaders must create educational
equity to ensure societal equality. She works daily to reform public education to ensure that all learners have a chance at an
equitable education.
Martha received a M.A in Organizational Leadership from University of San Francisco and B.A. in Child Development
from San Jose State University. She believes strongly in community service as key to furthering the education of all students.
As a CALSA Cohort 7 and 8 Mentor Martha works with dynamic Latina administrators and enjoys going to the mentee’s
site to provide “real-time” coaching. She currently serves as Santa Clara County Office of Education Administration
Association ACSA charter past-president, a position she also held twice in Gilroy Unified. She has served as President of
Gilroy Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Founding Member of the Latino Family Fund, Past President of Gilroy’s Gang
Task Force, President of Latina Coalition, San Jose State University Advisory Board and Board of Directors for Saint Louise
Regional Hospital.
EDUCATORS
DR. STEVEN MARTINEZ
Assistant Superintendent, Fresno USD
Enrollment: 75,000
Steve Martinez, Ed.D. is an Assistant Superintendent, School Leadership for Fresno Unified
School District. Mr. Martinez has served as High School Principal, Deputy Principal, and Learning
Director in Clovis Unified School District. As principal at Clovis East High School, Mr. Martinez
led the school through a series of successful efforts. His initial leadership work addressed safety,
culture and climate. It transitioned into a strong focus on curriculum, instruction and assessment.
The school’s API increased 85 points in three years (Latino students grew 99 API points during his
three year tenure). The high school exit exam pass rate moved from the high 70% range into the
92% range for both ELA and Math. Additionally, the school earned a National Blue Ribbon Award in 2008, the California
Distinguished School Award in 2007, and the Golden Bell. The last four years in Fresno Unified, Mr. Martinez has led the
effort to increase access to a-g curriculum, the first time pass rate on the California High School Exit Exam, and the
graduation rate.
Mr. Martinez earned his Bachelors of Art in Chemistry from California State University, Fresno. Mr. Martinez also has
earned a Masters of Education from National University. Additionally, Mr. Martinez completed his Doctorate in Education
Leadership at Fresno State. He started his teaching career at Mendota High School as a science and math teacher. During
his teaching tenure he also served as a department chair, and as an athletic coach for various sports. Mr. Martinez is a life
long resident of Fresno.
MR. BRETT MCFADDEN
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Enrollment: 19,000+
Brett McFadden is the Chief Business Officer (CBO) for the Pajaro Valley Unified School District,
a 19,800+ student district in the Monterey Bay area. He is responsible for over 400 employees and
oversees the following functions: budget, fiscal services, purchasing, instructional technology,
maintenance/operations/facilities, risk/safety, transportation, and food services.
Prior to his current position, Brett was the Management Services Executive for the Association
of California School Administrators (ACSA) where he oversaw ACSA’s Management Services
Program. He provided consultation expertise on fiscal, negotiations, and operational services to more than 200 districts
statewide. Prior to joining ACSA, Brett served as a legislative consultant and chief-of-staff in the California Legislature.
He also served as a budget and staff analyst for the County of Orange Management and Budget Office.
Until his current position, he served as president of the Board of Trustees for Roseville City School District (K-8). Over his
career, he has served on various appointed commissions and oversight bodies involving regional planning, growth, and local
government services. He also teaches school finance and operations courses for various credentialing and professional
development programs statewide.
Brett has a BA in Political Science from CSU Long Beach and a Masters in Public Administration and Policy from the
University of Arizona. He is certified as a CBO by the California Association of School Business Officials.
Brett and his wife, Marci, live in Aptos. They have two children - Jack (13) and Ryan (10). The McFaddens are avid surfers,
sailors, and paddle-boarders - so much so they are known to suddently “disappear” when ocean conditions are right.
EDUCATORS
DR. MICHELLE MCLEAN
Superintendent, Arvin USD
Enrollment: 3,300
Dr. Michelle McLean is Superintendent of the Arvin Union School District, in Arvin, California
and teaches for Point Loma University. The Arvin Union School District has approximately 3000
students in Pre-K through 8th grade, of which 97% are Latino and 83% are English Learners.
Dr. McLean previously worked for the Bakersfield City School District. Over the years, Michelle
served the district as a bilingual teacher and reading specialist, site administrator, and Director of
School Instruction, where she supervised and was responsible for 13 elementary and Jr. High school
sites, as well as Director of New Teacher Support, Professional Development, and Magnet/Integration.
Michelle was recognized by Washington D.C.’s Alliance for Excellent Education for creating one of California’s most
successful Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) programs and was invited to D.C. to attend a national press
conference representing California on effective teacher recruitment and retention practices. Dr. McLean is credited with
creating BCSD’s Bilingual Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program, and she has a consistent record for rapidly
increasing academic achievement for English Learners and Latino students. Michelle served as the Elementary Representative
on BCSD’s DAIT team as well as on the district’s Special Education Advisory Committee. Dr. McLean’s consulted in the
areas of school improvement and effective English Language Development strategies in California and Nevada and presented
at both the National Title One and the National Association of Elementary School Principals Conferences on effective
methods of structured English immersion. Michelle has served Latino students her entire career in both rural and urban
settings, and she credits her early adolescent experience of living in Quito, Ecuador with igniting her passion for education,
equity for all, and social justice.
DR. LUCY MEDINA
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Enrollment: 650
Dr. Lucy Medina has served the students of California for more than 27 years. She spent eight
years in the elementary classroom before entering the administration field. Her first administrative
assignment was as a categorical program specialist at the site level. She has also served as an
assistant principal and currently serves as the principal of Agua Caliente Elementary School in
the Coachella Valley where she has been for the past 9 years. In addition to these assignments,
Dr. Medina has served on various State committees in the area of curriculum and instruction
culminating in her appointment as a Curriculum Commissioner. During her service as a
Curriculum Commissioner Dr. Medina was intimately involved in the review, selection, and adoption process of text
books supporting English Language Learners in the areas of Math, Science, and Language Arts. These experiences also
provided the basis for her dissertation: “Leadership and Accountability for English Language Learners: A Framework for
Success.” Additionally, Dr. Medina is an Adjunct Professor at Brandman University where she teaches classes on
Leadership and Cultural Diversity as well as Learning Theory. Dr. Medina is able to draw from her own experience as an
English Language Learner giving her first-hand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities we collectively face.
EDUCATORS
MR. RICARDO MEDINA
Director of Human Resources, Alum Rock SD
Enrollment: 13,000
Ricardo Medina retired in 2011 as the Superintendent of the Coachella Valley Unified School
District in the Indio/Palm Springs area of Southern California. He recently came out of retirement
to run the Human Resources Division for Alum Rock School District in San Jose, CA. Ricardo has
previously served as a superintendent in Southern California and in the State of Michigan. He was
born in Harlingen, Texas and was raised in Seguin, Texas where he graduated from Seguin High
School as a four sport athlete before moving to Michigan to go to college.
Ricardo is a former Vice-President of CALSA (California Association of Latino Superintendents Association). He is a
former President and founding member of ALAS (Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents). He is
currently serving as the Director of the ALAS Superintendents Leadership Academy (SLA).
Ricardo received his first bachelor’s degree from Saginaw Valley State University (Saginaw, Michigan) in Sociology and
Business and completed the Bilingual Teacher program as well. His second bachelor’s degree came from Eastern Michigan
University in Ypsilanti where he majored in Education and received his secondary teaching credentials. Ricardo has a
Master’s Degree from Michigan State University in Curriculum and Instruction and completed additional post graduate
coursework at Michigan State in Educational Administration to complete Michigan Administrative Credential requirements.
Ricardo attended Cal State University San Bernardino to fulfill the California’s requirements for the CA Professional Clear
Administrative Services Credential.
Ricardo began his professional career as a Hispanic Student Advisor at Delta Community College in Michigan and later
became a Community Liaison with the Title VII Bilingual Program in Saginaw City Schools. He was a teacher in the
Saginaw, Michigan area and left teaching to serve as State Supervisor of Trade and Technical Education for the Michigan
Department of Education in Lansing, Michigan. From there he moved to Arizona and then to California having worked his
way up from assistant middle school principal to middle school principal and then became assistant superintendent of
human resources, academic officer, deputy superintendent along the way to becoming a superintendent.
EDUCATORS
DR. RICK MILLER
Superintendent, Riverside USD
Enrollment: 41,962
Dr. Rick Miller joined Riverside Unified School District as Superintendent in January of 2009.
Dr. Miller has been an educator for over 40 years. He has served as a school district superintendent
for the past 22 years in two different states, as well as serving as an adjunct instructor at the university
level in both states. Dr. Miller has taught at the elementary and secondary levels and has been an
elementary and high school principal.
The focus of his 35+ year career as a school administrator has been on school reform and improved
student achievement in diverse settings. He has also co-founded a collaborative assistance program for teachers and administrtors
and concentrated his organizational efforts on building more collaborative structures within our school organizations.
Additionally, Rick was a co-founder of the Mountain West Superintendents Roundtable, a regional superintendent think tank.
He currently serves on a number of state and national advisory boards including: K-12 Blackboard Advisory, California K-12
High Speed Network, California School Board Association – Legal Alliance Advisory, Science and Technology Education
Partnership Advisory, and SmartRiverside Advisory.
Dr. Miller holds four academic degrees including a Ph.D. in Education; Ed.Sp. (Education Specialist) in Educational Administration;
M.Ed. (Masters in Education) in Educational Administration and Higher Education; and a B.A. in Chemistry. Dr. Miller
has authored a number of professional articles and has presented at state and national conferences. Dr. Miller is Riverside
Unified School District’s tenth Superintendent since 1871.
DR. RACHEL MONARREZ
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Enrollment: 800
Dr. Rachel Monarrez received a BA, History (1993) from UC Irvine and a MA in Education from
Claremont Graduate School (1995). She spent over a decade educating the minds and souls of
elementary and middle school students in Pomona Unified School District. The overwhelming
majority of her students were English Learners and she found great joy and fulfillment supporting
her students’ academic achievement. In 2004 Rachel earned the title of National Board Certification
Teacher, English as a New Language. With her vast experience working with English learners and
her in depth theoretical knowledge she was asked to work at the district level as a teacher specialist
providing professional development and coaching to secondary teachers. Her primary role was to help teachers scaffold
instruction making grade level content accessible to English learners. In 2007 Rachel began the next layer in her career,
she was appointed to be an elementary principal. Under her leadership the school grew 60 points on the API. Dr. Monarrez left
Pomona Unified to work as the Director of English Learner Programs in Rialto Unified. However, she returned to Pomona
to continue the work she had begun almost two decades prior. Expecting excellence, supporting teachers, encouraging
students and believing in the possibility of every child guide her daily interactions. She is currently the principal of a K-8
school: Cortez Magnet School in Pomona Unified.
EDUCATORS
DR. ESMERALDA MONDRAGON
Superintendent, Calistoga Joint USD
Enrollment: 858
Dr. Esmeralda Mondragon is the superintendent of Calistoga Joint Unified School District.
Calistoga is a k-12 school district serving a diverse population of students. The majority of the
students are children of immigrants and a large percentage are English Language Learners.
Dr. Mondragon is a strong leader in curriculum, instruction, and operations. She is a passionate
educational leader who believes that all children deserve an educational experience that motivates
them to cultivate their capacity and achieve their potential.
Dr. Mondragon has a solid background in creating and building the systems and structures that promote effective leadership
practices. She began her career in public education over 29 years ago. Dr. Mondragon has served as classroom teacher, High
School assistant principal; Junior High School principal; Elementary School principal, and Business Office administrator.
She earned her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of La Verne, her Master’s Degree from San Jose
State University, and her Bachelor’s Degree in political science from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Dr. Mondragon
values and believes in the importance of building professional relationships based on trust, which aim to provide youth with
a quality educational experience that is student-centered and focused on high expectations.
MS. LINDA MONREAL
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Enrollment: 800
Linda Monreal is serving her 22nd year in education. Linda is currently serving as Principal at
Lincoln Elementary School (K-6) in Madera Unified. She was a Youth Minister in the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati before entering the world of education. Linda was a classroom teacher
for 13 years and had the opportunity to teacher most grades Kindergarten- 8th grade. She was
a Reading Recovery teacher, which lead to a position as a Reading Intervention Specialist and
Literacy Coach. She worked for the Fresno County Office of Education Curriculum & Instruction
division on the ASSIST team. Linda has also worked as a district literacy/academic coach for
Ventura Unified School District and San Jose Unified School District. She was a Vice Principal for Riverdale Elementary
School (grades 4-8). Linda graduated from Ohio Dominican University with degrees in Theology & Elementary Education.
She received her MA as a Chancellor’s Fellow at CSU Fresno. Linda attended seminary for 5 years and is an ordained
Deacon in the Anglican Church. She is married to Dr. Anthony Monreal.
EDUCATORS
DR. ANTHONY MONREAL
Interim Superintendent, Madera USD
Enrollment: 19,595
Dr. Monreal currently serves as the Interim Superintendent/Deputy Superintendent for the Madera
Unified School District. He is a native of the Central Valley in California, growing up on the West
side of Fresno County, in the community of Firebaugh. Tony began working in the education field in
1988, as an ordained member of the clergy. During his career Dr. Monreal has served in public, private
and charter school environments. Also, he currently serves as an ongoing consultant for the NHU
Foundation, which oversees a Charter high school focusing on providing a quality education for
English language learners in East San Jose, California. Dr. Monreal has also served as Deputy
Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for the California Department of Education under then State Superintendent
of School, Jack O’Connell. Throughout his career as an educator Dr. Monreal has served as a counselor, teacher, assistant
principal, principal, assistant superintendent and as superintendent for various districts. Tony has overseen all grade spans
beginning with Pre-K and following through Higher Education. Dr. Monreal received a Doctorate of Education from
Graduate Theological Foundation, Indiana; Professional Administrative Credential from California State University,
Sacramento; Master of Science on Educational Counseling from National University, San Diego; and a Master of Divinity from
the Pontifical Collegium Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. Tony also holds California Credentials in Pupil Personnel Services
and Spanish. When he is not hard at work advocating for a quality public education for each and every student, he is playing
with classic cars. Tony’s wife, Linda, is also an educator committed to serving the diverse students of California.
MR. JOSE MORALES
Director, Migrant Education, Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office
Enrollment: 8,000
Jose Morales has been an educator for over twenty years. He is currently the Director of Migrant
Education Region V. He has been a Science Teacher at Arvin High School, Vice-Principal at
McFarland High School and a Coordinator with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools
Office. Jose has served in various leadership positions both within and outside of the Migrant
Education community including Chair of the Regional Directors Council, Representative to
the Interstate Migrant Education Council, and President for ACSA Region XI. Jose has read
and moderated several grants at the federal level including Migrant Education Even Start, High
School Equivalency Program, College Assistance Migrant Program, and the Comprehensive Education Center grant.
Prior to entering the field of education, Jose served five years in the United States Navy before returning to school to
attain a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Master of Arts in Education. Jose is a first generation college graduate
who emigrated from Mexico with his parents and three older sisters. These three sisters and two younger siblings all went
on to the university with five completing a Bachelors degree and four of those receiving a post graduate degree. Jose is
married to Laura and has two wonderful children, Olivia and Max, who are planning to enter the education field.
EDUCATORS
DR. CESAR MORALES
Assistant Superintendent of HR, Lawndale ESD
Enrollment: 6,481
Dr. Cesar A. Morales is an Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Services for the
Lawndale School District. He has served as a high school teacher, middle school Special
Education teacher, middle school counselor, Assistant Principal, Learning Director and
Principal; all prior to working in Human Resources. He also was a part-time instructor at Loyola
Marymount University (LMU) teaching Organizational Management courses in the Educational
Administration program (2007-2010). Dr. Morales earned a BA from Loyola Marymount
University, a MA in Educational Administration from Loyola Marymount University and a Doctorate of Education from UCLA. As a doctoral student, his research interests included resiliency theory, school access
and equity, parental involvement and college going culture. He is also active in the community. Dr. Morales has served
as a board member and Personnel Committee member for Westside Innovative School House (WISH) Charter school in
Westchester, California, a mentor in the California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA), and has been a conference presenter for the Learning Rights Center, a non-profit organization working with parents
who have students with disabilities. Dr. Morales has also been involved in the CALSA mentorning program –
he was a protégé in Cohort 6 and currently is serving as a mentor.
MS. HELEN MORGAN
Superintendent, Hawthorne SD
Enrollment: 9,000
Helen Morgan is a native Californian who, after graduating from high school in 1978, attended USC.
There she earned a Bachelor of Science degree and came to Hawthorne School District as a sixth
grade teacher. After teaching second, fourth, fifth and sixth grades she attended CSUDH and earned
a Master’s degree in educational administration. Continuing as a teacher she was very active in the
Hawthorne Elementary Teachers Association where she served as president for six years. In 1997
she became assistant principal at Jefferson School where she was serving as a special projects teacher.
After a year she was promoted to principal at this same school and then moved to Eucalyptus School
as principal. After two years as principal at Eucalyptus School she became the Coordinator of Professional Development where
she oversaw all professional development for the staff of the Hawthorne School District. She served in this capacity for four
years and then became the Director of Special Projects overseeing all state and federal categorical programs. In 2007 she
returned to USC to attain a doctorate in educational leadership which was completed in 2010. That same year she was named
as superintendent of the Hawthorne School District. Dr. Morgan was recognized as the ACSA Region 14 Superintendent of
the Year in 2011.
EDUCATORS
MR. JAMES MOUSALIMAS
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Enrollment: 1,500
James Mousalimas has been the Assistant Superintendent of County Operated Schools and
Programs with the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) since July 2008. He oversees
San Joaquin County’s Court and Community Schools, ROCP’s, Outdoor Education, Foster and
Homeless Youth, Adult Education in County Jail, WorkStart YES, and YouthBuild. In addition,
Mr. Mousalimas opened three charter schools in the past three years: the one. Charter for the
Visual and Performing Arts; the Building Futures Academy Charter School; and Excel Academy
Collegiate Sports and Health Science Preparatory High School. The one. Charter serves at-risk
students in grades 7-12 and provides instruction in dance, theater, percussion, guitar and digital music. The Building Futures
Academy (BFA) Charter enrolls students from 16-24 years old who do not have a high school diploma or GED. The BFA
Charter is a collaboration with YouthBuild and prepares students for a career in the building and construction trades. Excel
Academy focuses on health sciences and competitive sports and enrolls students in grades 7-12.
Mr. Mousalimas received his Administrative Services Credential from California State University, Stanislaus, his Bachelor
of Arts in Economics from University of California, Berkeley and his Masters of Education in Administration from the
College of New Jersey.
Prior to his position with SJCOE, Mr. Mousalimas served as Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources with Tracy
Unified School District. However, his teaching career began as a Peace Corps Volunteer High School teacher in Niger,
West Africa. Following this experience he taught math in Richmond Unified School District for two years. For the next
eight years, Mousalimas was a teacher, assistant principal, and eventually the principal of an American International School
in Saudi Arabia. He returned to the United States in 1998 and served as Coordinator of Year-Round Education followed by
becoming the Director of Alternative Programs for Tracy Unified School District in 2001. During his time as Coordinator of
Year-Round Education and Director of Alternative Programs, Mousalimas supervised and directed District-wide Intervention
Programs, Regional Occupational Programs, School-to-Career, Summer School, Intersession, Year-Round Education,
Charter Schools, and Adult School.
EDUCATORS
DR. ROSANNA MUCETTI
Director of District and State Initiatives, Buck Institute for Education
As a former bilingual elementary classroom teacher and school administrator, Rosanna has
extensive experience in implementing curricular reform at the classroom, school and district
levels. She currently works for the Buck Institute for Education (BIE) as the Director of State
and District Initiatives. In her role at BIE, she provides districts with technical and strategic
implementation support on how to shift from traditional instruction to a project based learning
(PBL) approach. She works side by side with district leaders who are committed to a system wide
vision for PBL and its sustainability. Her work is focused on supporting senior leaders with the
development of a plan for creating the optimal conditions within their organizations for PBL to
thrive and create success for teachers and students.
Rosanna has worked primarily with culturally and linguistically diverse student populations throughout her entire career.
She is passionate about working with Latino English Learners, and recently completed a dissertation, From Compliance
to Instruction: Reforming English Learner Support Services. During these last five years, Rosanna has gained tremendous
experience in strategizing and leading reform efforts as she works to address issues of equity for historically underserved
students. As a principal of a large Title I elementary school, she attained success in this multifaceted position. Drawing
upon her site leadership experience, Rosanna served as a manager of curriculum, instruction and English Learner services
in the San Jose Unified School District where she worked to transform how central office designs, implements, and
supports systemic change efforts.
Rosanna has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.S. in Educational Leadership
from California State University, East Bay. She also has a multiple subjects, bilingual teaching and administrative services
credential. She recently attained her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with a focus on social justice from CSUEB.
EDUCATORS
DR. CATHERINE NICHOLS
Superintendent, Covina Valley USD
Enrollment: 14,000
Dr. Catherine Nichols is in her eighth year as Superintendent. She is currently serving her third
year in Covina-Valley Unified School District and served five years in Glendora Unified. Dr.
Nichols began her career as a classroom teacher 25 years ago in Pasadena USD. Her experiences
are diverse, having worked in suburban school districts such as La Canada Unified and in urban
school districts such as Pasadena Unified.
Dr. Nichols is passionate about teaching and learning. She has served as the Assistant
Superintendent and Director of Curriculum and Instruction in Glendora Unified, the Coordinator of Curriculum, and
Principal of an elementary school in Temple City Unified. Dr. Nichols was the Coordinator of Curriculum for the USC
International Principals Institute.
Recently, Dr. Nichols presented at the ACSA Superintendents’ Symposium “One Voice: 21st Century and the Common
Core” and serves on the Advisory Committee for EdLeader21, a national organization dedicated to transforming schools
across America. In addition, Dr. Nichols is a presenter for the ACSA Aspiring Superintendents and Aspiring Principals
academies. Dr. Nichols served as a CSBA Delegate to Shanghai China and was selected to become a member of the
Urban Superintendents Association of America.
Catherine shares her intense commitment to students with her husband, Dr. Terry Nichols, Superintendent of Duarte
USD. They have four children and four grandchildren. While recently becoming “empty nesters,” children have been an
integral part of their lives. Catherine is one of eight children and grew up in New Jersey, graduating from Rutgers
University, then attaining a Masters and Doctorate in Educational Administration at USC.
Covina-Valley Unified: 6th in the State and 2nd in Los Angeles County for Closing the Achievement Gap!
Covina-Valley Unified was recognized as a leader in the State of California for the outstanding achievement of our
Hispanic students and children living in poverty. Education Trust-West ranks Covina-Valley Unified sixth in the State
and second in Los Angeles County for overall performance and closing the achievement gap.
Covina-Valley Unified School District is committed to educational excellence and high achievement for all students.
C-VUSD has three priorities: increase student achievement for all students, close the achievement gap among students,
and create a four-year college going culture. Our three innovative academies connect to our students’ talents while
preparing them for college and careers. We are purposeful in our efforts to ensure they receive the challenges and support
required for individual academic growth.
Education Trust-West analyzed the student achievement from 147 districts with a focus on overall performance for every
student, closing the achievement gap of students of color and low-income students, and college readiness. Our District
was noted for making dramatic improvements in overall grades. Four of seven grades increased for Covina-Valley Unified,
including our Latino achievement levels and five-year improvement among students of color and low-income students.
Our students are succeeding; they are attending Ivy League colleges as well as prestigious private and public colleges.
Covina-Valley Unified is creating extraordinary futures!
EDUCATORS
DR. TERRY NICHOLS
Superintendent, Duarte USD
Enrollment: 4,000
Dr. Terry Nichols, Superintendent of Duarte Unified School District, has been in education for
more than 33 years serving as a teacher and administrator at all levels. Eleven of those years
were spent in Duarte as principal of both Northview and Duarte High School and district office
administrator.
Dr. Nichols is committed to ensuring each Duarte student will be recruited and sought after by
colleges and businesses, that is, all are “shoulder-tapped graduates”. Duarte Unified School
District will be providing the type of 21st Century Skills for the students we serve so that they are able to LEAP
(Learning is Engaging and Adapted to the Passion of our students) past the competition.
The Nichols family includes four children, four grandchildren and his beautiful wife, Catherine, who is superintendent of
Covina Valley Unified Schools.
DR. ALAN NISHINO
Superintendent, Fillmore USD
Enrollment: 3,800
Dr. Alan Nishino has served in Education for 41years as a teacher, assistant principal, assistant
superintendent and 16 of those years as a school district superintendent. He was superintendent
of Morgan Hill Unified School District and Alameda Unified School District; both are K-12
districts with approximately 10,000 students. Prior to that he was Superintendent of Castaic
Union School District which is a smaller K-8 school district with approximately 2,500 students.
He is currently serving as interim Superintendent at Fillmore Unified School District with
approximately 3,800 students.
Dr. Nishino was the 2007 San Jose Educator of the Year. He has served on advisory committees for California State
University, Northridge, the University of Southern California, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff. He was a master
teacher for student teachers from USC, CSU Northridge and Chapman College.
His many leadership strengths as a district superintendent include increasing district wide test scores and decreasing high
school drop-out rates; increasing student passing rates on the California High School Exit Exam; increasing the number
of students taking Advanced Placement Classes; increasing the percentage of students meeting UC/CSU course requirements
from 37% in 2004 to 70% in 2007 with Latino 18% to 60%, White 43% to 74%; implementing a significant number of
technology based services for students, staff, and parents; significantly increasing the number of middle school students in
Algebra and successfully connecting the school district to community and civic leaders.
EDUCATORS
DR. MARIA OTT
Executive in Residence, USC
Maria G. Ott, Ph.D. started a new phase in her distinguished educational career when she joined
the USC Rossier School of Education in October 2012. Maria G. Ott served more than seven
years as Superintendent of the Rowland Unified School District, leading the district through
major instructional improvement initiatives and modernization of facilities. She is nationally
known for establishing partnerships with private foundations in support of Rowland Unified and
its strategic plan and efforts to reach high levels of literacy and raise student achievement, placing
Rowland Unified on the national stage and forefront of educational transformation movements.
Rowland Unified serves the cities of La Puente, Walnut, West Covina, City of Industry,
unincorporated Valinda and unincorporated Rowland Heights. Dr. Ott was selected as Superintendent in July 2005,
following a national search. Prior to joining Rowland Unified, Dr. Ott served five years as the Senior Deputy Superintendent
in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), second in authority to Superintendent Roy Romer, former threeterm Governor of Colorado.
At USC, Maria G. Ott, Ph.D. serves as Executive in Residence, teaching graduate level courses and participating in
Rossier School of Education initiatives. In her role at USC, Dr. Ott will draw upon her extensive experience as an educator
in urban and suburban districts, including her work on cultural proficiency as detailed in her recently released book, A
Culturally Proficient Society Begins in School: Leadership for Equity, with co-authors Carmella S. Franco and Darline P.
Robles. Dr. Ott has presented to national audiences on the topic of her book and continues to contribute to the educational
literature about the importance of cultural proficiency in closing achievement gaps.
Dr. Ott represents the Rossier School of Education as a member of the Greater Crenshaw Education Partnership Board
(GCEP), serving as Vice-Chairperson. In this role, Dr. Ott will assist the GCEP Board in fulfilling the partnership agreement
in support of goals established for Crenshaw High School. The GCEP partnership brings together USC, the Los Angeles
Urban League, and the Bradley Foundation to address reform efforts designed to improve student academic achievement.
As an experienced Superintendent, Dr. Ott brings extensive experience to her Board responsibilities.
Dr. Ott was recruited to serve as the educational deputy to Superintendent Romer in 2000. Dr. Ott returned to LAUSD
after seven years as the Superintendent of the Little Lake City School District, serving the cities of Santa Fe Springs,
Norwalk and southeastern Downey. During her tenure, she was known for her accomplishments in improving student
achievement, utilizing strategic planning to align resources to district priorities, and achieving excellence in governance
with her Board. Selected as a member of the prestigious Annenberg Superintendents’ group, she led a major reform
initiative in Little Lake as a recipient of an Annenberg grant. She is highly regarded throughout the state’s educational
community for her strong leadership, her commitment to public education and her proven results working with children
from diverse and multi-ethnic backgrounds.
Maria G. Ott earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Mount St. Mary’s College and completed her doctoral studies at
the University of Southern California, majoring in Educational Policy, Planning and Administration. Prior to her
appointment as Superintendent of Little Lake, Maria Ott worked in the Los Angeles Unified School District as a teacher,
principal, and central office administrator in the Office of Instruction. Her accomplishments included improving student
achievement as a principal, and national recognition for her leadership in improving educational outcomes and programs
for English language learners.
Dr. Ott has earned numerous awards, including: AEOE Outstanding Administrator Award; AMAE Homenaje a la Mujer
Recipient; Lamplighter in Education Recognition, Mount St. Mary’s College; Distinguished Educator, California State
University, Los Angeles; Educational Leadership Award, Council of Mexican American Administrators; Hispanic Woman
of the Year Award, Mexican American Opportunity Foundation; USC Rossier School of Education R.O.S.E. Award;
Mount St. Mary’s Distinguished Alumni Award, and La Opinion Mujeres Destacadas Award, CABE 2009 Administrator
of the Year Award.
EDUCATORS
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Enrollment: 12,344
Dr. Adrian Palazuelos began his career as a classroom teacher in the Hueneme School District in
Port Hueneme, California. Dr. Palazuelos’ leadership roles include Middle School Assistant
Principal, Elementary Principal, Middle School Principal, and High School Principal. He is currently in his first year as Assistant Superintendent, Student Services and Accountability in the
Natomas Unified School District. The Natomas Unified School District is located in Sacramento,
California and serves 12,300 students.
Dr. Palazuelos’ professional affiliations include membership in the California Association of Latino Superintendents and
Administrators, Association of California School Administrators, American Association of School Administrators, and
the California Association of World Schools (organization for California International Baccalaureate schools).
Dr. Palazuelos holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California at Irvine, a M.Ed. in Educational Administration
from the University of California at Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Organizations from the
University of California at Santa Barbara.
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Enrollment: 3,100
Dr. Jacqueline Perez received a BA, Biological Sciences (1997) and a M.Ed., Education (1999)
from UC Santa Barbara. She moved from the area and taught biology at Montebello High
School. Although she enjoyed teaching science to all students, especially at-risk and English
Learners, she knew that she wanted to serve a broader purpose and impact school-wide change.
Jacqueline then earned a M.A. in Educational Leadership from CSU Los Angeles in 2001.
She left the classroom, and became a Teacher Support Specialist, supporting new teachers and
delivering staff development. Eager for a new challenge, she left Montebello USD to be a Strategy
Coach for Action Learning Systems (ALS). These experiences all reinforced her background in instructional reform and
research-based teaching strategies. She later earned her doctorate from the University of Southern California (USC) in 2005.
Jacqueline’s administrative experiences include serving as an Assistant Principal, Instruction at Workman High School
in La Puente, CA, Assistant Principal, Curriculum at Westminster High School in Westminster, CA and Curriculum
Coordinator, Temple City USD. She is currently the principal at Chino Hills High School in Chino Hills, CA.
EDUCATORS
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Dr. Irella Perez is recognized as being an outstanding educator and community advocate and
has made significant contributions to the education of students. Dr. Perez is currently a school
principal at Willowbrook Middle School in Compton Unified School District and a School
Board member for Whittier City School District where she resides.
Dr. Perez is a proud mother of four children. As an immigrant from Nicaragua, Dr. Irella Perez
has developed unique insights into the needs of English Learners because she has experienced,
first-hand, the difficulties that must be overcome by language barriers. In spite of the challenges, she went on to receive
her Bachelor of Science in Spanish Literature and her Doctorate in Education, from the University of Southern
California in 2005.
Dr. Perez’s published dissertation was entitled The First 90 Days of the Superintendency and Successful Strategies. She
has also written a children’s book entitled The Adventures of Little Suyensita. Her published articles can be found in the
educational magazines: Co-creating School Communities Focused on Academic Achievement, (The Multilingual
Educator, April 2011), and Turning on Engagement! (Leadership, May, 2011). She is also a champion of bilingual
education, recognized this year by the California Association of Bilingual Educators (CABE). Throughout her career, two
of her schools have also been awarded with the CABE Seal of Excellence. Dr. Perez now serves in CABE as the Director
of Parent Relations to the Board and is a member of their Legislative and Financial Committee. She has served for over
sixteen years as a public school teacher and administrator.
In addition to being a school administrator, she has been an adjunct professor for Doctoral and Masters Programs and
chair Doctoral Dissertations. She also performs contractual innovative services for Perry and Associates Inc., an educational firm that (in collaboration with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Sidney E. Frank and Panasonic Foundation)
guides school districts to develop their policies on equity, quality and systemic educational reform.
Dr. Perez is also a Cultural Arts Commissioner for the City of Whittier and a representative in their Sister City and
Visual Arts committee as well as her own Children local Parent Faculty Organization. Dr. Perez is also proud to be an
advocate for children and representative of her peers in her field in her Region Fourteen Association of California School
Administrators, ACSA. She serves as the board representative for the Equity, Achievement and Diversity for Success
state level committee and chairs their Woman Leadership Breakfast. Dr. Perez also serves in the CALSA board. California Association of Latinos Superintendents and Administrators.
EDUCATORS
MR. ARTHUR REVUELTAS
Deputy Superintendent, Montebello USD
Enrollment: 30,800
Arthur P. Revueltas has been a public school educator since 1975 when he became a teacher with
the Montebello Unified School District in Los Angeles County, California, where he has continued
his career. His experiences have spanned Business Services, Instruction, Facilities Planning and
School Construction.
Mr. Revueltas has served in the Montebello Unified School District as Elementary and Intermediate
Teacher; Intermediate School Project Director; Intermediate School Assistant Principal;
Elementary, Intermediate and High School Principal; Administrator on Special Assignment, Facilities and Operations
Division; Associate Superintendent, Instructional Services Division.
In 2010, Mr. Revueltas was appointed as the Deputy Superintendent of the Montebello Unified School District.
As Deputy Superintendent, Mr. Revueltas planed and implemented three (3) Retirement Incentive Programs, which helped
avoid any layoffs in the Montebello Unified School District.
MS. ROSALINA RIVERA
Superintendent, Delano Joint UHSD
Enrollment: 4,500
Mrs. Rosalina Rivera currently holds the position of District Superintendent for the Delano Joint
Union High School District. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from California State
University, Bakersfield and went on to receive a Master’s Degree and Administrative Credential
from National University and California State University Fresno. Mrs. Rivera has received numerous
awards. She supports and is a member of the local, state, and international professional educational
associations such as Delano Chapter, Alpha Delta Kappa Society, Soroptimist International,
American Cancer Society Leadership Council, Delano Community Alliance Board of Directors,
and Delano Music Memorial Board of Directors.
Superintendent Rivera has provided leadership in addressing curricular and instructional strategies which have positively
affected English Language Learners. Under her leadership Delano Joint Union High School District received numerous
academic honors including: 2010 California Distinguished Schools (Delano and Cesar E. Chavez High Schools), California
School Board Association Golden Bell Award, US News & World Report Nation’s Best High School Awards (Delano and
Cesar E. Chavez High Schools), and has met its State and Federal academic targets.
EDUCATORS
DR. ALEX ROJAS
Assistant Superintendent, Tustin USD
Enrollment: 24,000
Dr. Alejandro Rojas currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services
for the Tustin Unified School District. Before beginning a career in education he spent nine years
in the financial services industry serving in management positions for several retail, mortgage and
commercial banking institutions. As an educator Dr. Rojas began his career teaching ELD, English
Language Arts and Social Studies at the middle school. He specialized in working with English
Learners and ‘at-risk’ students quickly becoming involved in leading professional development for
teachers and administrators. He holds two master degrees in education and served as an adjunct in
the department of education for Azusa Pacific University teaching courses in bilingual education, multicultural education,
education psychology, human resources, education law and school administration. Dr. Rojas started his administrative career
as a middle school assistant principal. While an assistant principal he continued his education receiving a doctorate degree
in education from the University of Southern California. As principal of a Title I middle school he lead a school reform
effort which resulted in raising the school’s API score from 739 to 818 making the school a ‘school of choice’ for the
surrounding area. Before joining Tustin USD Dr. Rojas was Director of Educational Services where he supervised instructional
and student support services. He completed the USC School Business Management program certifying him as a Chief
Business Official by CASBO. Dr. Rojas is a member of several educational boards and volunteers his time for several
community based organizations including scouts and youth sports leagues.
DR. ANTHONY ROSILEZ
Superintendent, Romoland USD
Enrollment: 3,250
Dr. Anthony Rosilez has served as Superintendent of Romoland School District since October
2010. Previous district-level administrative positions include Assistant Superintendent at Harlem
Consolidated School District 122 in Machesney Park, Illinois and Administrator for Classified
Personnel in Beaverton (Oregon) School District. He also served as Faculty Advisor at the UCLA
Teacher Education Program where he taught and advised teacher credential candidates and served
on the program’s Community Committee. Prior to his school administrative experience, Dr. Rosilez
taught middle school math and science in Hacienda La Puente Unified School District and science in
San Jacinto Unified School District. He earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University
of Wisconsin-Madison and a Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law. His dissertation research focused on the social justice
efforts of superintendents of color and how they address resistance. His research was noted in the August 2012 AASA
publication of School Administrator and the Winter 2012 edition of ALAS Wings of Change. He has presented at state and
national conferences on topics such as teacher preparation, superintendent leadership, and kindergarten through university
level partnerships in support of education. Dr. Rosilez grew up in Hacienda Heights, California; and he and his wife of
eighteen years have two children in high school.
EDUCATORS
DR. KAREN SANCHEZ-GRIEGO
Assistant Director Educator Quality Divison,
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Enrollment: 334,419
Dr. Karen C. Sanchez-Griego currently works with The New Mexico Public Education
Department as Assistant Director for the Division of Educator Quality, she was named as the
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Arlington Public Schools, Virginia,
she the first principal of “The New Southwest High School now named a TRISCO HERITAGE
ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL” a multi-million dollar school that was built from the ground up
in a predominate poor, minority and disenfranchised community. She is an educational reformist
who has worked state wide and across the country on educational issues; including constituent work on educational
reform issues in Washington D.C. Dr. Sanchez-Griego was selected for this school because of her work with the
ENLACE collaborative and what she learned from the Kellogg foundation in terms of leadership and the development
of grassroots community work and partnerships. Dr. Sanchez-Griego was the former Executive Director of ENLACE
“Engaging Latino Communities for Education” New Mexico. She is a former middle and high school teacher within the
Albuquerque Public Schools. Sanchez-Griego has served as a high school activities director, summer school principal,
assistant and acting principal of an Inner city middle school and an assistant principal of curriculum and instruction at
the high school, and was instrumental in the development of one of the first Small Learning Community programs in
New Mexico and in the country. She is also committed to her work in the development of full fledged academies including,
Law & Public Policy, International Business, Marketing & Languages (including an on site credit union), and the Newly
developing ABQ Film Academy (the farm team of ABQ studios if you will) She received a BA in Secondary Education
with teaching endorsements in English, History, and Special Education from the University of New Mexico and the
College of Santa Fe. She completed a master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of New Mexico and
completed her Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Ed.D) in May of 2010. Her dissertation is: (THE POWER OF
THEIR VOICE: PROMOTING EQUAL RESPECT AND REDISTRIBUTNG POWER IN HIERARCHICALLY
DIFFERENTIATED GROUPS)
She is/has been a member of the Hispanic Round Table, Las Mujeras and helped support community voice on the
Hispano/Latino Educational Task Force, currently she is a part of the National Association of Secondary School
Principals, was chosen (2011-2012) for the National Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents
Leadership Academy as well as many other organizations. She sat on the National ENLACE Policy Committee.
She was a Governor Bill Richardson Appointee to the State Personnel Board, as well as an appointee on the Governors
Educational Reform Task Force; she also was an invitee (one of 15 Hispanic members chosen from around the country)
to participate in a round table discussion with Secretary Margaret Spelling to give input from a Hispanic perspective on
the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. She was selected as one of New Mexico’s 20 Women Making a Difference
in Education; and was selected as a recipient for the Governors Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women. This past
summer (2011) she was named by Governor Martinez to the states “Effective Teacher Task Force” (a look at developing; for
the Governor a comprehensive teacher/principal evaluation system). She is a native New Mexican and has been active
in educational reform for several years. She has two children; (boys) 26 and 23 years old. She has been married to
Anthony Griego for 29 years. Her husband is a high school principal and has been in education for over 29 years.
EDUCATORS
MR. MARTIN SANDOVAL
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Enrollment: 1,925
Martin Sandoval is the head principal of Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico
and has been serving in this capacity for the past seven years. Prior to this, he served as a high
school curriculum assistant principal for five years and as a middle and high school social studies
and Spanish teacher for nine. Martin earned his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of New
Mexico in Social Studies Composite and his Master’s Degree from the University of New Mexico
in Education Leadership. Under his leadership as principal, Eldorado High School has made
significant academic gains for all students in all content areas, but predominately in the areas of
reading, writing, and math over the past five years. His implementation of highly functional professional learning
communities, sustained professional development, the creation of a collaborative culture, peer accountability, and
maintaining high standards and expectations for faculty and students alike, has resulted in double digit gains in student
proficiency in math with the Hispanic and Economically Disadvantaged subgroups and consistent gains in all content
areas in nearly every subgroup. Through a strong commitment to address the academic and social needs of all the
students, Eldorado High School has been able to narrow the achievement gap, and continually score well above the state
and District average on the ACT, SAT and Advanced Placement Exams. Martin is currently a member of Cohort II in
the ALAS Superintendents Leadership Academy working towards a goal of becoming a Superintendent of a school
district with a high Latino population. Martin is also one of the founders of the ALAS de Nuevo México state chapter
and helped establish its mission, vision, and purpose.
MS. MARIA SANTOS
Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, Oakland USD
Enrollment: 46,584
Maria Santos is the Deputy Superintendent for Instruction, Leadership and Equity in Action for
the Oakland Unified School District. Until recently, she was, the Senior Instructional Manager
and Superintendent for the Office of English Language Learners (ELLs) at the New York City
Department of Education. In that capacity, she led the Office in ensuring that Children First
reforms were raising the academic rigor of ELLs through quality teaching and learning citywide.
Early in these reforms, she led the restructuring of New York City’s Early Childhood, ELL, and
Instructional Technology departments. Ms. Santos has designed and developed strategic initiatives
and resources for several nonprofit organizations that provide state and national support, setting trends in the educational
agenda nationwide. As an Education Program Officer at Wallace-Reader’s Digest Funds, Ms. Santos designed the Leadership
for Education Achievement in District (LEAD) project—a program that engaged twelve urban districts in twelve states in
developing educational leadership to improve student learning. Before going to New York City, Ms. Santos spent 20 years
in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). As Associate Superintendent, she supervised the development of
major instructional improvement initiatives such as SFUSD’s Professional Development Initiative and gained SFUSD the
recognition of an Exemplary Site by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Award for Professional Development.
EDUCATORS
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Superintendent, Kingsburg Elementary Charter School District
Enrollment: 800
Dr. Sever began his experiences as an educator teaching in the Clovis Unified School District.
He spent 14 years in Sanger Unified working as a vice-principal and principal. During his time
in Sanger, Dr. Sever’s school, John Wash Elementary, was named a National Blue Ribbon School
and that year he was a finalist for the Fresno County Administrator of the Year. In 2009
Dr. Sever received national recognition when he was presented with the Terrel H. Bell Award for
excellence in educational leadership. Just before coming to the Kingsburg Elementary District,
Dr. Sever was serving as an assistant superintendent in Parlier Unified. Now as the Superintendent
of Kingsburg Elementary Charter School District Dr. Sever will focus on supporting Early Childhood Education, and
building programs that lead to future success such as, Professional Learning Communities, SIOP and Response to Intervention.
DR. RICHARD SHEEHAN
Superintendent, Glendale USD
Enrollment: 26,371
Dr. Richard Sheehan, Superintendent of Glendale Unified School District, began his career in
education 23 years ago teaching at the high school level. He taught in three school districts,
San Marino, Charter Oak, and Covina-Valley. At Covina High School, he was also the athletic
director and head football coach, winning a CIF Championship and Coach of the Year honors in 1995.
Before coming to Glendale in 2007 as an Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, he was
the K-12 Curriculum and Instruction Director at Covina Valley Unified. In September 2009, he
was promoted to Deputy Superintendent, and in July 2010, he was appointed Superintendent of Schools. Glendale Unified,
a high-performing school district, encompasses 31 schools with approximately 26,500 students, 2,500 employees, and an
annual operating budget of $216 million. The district has been recognized with many state and national awards associated
with student achievement.
Dr. Sheehan holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California, a Master’s degree in
Education from Azusa Pacific University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from CSU-Fullerton.
His wife, Kim, is currently a high school assistant principal in the Covina-Valley Unified School District. Dr. and Mrs. Sheehan
have three sons, two who attend schools in the Covina-Valley USD and one who attends San Diego State University.
EDUCATORS
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Enrollment: 10,200
Dr. Shepherd’s 32-year career in education includes experience as a classroom teacher, elementary
and middle school principal and district administrator of special education, early childhood programs,
continuation and community day schools and charter schools. In 1996, she received her Doctorate
degree in Educational Leadership from the UC Davis/CSU Fresno Joint Doctoral Program.
Dr. Shepherd is currently the Superintendent of the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District.
Since 2007, she has focused on improving student achievement and moving the District out of
Program Improvement status by rebuilding district systems to create instructional program alignment and interventions, and by
restructuring fiscal resources to support student achievement. In 2008, Dr. Shepherd was selected as the Superintendent of the
Year for Region 10 of the Association of California School Administrators.
Dr. Shepherd previously served as the Superintendent of Golden Valley Unified School District in Madera County where the
district team improved test scores, produced a California Distinguished School and won a California School Boards Association
Golden Bell Award. Dr. Shepherd is known for her ability to successfully implement large-scale change to advance student
achievement and has received State and National recognition for her accomplishments. In 2011, she received the ACSA Marcus
Foster Memorial Award for Administrator Excellence and in 2012 she received the AASA Women in School Leadership Award.
Dr. Shepherd is actively engaged in her professional community giving presentations on the fiscal challenges public schools
currently face and on the role of women in leadership. She also serves on the Executive Board of the District Administration
Leadership Institute. Dr. Shepherd resides in Monterey, California with her husband Lee to whom she has been married for
nearly 30 years.
MS. SOCORRO SHIELS
Superintendent, Santa Rosa City SD
Enrollment: 17,000
Socorro Shiels currently serves the Santa Rosa Elementary and High School Districts as the
Superintendent. She brings combined elementary and secondary experience to the district as well as
passion and expertise in creating rigorous educational systems for all students.
Prior to this, Ms. Shiels was the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services at Morgan Hill
School District. Morgan Hill initiatives included effective collaboration, instructional data analysis,
and building developmental assets, with great attention to systematic professional development that
ensured organizational capacity.
Ms. Shiels also worked as the Program Director of District and School Support Services for the Santa Clara County Office
of Education. In that position, Ms. Shiels assisted schools and districts in various stages of program improvement, leveraged
resources for school reform, and increased educational opportunities for all students. She began her career as a bilingual teacher
and has worked as a site level administrator at both the elementary and secondary level. She also served as the Director of
Multicultural Education and Professional Development in a secondary district in Sacramento. Ms. Shiels led her district out of
the Comite/ Office of Civil Rights review process.
Ms. Shiels is currently completing her PhD at UC Davis. She is specializing in issues of EL assessment and works with national
expert Dr. Jamal Abedi. This year she was the grateful winner of the ALAS/HMH Aspiring Superintendents Award. Additionally,
Ms. Shiels proudly serves as the Director of the CALSA Administrative Mentoring Program.
EDUCATORS
DR. KEVIN SILBERBERG
Superintendent, Standard SD
Enrollment: 3,000
Dr. Kevin Silberberg is Superintendent of the Standard School District one of the oldest school
districts in Bakersfield, California. Appointed to the position in 2007, Dr. Silberberg is directing
an ambitious comprehensive reform effort designed to raise academic standards and narrow the
achievement gap for 3,000 students. Since 2007, Dr. Silberberg has led an inclusive team of school
leaders, working together to examine and create change in the traditional school system. The results
have been outstanding! Dr. Silberberg, has had a varied career as a teacher, a “National Blue Ribbon”
principal, superintendent, a faculty member at three universities and in 2012, lead a statewide task
force on “digital learning” for the California Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Combining his experience at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), his Educational Technology Doctorate from Pepperdine
University, and experiences from the “boardroom to the classroom,” his concentration has been, and will always be, effectively
integrating technology in the classroom.
Dr. Silberberg has received numerous awards for leadership from school districts, associations, state and federal departments of
education and in 2012 received the Association of California Administrators (ACSA) Superintendent of the Year Award for
the charter and region.
Dr. Silberberg received his B.A. and M.A. from Point Loma College, and his Ed.D. from Pepperdine University.
EDUCATORS
DR. ALBERT SIQU IEROS
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Enrollment: 1,100
Alberto Siqueiros has proudly served Arizona’s K-12 public school students in a variety of roles in his
career. His appointments have included teacher, student advisor, school principal, principal coach,
director of employee relations, assistant superintendent, chief academic officer, and, most recently,
superintendent. He has administrative experience in tribal, large-urban, and suburban school districts
including the Bavoquivari Unified School District, Tucson Unified School District, Sunnyside
Unified School District, Marana Unified School District, and Yuma School District Number One.
Alberto has also served as a governing board member in the Marana Unified School District.
As the superintendent of the Bavoquivari Unified School District (BUSD), Alberto has guided the district on its strategic
“Journey to Success.” In January 2010, BUSD took the bold step to say enough to a legacy of mediocre performance and results,
and committed to transforming itself to an excelling school system. Since that time, BUSD has implemented several initiatives
that will enable students to be college and career ready upon graduation from high school. Alberto is adamant that schools
must provide a highly effective educational experience for all students and, in particular, must “slam dunk it” in preschool
through third grade.
Alberto strongly advocates for underrepresented groups in higher education. He works closely with the University of Arizona
toward increasing the recruitment and retention of minority students. He sat on the President’s Hispanic Task Force and the
University’s Parent and Family Association Advisory Board where he was co-chair of the Student Recruitment and Retention
Committee. Currently, he sits on the University of Arizona President’s P-20 Council of Southern Arizona and the State School
Superintendent’s Native American Education Advisory Committee.
In collaboration with the Tohono O’odham Community, Alberto has formed the Tohono O’odham C-20 Council that brings
the key decision-makers from P-12, medical services, counseling/social services, law enforcement, and the Tohono O’odham
Nation to develop and implement the necessary wrap-around services to support children/students from conception to graduate
school. It is believed that this concept is the first of its kind in Arizona.
In addition, Alberto serves on the Tohono O’odham Nation’s Prevention Coalition; is Education Co-chair for the Arizona
LULAC; is a member of LULAC’s National Education Committee; and currently serves as President-elect for the Arizona
Hispanic School Administrators Association.
Alberto received his undergraduate degree and teaching certificate, his master’s degree in Secondary Education, his educational
specialist degree in Educational Administration, and his doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from the University of
Arizona. His doctorate degree focused on the effectiveness of beginning teacher induction programs. Alberto has also taught as
an adjunct instructor at the University of Arizona.
EDUCATORS
DR. TONY SMITH
Superintendent, Oakland USD
Enrollment: 36,000
Tony Smith, Ph.D., was named Superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) on
May 22, 2009, when the Oakland Board of Education elected him by unanimous vote. An Oakland
resident and parent of students in Oakland Public Schools, Smith is the District’s first permanent,
locally appointed Superintendent since 2003. In June 2011, the Board unanimously approved Smith’s
strategic plan, Community Schools, Thriving Students, which calls for OUSD’s transformation into a
full-service community school district where every school serves as a neighborhood hub that provides
a comprehensive range of academic, social, and healthy supports for families.
Prior to joining OUSD, Smith was the Deputy Superintendent for the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD),
following his time as Superintendent of the Emery Unified School District (EUSD) in Emeryville, California. Smith became
the EUSD Superintendent after serving as Director of the Emeryville Citywide Initiative, with particular responsibility for the
Math, Science, Technology Initiative (MSTI). From 1997 to 2001, Smith directed several major initiatives at the Bay Area
Coalition for Equitable Schools (BayCES), an educational non-profit that offers coaching and technical assistance to schools
and districts as part of an effort to promote equity in education.
In 1992, Smith received his B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was Captain of the football
team and Graduate Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach before going on to earn his Masters and Doctorate Degrees in
the Division of Language and Literacy from Cal’s Graduate School of Education in 1993 and 2002, respectively.
DR. GABE SOUMAKIAN
Superintendent, Oxnard UHSD
Enrollment: 16,500
Dr. Gabe Soumakian earned his doctorate at Azusa Pacific University (APU) in Educational
Leadership focusing on technology staff development and change leadership. He recently taught at
the doctoral level at APU in areas focusing on organizational change and building communities.
Dr. Soumakian has thirty-five years of experience in education where the first 14 years he worked at
Loyola and St. John Bosco as a high school teacher and a coach. His public education experience has
been primarily serving as a high school principal and as an Asst. Superintendent of Human Resources
in Burbank USD prior to serving as Superintendent in the Oxnard Union High School District.
The OUHSD is composed of 16,000 students and is in the process of implementing 21st century learning and expanding the
ten Academies with the recently awarded “Linked Learning” program. All six comprehensive high schools are solar equipment
and off the grid during the day while the E-Rate funding has provided all schools with high density wifi access in every
classroom. Our vision is to “Redesign the High School Experience for the 21st Century Learning.”
EDUCATORS
MS. MARCIA TURNER
Assistant Superintendent, Ocean View SD
Enrollment: 3,200
Marcia Turner is the Assistant Superintendent - Educational Services for Ocean View School
District, Oxnard, California. She began her career in Ocean View in 1979, and has held various
positions there including bilingual teacher, special education teacher, Title VII Project
Coordinator, and Director of Special Projects. She holds Bachelor’s Degrees in Child
Development and Chicano Studies, a Master’s Degree in Special Education with Bilingual
Education Emphasis, various teaching credentials and an Administrative Services credential.
Involvement in professional organizations includes service on the Board of Directors for CABE
(California Association for Bilingual Education) 1999-2003, and currently on the regional Board of Directors for ACSA,
and as a member of the ACSA Curriculum, Instruction, and Accountability Council. Other professional experiences
include teaching at California Lutheran University in the Administrative Services Credential Program and the Masters
and Credential program in Special Education and Bilingual Education.
DR. LU IS VALENTINO
Associate Superintendent/CAO, San Francisco USD
Enrollment: 56,000
Dr. Luis Valentino serves as the Associate Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer for the
San Francisco Unified School District. His primary charge is the implementation of the
California Common Core State Standards and the District’s Core Curriculum. In addition,
Luis is spearheading the STEM Initiative, an educational initiative to ensure an increase in the
participation of students in science, technology, and math pathways, as well as the preparation
of students to be college and career ready. More importantly, Luis believes that his charge in
implementing the District’s social justice agenda is to apply a pre-K – 12 strategy that ensures all
students have full access to a comprehensive and rigorous standards-based instructional program.
Before becoming the Chief Academic Officer, Luis served in numerous capacities with the Los Angeles Unified School
District for 24 years. He was a site administrator, district program coordinator, and classroom teacher. More, recently,
Luis supervised schools. His primary responsibility was the improvement of student achievement by building administrator
and teacher leadership capacity. As a result, a number of schools under his supervision were identified as High Achieving
Title I, California Distinguished, and/or National Blue Ribbon Schools.
Throughout his career in education, Luis has been part of a number of initiatives including public school choice, multilingual
pathways, charter school projects, the California New Teacher Project, and others. These experiences have broadened his
understanding of the challenges faced by the institution, its districts, and its schools, as well as possible solutions.
Luis has taught at UCLA, USC, and Cal State, Los Angeles over the course of 15 years. This experience has allowed him
to remain connected to the theories and the research that guide the work of teaching and learning. In turn, the teachers
and administrators he teaches keep him present to the powerful relationship and balance between theory and practice.
Luis has a BS degree from University of Texas at Austin, an MS from Pepperdine University an MA from Cal State,
Los Angeles, and an Ed.D. from UCLA. He is married to his wife Libby. They have a son, Anthony, and both presently
live in Los Angeles.
EDUCATORS
MS. JASMIN VALENZUELA
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Enrollment: 27,026
Jasmin Valenzuela is currently the Senior Director for English Learner Programs for the Rialto
Unified School District. The Rialto District student enrollment is 27,000, with 7,500 English
Learning Students. She has been with the Rialto Unified School District since 1994 as a teacher,
a BTSA Full-time Support Provider, Vice Principal, Principal, Area Director, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, and currently as the Senior Director for English Learner
Programs. As the principal of Ernest Garcia Elementary School, the school made huge gains in
API and met their AYP within three years of her appointment and exited Program Improvement
in 2008, without the use of outside consultants. Her passion is to serve English Learning students to reach their potential
and make available the many opportunities for a successful education and future.
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Superintendent of Schools, Lynwood USD
Enrollment: 16,359
Edward Velasquez knows the power of education. Over the past 33 years, he has been committed to
ensuring young people receive a quality education and remain focused on achieving their goals.
In 1978, he began his career as a teacher with the Montebello School District. Mr. Velasquez has
served as an elementary and middle school teacher, intermediate assistant principal, principal and
in 1998 he was appointed associate superintendent working directly alongside the District’s
Superintendent.
In January 2004, he was appointed Interim Superintendent and July 2004 he was appointed Superintendent. Mr. Velasquez
was also the District’s POST Certified Chief of School Police, appointed by the Board of Education in January 2006.
In July of 2010, Mr. Velasquez was appointed Superintendent of Schools for the Lynwood Unified School District.
Under Mr. Velasquez’s leadership, MUSD and LUSD have seen much success and accomplishments. In MUSD, he made
significant improvement with regard to student attendance–with more than 95 percent of students attending school daily.
MUSD schools had an overall 100-point growth on the Academic Performance Index (API) scores from 2004 to 2010,
and 91 percent of high-school students graduating.
In Lynwood, he took a $26 million deficit into a $14 million reserve and removed the district from county fiscal oversight.
During his second year of service, LUSD not only sustained a balanced budget but also acquired funding for the installation of
new playgrounds at multiple school sites, as well as new bleachers, lights and concession building at Lynwood High School.
He also managed to secure numerous grants totaling $3M that allowed the district to secure jobs, create new ones, and provide
support services for students. Through his leadership, the district successfully passed a $93 million bond. Mr. Velasquez
redesigned the academic program of the district, which was once in disarray, by creating work-based electives in Engineering,
TV& Film Production, Microsoft certification programs, and restored the arts, bringing back band, music and dance at the high
school level.
Mr. Velasquez has also been involved with numerous committees and task forces including the Association of California
School Administrators, Urban Education Committee, State of California Safe School Task Forces and L.A. County Safe
School Task Forces.
EDUCATORS
DR. DAVID VERDUGO
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Enrollment: 15,904
David Verdugo is a dynamic leader who has been an educator for 40 years and spent the past
eight years serving as the Superintendent of the Paramount Unified School District.
He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington, and his
Master’s Degree from the University of La Verne. His Doctoral Degree in Educational
Administration was earned at the University of Southern California.
During his 40 years in the field of education, David has served as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal, and has
had district-level responsibilities spanning Grades K-12. His duties have included school facility management; extensive
involvement with budget development, implementation of technology programs, employer/employee relations,
curriculum and instructional strategies, and organizational development. His experience includes servicing students of
diverse populations and socioeconomic levels in urban and suburban settings. He is a staunch supporter of strategic
planning and believes strongly that it is essential to the success of any progressive school district.
David has established a reputation of focusing on student learning and achievement. He possesses the leadership skills
that are necessary for meeting the needs of students, staff, and parents. David is committed to excellence and believes
that all students should be provided the highest quality of education in as safe and secure an environment as is possible.
David is a leader who is known for mobilizing the resources available to a school district in reaching board goals and
successfully increasing public support and confidence in public education and for his expertise in the use of rational
management analytical tools for identifying and resolving important issues facing school districts today. David is an
effective communicator who is very visible in the community and demonstrates the interpersonal skills so necessary in
helping a school district realize consistent growth and improvement.
Dr. Verdugo was named ACSA’s 2008 Region 14 Superintendent of the Year.
DR. ROSA VILLARREAL
Director of Multilingual Services, Kent School District
Enrollment: 26,613
Rosa M. Villarreal, Ed.D. has worked in public education since 1989 serving as a public school teacher
for PK through 12 grade students. She served throughout Texas in Houston, Lubbock, Round Rock
and Austin Independent School Districts as a substitute, bilingual teacher, curriculum
integration specialist, coordinator for Bilingual and Prekindergarten services, Director for Bilingual/
ESL/PK, Executive Director for Special Programs. She is currently service as Multilingual Director for
the Kent School District in Kent, WA.
EDUCATORS
DR. DEVIN VODICKA
Superintendent, Vista USD
Enrollment: 22,000
Dr. Devin Vodicka (pronounced Vo-deech-ka) comes to Vista Unified from neighboring
Carlsbad Unified, where he spent the past 13 years serving in numerous leadership positions,
including:
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During the time that Dr. Vodicka was in Carlsbad, all three of the sites where he served as an administrator earned the
California Distinguished Award. One of the schools was featured in the book “Sustaining Extraordinary Student
Achievement” and was profiled in an early Education Trust report on high-performing/high-poverty schools. The middle
school that he opened was recently identified as a “National School To Watch.” Prior to his administrative work he was a
teacher for Los Angeles Unified School District at Glenwood Elementary where he taught in Spanish-language bilingual
programs and Structured English Immersion settings.
Dr. Vodicka’s education includes a doctorate in Organizational Leadership and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership—
both from Pepperdine University—and an undergraduate degree in History from UC Santa Cruz. He has served as an
adjunct faculty member at Pepperdine in their doctoral program where he has taught courses on quantitative and
qualitative data analysis.
Dr. Vodicka is an active participant in statewide technology projects such as the TICAL Leadership Cadre and the
Association of California School Administrators “Technology Leadership Group.” He has published numerous articles
focusing on leadership, trust, and technology.
Dr. Vodicka is married to his high-school sweetheart and they have two children, an 11-year-old daughter and a 4-yearold son. He has been a resident in the Vista School District attendance area for the past 13 years.
EDUCATORS
-°Ê/,-Ê7Superintendent, Moorpark USD
Enrollment: 7,000
Teresa Williams is superintendent of the Moorpark Unified School District which serves 7000
students in Moorpark, California. Teresa has extensive knowledge and experience in educating
English Language Learners as she began her career as a bilingual teacher in the same District.
Having served as an assistant principal and principal at several sites, she understands the complexities
of providing appropriate instruction for a diverse student population.
In 1998, Teresa opened up the District’s first K-5 magnet school focusing on the arts and technology.
Walnut Canyon was the first site to offer an after school enrichment/ childcare program for families. Teresa’s leadership coupled
with the work of her dedicated teachers earned the District’s first California Distinguished School Award in 2000. This school
became the model for the additional magnet schools currently in Moorpark.
At the District level, Teresa has served as Director of Elementary Education as well as Assistant Superintendent of Instruction
and Personnel. She understands that schools must change their delivery practices to meet the needs of today’s students. Teresa
encourages her administrators and teachers to be risk takers, and to utilize cutting edge technology to engage all students.
Teresa is a state director on the board of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) and an active member
of the California Association of Latino School Administrators (CALSA). She is a Moorpark Rotarian and member of the Boys
and Girls Club Board of Directors. In her spare time, Teresa enjoys yoga, reading, traveling and spending time with her family
and friends.
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Deputy Superintendent, Los Angeles County Office of Education
Enrollment: 1,700,000
Joseph Ybarra joined LACOE in August 2010 as assistant superintendent of Human Resource
Services, and was promoted to the post of deputy superintendent in September 2011. His wideranging professional experience includes six years as Little Lake City School District’s assistant
superintendent of Personnel Services, and an earlier assignment as director of Human Resources
for Newport-Mesa USD in Orange County. Prior to that, he was a teacher, assistant principal and
principal in the Norwalk-La Mirada USD. Dr. Ybarra holds a doctorate in urban educational
administration from Claremont Graduate University, a master’s in educational administration from
California State University, Dominguez Hills, and a bachelor’s from California State University, Fullerton.
CORPORATE PARTNERS
ROBERT YORK
Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Advanced Academics
Currently, Robert York holds the position of Chief Sales and Marketing Officer with Advanced
Academics. Before joining Advanced Academics, Mr. York served as Vice President of Sales for
San Francisco-based Simpata Group, an Application Service Provider (ASP) offering an HR
Management and Benefits Transaction platform for the small-and mid-sized employer market.
From 1999 to November 2002, he managed a direct sales team of 22 that helped secure more than
1,000 customers in first two years, garnering approximately 15% market share.
From 1996 to 1999, Mr. York founded Concourse C, developer of www.education-world.com,
the leading Web site for K-12 educators. His business development efforts included profitable partnerships with Microsoft,
Cisco, Discovery Channel and Education Associations.
Mr. York’s career began with American Fidelity Group in 1984, where he led the national sales effort for the Education
Services — the company’s largest division — marketing insurance products to more than 5,000 school districts nationwide.
TOM BARENTSON
Director of Field Operations, Advanced Academics
Serving the education community for more than twenty years, Tom has provided innovative
solutions and services that have created ‘added value’ to all members of educational community schools and districts, educators, and students. Tom joined Advanced Academics in 2010 after
long service in public education and service organizations dedicated to public school students.
A former secondary teacher in California and Oregon, he served as Deputy Superintendent/Chief
Business Officer for Sacramento City Schools beginning in 2005. He has also served in leadership
positions with American Fidelity Assurance and EDmin.com, and ran a consulting company called
Best Education Solutions Group. Tom has served on various education councils, most notably on
committees within the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO). Tom received a Bachelor’s degree in
Business/Marketing with a minor in Psychology from California State University, Chico. Throughout his career, Tom has
earned numerous awards as well as a reputation as a “friend of education.”
CORPORATE PARTNERS
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Granger B. Ward is the Executive Vice President for AVID, Advancement Via Individual
Determination, a grades 4-12 educational program that focuses on providing access to fouryear colleges for educationally disadvantaged, underachieving school students. The AVID
program is now in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and 15 countries.
As AVID’s Executive Vice President, Mr. Ward oversees the four AVID divisions nationwide;
California, Western, Central and Eastern. AVID programs are now in place in more than
3,500 middle and high schools throughout the U.S.A. There are currently more than 250,000
AVID students in the country.
Mr. Ward’s responsibilities also include the expansion of AVID Elementary, Urban Initiatives throughout the U.S.,
and overseeing the foundation and grant work for AVID nationwide. In addition he oversees AVID National
Demonstration Schools throughout the AVID world.
Working through the AVID Center the non-profit agency that guides the international dissemination of AVID.
Mr. Ward oversees implementation strategies for all school districts offering AVID programs. Additionally he
monitors AVID Summer Institutes, develops post-secondary connections, collaborates with the California Department
of Education and contributes to the development of the Center’s legislative relations.
Mr. Ward was formerly superintendent of both the Manhattan High Schools in the City of New York, and the
Grossmont Union High School District in San Diego. He attended public schools in New York City and received his
B.S. from the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, in Syracuse. His M.S.
degree is from Syracuse University and his Administrative Credential from SUNY at Oswego. Mr. Ward is married and
lives with his wife in Cardiff by the Sea, California.
HALL DAVIDSON
Marketing Officer, Discovery Education
Hall Davidson began teaching in 1971. He taught middle and high school English, mathematics,
Spanish, and bilingual mathematics. Davidson served on two college faculties teaching technology
for teacher credential candidates. He left the classroom to teach math on television for LAUSD in
Los Angeles on an Emmy-winning program and spent 20 years teaching, leading staff development,
championing content creation by students and teachers, ultimately producingtelevision series on
educational technology, parenting, and drama. He frequently contributes articles to national
education publications and co-authored TechWorks, and with a team now at Apple and OCDE
founded Kitzu.org, a free resource to encourage project-based learning with media. He was elected
to the board of Computer-Using Educators where he served for six years.
For twelve years Davidson coordinated the nation’s oldest student media festival, the California Student Media Festival,
where he reviewed thousands of student projects. He has consulted for professional organizations as diverse as the Academy
of Television Arts and Sciences, the American College of Cardiology and the California School Library Association. He has
two children who attended Los Angeles public schools, one of whom is doing graduate work in education at the University
of Southern California. He was twice re-elected as site chairperson at the local elementary school where the categorical
budget required his signature.
Hall Davidson joined Discovery Education in 2005 where he blogs, creates webinars, works in educational partnerships and serves
as senior director of Global Learning Initiatives. He has spoken about technology andeducation to audiences around the world.
CORPORATE PARTNERS
BETSY DRENNAN
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Betsy Drennan is Discovery Education’s Director of School Partnerships. Based in Los Angeles,
CA, Ms. Drennan oversees strategic partnerships with schools in a fifteen-state region. She works
as a consultant to help administrators move schools closer to the model 21st Century learning
environment. In her seven years with Discovery Education, she has worked statewide projects with
the Departments of Education in New York, Connecticut, and Hawaii, as well as many district and
regional implementations.
MARK SOLIMAN
California Regional Director, EF Educational Tours
Mark is a graduate of the University of Texas in Dallas where he majored in Historical
Studies with the intention of becoming a teacher. Soon after graduation, he found EF as a
way to combine education and travel and remained for the last 15 years across different
divisions and locations. Mark started as a Travel Consultant in Texas and after two years
became a Sales Manager in Boston. He helped start EF College Break, which focuses on
educational and cultural travel at the university level. After five years, Mark moved to EF
Foundation for Foreign Study, which works with foreign exchange students living with
families and studying in American high schools. In 2010, Mark opened a new office in Libya
to promote foreign language study to Libyan students desiring to study abroad at any of EF’s worldwide language
schools. After a year there, civil unrest broke out and he was relocated to the Dubai to promote EF’s language
programs to local Emirate students as well as to government agencies. More recently, Mark returned to his roots in
Educational Tours as a Regional Director managing sales and business development in California. Mark’s family is
from Egypt and he enjoys spending time there with friends and family as well as volunteering throughout Africa.
RANDY SINISI
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EF Educational Tours
Randy works to bring global education knowledge and skills into schools. Her degrees are from
the College of William and Mary, City University of New York, University of Colorado, with
post-graduate studies at Harvard. Randy has been a K-12 teacher, principal, improvement
specialist, university professor, and accreditation executive while living in Virginia, New York,
Arizona and Colorado. She directed the accreditation of schools in 32 countries, including EF’s
accreditation by WASC and other regional accrediting organizations. Randy helped ministries
of education throughout the world develop professional development and quality assurance systems;
helped China start accrediting associations; worked since 9-11 with over 300 schools in the Middle East to adopt
American-type education; and evaluated schools in Germany and Japan for the Department of Defense. In her fourth
year at EF, Randy is in charge of international education programs that enhance travel for both educators and students.
She represents EF on the Strategic Council for the Partnership of 21st Century Skills, where California is a new member.
Randy also leads EF professional development tours for administrators and teachers to China, Finland, Sweden, France,
UK and the CALSA’s 2012 Education Summit in Spain.
CORPORATE PARTNERS
HUGH ROBBINS
California Regional Manager, EF Educational Tours
Hugh grew up in the great state of Maine and attended Wesleyan University in Middletown,
CT, where he double-majored in English and American Studies. Hugh was first exposed to the
transformative powers of educational travel on an EF Tour of Italy and Greece as a high school
senior. This experience inspired him to study abroad during his junior year of college at the
University of Sussex in Brighton, UK, and later spent two years living and working in Buenos
Aires, Argentina after graduation. Since then, Hugh has embraced a career in international education
with EF— first in Boston, then London, and now Los Angeles, where he works with schools and
educators throughout Southern California to establish and grow global education programs.
GINGER ACKERMAN
Sales and Marketing, Jigsaw
Ginger has over 25 years experience in the healthcare industry. She has worked in both profit and
not profit organizations with experience in sales, marketing, business development, administration
and operations. Her interactive management style has led sales teams to consistently exceed their
sales goals. Her primary focus and sales technique is to ensure quality customer service combined
with identifying the customer needs and matching them to specific solutions.
Ginger’s experience ranges from small company development through starting her own company
and selling it to being leading multiple sales and marketing teams for large companies such as
Caremark International and NDCHealth.
JOSETTE FLESZAR
CEO, Jigsaw Meeting
Josette has over 28 years of hands-on and managerial experience in the healthcare industry.
In 2000, she brought her experience, drive and enthusiasm to the marketplace by becoming the
founder, President and CEO of RPM, Receivable Process Management, LLC. In August 2004,
RPM merged with Third Millennium Healthcare Systems, Inc and most recently became a division
of CareMedic Systems, Inc. Ms. Fleszar has received numerous awards including being recognized as
one of Atlanta’s Top 50 Entrepreneur’s in 2004 by Catalyst Magazine. The Atlanta Business Chronicle
recognized her original company, RPM, as Atlanta’s 5th fastest growing private company in 2004.
,"9 Ê ,7Director of Sales, K12-Aventa Learning
Carolyn has worked in the field of education for over 20 years. She has taught 1, 3, 4, and 5
grade at San Bernardino City Unified School District before moving into the Technology
Department where she worked with teachers in the area of professional development.
Experiences also include teaching at both University of San Diego and Northern Illinois
University. After leaving the district she worked as an Account Executive at Apple Computer
where she helped many districts launch 1 to 1 laptop programs across their schools and
districts. Carolyn now helps districts across five states launch successful virtual school programs
and increase graduation rates using K12 and Aventa curriculum. Her team includes five
national account managers with a wide variety of experiences.
CORPORATE PARTNERS
JESSICA VENEZIA
National Account Manager, K12-Aventa Learning
Jessica has worked in the field of education for thirteen years. She has taught at the preschool,
elementary, middle and high school levels as a classroom, substitute and independent study
teacher. She has eight years of experience as the Curriculum Coordinator and then Program
Manager for a kindergarten through twelfth grade independent study school in San Diego
County. She currently works for an international curriculum company where she helps launch
schools and innovative programs throughout Southern California. She earned a BA in English/
Education, MA in Educational Leadership and holds a multiple subject, single subject (English),
and Administrative CA credential. She is currently working on her PhD in Curriculum and
Instruction with an emphasis in Educational Technologies.
BRIAN GAHAN
National Account Manager, K12-Aventa Learning
Brian Gahan has been in sales, sales management, and marketing roles in the technology
industry for the past 17 years. He has served the K12 education vertical for eight of those years.
Brian is the National Account Manger for K12, Inc and has been in this role since November,
2011. Brian’s territory includes Orange County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County in
southern California as well as the state of Arizona.
Brian received his Doctorate in Education (Ed.D) from Grand Canyon University in the study
of Leadership with an emphasis in Organizational Development.
JEFF KORTE
Magic Johnson Bridgescape
Jeff Korte is Regional Vice President of Magic Johnson Bridgescape, a leading provider of dropout
prevention and recovery programs nationwide.
Jeff joined Magic Johnson Bridgescape in September of 2012 and is responsible for leading Magic
Johnson Bridgescape’s business development in California. Prior to Magic Johnson Bridgescape, he
was Executive Director of K12 Partnerships at Kaplan K12 Learning Services, where he spearheaded
several initiatives to prepare students for California’s High School Exit Exam and support for English
Learners. Prior to his experience at Kaplan K12 Learning Services, he has also held the position of
Director of Sales for Scantron Corporation, providing on-line testing and data collection solutions to districts throughout the
United States and Canada.
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Magic Johnson Bridgescape
Matthew Given is Chief Development Officer of Magic Johnson Bridgescape, a leading provider of
dropout prevention and recovery programs nationwide.
Matt joined Magic Johnson Bridgescape in August 2010 and is responsible for leading Magic Johnson
Bridgescape’s business development efforts. Prior to Magic Johnson Bridgescape, he was Vice President
of School Development and Government Relations at Kaplan Virtual Education, where he opened
12 public virtual schools. He has also held the positions of Academic Director and General Manager
(Georgia) at Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, and General Manager and Vice President of School
Improvement Programs for Kaplan K-12 Learning.
CORPORATE PARTNERS
ANDRE JOHNSON
Magic Johnson Bridgescape
Andre Johnson is the Executive Vice President of Magic Johnson Enterprises (MJE). The eldest
son of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Andre has an extensive
background working with MJE and its partner companies to identify market opportunities and
maximize returns for partners and the company. Andre also serves as the Vice Chair of the Los
Angeles Minority Business Opportunity Center.
Andre’s work with Magic Johnson Bridgescape includes the development of opportunities with
school districts across the country to provide new opportunities for students to earn their high
school diploma. He also develops relationships between MJE partner companies within Magic Johnson Bridgescape
communities to build workforce connections for students in the program.
CHRIS GOCKE
Director, Client Relations, Medical Billing Technologies, Inc.
Chris Gocke joined MBT, Inc. in 2010 as a member of the sales team, and quickly rose to a
leadership role. He currently directs the client and government relations arenas at MBT, as
well as its sales efforts. During his tenure with MBT, Chris and his team have partnered with
over 60 school districts to help them maximize their reimbursements.
Chris obtained his Master of Public Administration degree from California State University,
Fresno. His undergraduate work was completed at New Mexico State University, where he was
also a valued member of the football team’s offensive line.
In addition to his role at MBT, Chris fulfills his passion for education by teaching Political Science and Student Success
at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California.
Prior to MBT, Chris managed the national recruitment program for a Fortune 250 company.
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Client Relations, Medical Billing Technologies, Inc.
Robert Lopez III joined MBT in 2009. Robert holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business
Administration from California State University, Sacramento and has a strong background in sales,
management, and human resources. Robert’s inherent ability to immediately understand and embrace
the variety of personality traits in each new person he meets has allowed him to excel by creating
opportunities and opening doors to new relationships that were previously unattainable. Prior to his
career at MBT, Robert’s knowledge and skills pushed him to the national top percentile of sales in
his corporation. Robert is consistently able to exceed the goals given to him, and he is a team-builder
and a gifted problem-solver and negotiator. Robert is an outstanding member of the Sales and Client
Relations team and has played an integral part in boosting MBT to the forefront of our industry.
CORPORATE PARTNERS
MAXFIELD TUCKER
Client Relations, Medical Billing Technologies, Inc.
Tucker M. Maxfield holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah, and comes to MBT with
a wide variety of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Growing up, Tucker worked alongside his father and
grandfather in their family-owned company, Maxfield Candy Company. This formed strong business
acumen in Tucker at an early age, and he continued to excel as he entered the workforce. In Tucker’s
previous work experience, he consistently achieved top sales recognition, as well as creating mass
profitability to each respective company. Tucker’s analytical thought process brings fresh perspectives
to the table, and his excitement about MBT’s services is evident and sincere. As part of the Client
Relations department at MBT, Tucker has proven himself to be in indispensable member of the
team, and his work has been vital to the success of the company as a whole.
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Communications of North America
Craig Greenwood is Vice President of Business Development for Panasonic System
Communications Company of America (PSCNA). Panasonic has been engaged in the US
Education market (K-20) for over 25 years and is now focused on bringing an integrated set of
instruction and administrative solutions to the market based on their industry leading ruggedized
mobility, video and communications technologies. Craig heads the Business Development Team
that is responsible for developing and delivering these solutions to end user customers.
Before joining Panasonic in 2010, Craig served as Vice President of Strategic Accounts for the Western US at Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt where he led a team of education content and technology consultants that managed relationships with
the leading districts.
Craig has over 25 years in the technology and education sector in leadership positions at Apple, PowerSchool, Riverdeep,
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Apex Learning. Craig’s experience includes district and state wide technology initiatives,
curriculum management, digital content implementations, learning management, assessment systems, and student
information systems architecture.
Craig has a MBA and BS from Appalachian State University. He has been a supporter and partner with CALSA and
ALAS for over 6 years. He has served on the board of the Georgia Academic Decathlon, the Georgia Partnership for
Excellence in Education, and the Professional Association of Georgia Educators Foundation.
REGGIE JACKSON
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Communications of North America
Reggie Jackson is a Southern California native, born and raised in the Crenshaw district of
South Los Angeles. A graduate of Princeton University, He has 10 years working in the K-12
industry, first as an after school tutor and mentor in high poverty areas, such as Newark, NJ. He
continued his career working for various traditional and digital curriculum companies, specializing in cloud based content management, assessment systems, and technology integration. Now at
Panasonic, his role as business development manager is to work with customers and engineering
to develop products that support instruction inside and outside the classroom.
CORPORATE PARTNERS
FRANK VEGA
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Mr. Frank Vega specializes in helping California school districts pass and issue facility bonds, and
has spent his entire public finance career working with California schools and colleges. Mr. Vega
has specific experience structuring General Obligation Bonds, Certificates of Participation, Revenue
Bonds and Tax and Revenue Anticipation Notes. Mr. Vega also has more than eight years experience
working in state government, which includes serving as a committee consultant to the California
State Senate Budget Committee, and as Executive Director of the California Educational Facilities
Authority.
Mr. Vega currently serves on the Board of Director’s for the Tierra del Sol Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides
job training and support programs to adults with developmental disabilities. Mr. Vega also serves as a member of the Glendale
Community College Foundation Board.
Mr. Vega graduated from the University of California, Davis with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, and from the University of Southern California with a Master’s of Business Administration.
JACKIE HALLERBERG
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Jackie Hallerberg serves as Pivot’s Director of Business Development and brings to this work a
unique combination of private sector business management expertise and experience as a public
school teacher. She collaborates with Pivot’s Regional Directors and other senior managers to
identify new business opportunities, set the organization’s revenue goals, define sales strategies, and
expand the reach of Pivot’s programs and services throughout California and the nation.
Jackie is a life-long learner and holds a strong belief that all students are entitled to excellent
teaching and learning. After co-founding and managing a manufacturing company for fifteen years,
Jackie returned to school to earn her teaching credential. Through her daily interactions with elementary school students,
parents and staff in Sonoma County classrooms, she experienced first-hand the challenges facing educators today. Jackie’s
commitment to education reform has deepened since joining Pivot Learning Partners and she is guided by the organization’s
mission, vision and values in improving outcomes for students. In addition to receiving her credential from Sonoma State
University, Jackie holds a B.S. in Science and Medical Technology and an MBA from the University of Michigan. She is a
CA Poet in the Schools and through Oakland’s East Bay College Fund program she mentors a UC Davis scholar.
CORPORATE PARTNERS
MERRILL VARGO
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Merrill Vargo is both an experienced school reform leader and successful nonprofit CEO. Before
founding Pivot Learning Partners (then known as the Bay Area Reform Collaborative, or BASRC)
in January 1995, Dr. Vargo served as Director of Regional Programs and Special Projects for the
California Department of Education, where she provided leadership to several key school reform
efforts, including the SB 1274 School Restructuring Initiative, Charter Schools, Goals 2000 and
the School Improvement Program. Dr. Vargo’s experience at the helm of Pivot Learning Partners
places her in the top ranks of the nation’s school reformers. Initially founded as the Bay Area
School Reform Collaborative, or BASRC, Pivot Learning Partners today serves a network of
approximately 70 school districts and touches the lives of over 2 million children in California and beyond. Under Dr.
Vargo’s leadership, Pivot Learning Partners has developed a sustainable business model, developed a series of innovative
programs with the goal of both developing the education leaders and building the education organizations of the future.
Every year Pivot Learning partner districts improve at a faster rate than comparable districts.
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Throughout his career, Brentt has nurtured a deep passion in making lasting change in the
prosperity and health of disadvantaged children and youth. As Director of the Program
Development Division, Brentt is responsible for scaling marketable programs that can meet Pivot’s
double bottom line of increasing financial sustainability, while creating the education leaders and
organizations of the future. This involves working with program teams across the organization to
develop and implement a new program development system for efficiently moving Pivot programs
and services from the pilot stage to market, while ensuring consistency and quality. Currently,
Brentt is working to support the following Pivot practice areas: Common Core implementation,
Building EL Systems and Leadership Capacity, Resource Allocation, Central Office Service Quality, and Strategic
Community Engagement.
Prior to joining Pivot Learning Partners, Brentt was a Program Manager in the Early Care and Education (ECE) Program
at the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. As director of the Creating Quality Spaces for Children
Project, Brentt worked with state and local leaders in Mississippi and Greater New Orleans to develop and implement
data- and consensus-driven strategic plans for increasing the supply of high-quality ECE facilities. In May of 2009,
Brentt received his MPP from the UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP).
CHUCK RIHARB
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CHUCK RIHARB is Vice President of Business Development for PlanMember Services, a national
firm that has been focused on improving the financial well-being of educators for almost 30 years.
Based in Carpinteria, CA, PlanMember Services has been an industry pioneer in designing and
providing resources, tools and solutions that increase participation rates in retirement programs.
For more than two decades Chuck has worked with District Administrators to design and
implement educational based programs that improve the financial wellness of their employees,
reduce district expenses and better position the district’s benefit package for greater appreciation
by their employees. Chuck conducts regular and numerous seminars and webcasts for public school
and 501(c)(3) employers about 403(b)/457(b) plans and Financial Literacy. He is a Registered Principal and holds Series 7,
26, 63 securities licenses as well as being insurance licensed in all 50 states.
CORPORATE PARTNERS
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Pat Lynn is Vice President of Business Development for PlanMember Services, a national firm that
has been focused on improving the financial well-being of educators for almost 30 years. Based in
Carpinteria, CA, PlanMember Services has been an industry pioneer in designing and providing
resources, tools and solutions that increase participation rates in retirement programs. For more
than 15 years Pat has worked with District Administrators to design and implement financial
education programs that improve the financial wellness of their employees, improve plan
participation and reduce district expenses. Pat conducts regular seminars for public school and
501(c)(3) employers about 403(b)/457(b) plans and Financial Literacy. He holds his Series 6, 26,
63 securities licenses as well as his insurance license.
JOHN IVEY
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John Ivey serves as the Development Director and the Northern California Account Executive
with PreFast Buildings. Following his education at CSU Hayward, Mr. Ivey has been involved for
the past 30 years in the Manufactured School Building Industry, working on a multitude of projects
within the California School Facility Program. Prior to joining PreFast, John served as a Regional
Manager and Commercial Sales Manager for a major modular building company where he interacted
with local School Districts and County Offices of Education throughout Northern California.
Mr. Ivey has significant experience and a wide array of education facility expertise including
development of new school campuses and expansion and modernization of existing campuses utilizing both conventional
and lease leaseback delivery methods. John has developed a broad network of relationships throughout the state, having
worked successfully with OPSC, DSA, CDE and the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
JIM CHOATE
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Jim Choate serves as the Southern California Account Executive with PreFast Buildings.
Mr. Choate holds a Master of Science in Public Administration from Pepperdine University.
He is currently working towards his doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine as well. In addition to his 14 years of experience in the mechanical contracting industry
gained during the early years of his career, Mr. Choate has been involved for the past 16 years
in the State of California School Facility Program, serving as a Director of Facilities for an
elementary district, Little Lake City School District; a comprehensive K-12 district, Murrieta
Valley USD; a high school district, Centinela Valley UHSD and at the county office level for the
Riverside County Office of Education where he interacted at the state level advocating on behalf of Riverside County’s
23 school districts.
Mr. Choate has significant experience in a wide array of education facility experience including implementing class size
reduction, new construction, modernization, site acquisition, site remediation issues, lease-leaseback, bond strategies,
oversight committees, community outreach, and selection of architects and construction management firms. He has
developed a broad network of relationships throughout the state, having worked successfully with OPSC, DSA, CDE,
DTSC, and has served in a variety of leadership positions within Riverside County as well as at the State level with the
County Schools Facilities Consortium. Mr. Choate is also an adept communicator and has spoken extensively statewide
on facility related issues.
CORPORATE PARTNERS
ANJUM VASEEM
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As President and CEO, Vaseem Anjum is responsible for achieving SchoolCity’s strategic goals by
developing and overseeing the Company’s people, products, and infrastructure.
Vaseem founded SchoolCity in 1999, after years of engineering and entrepreneurial experience in
Silicon Valley. Prior to starting SchoolCity, he founded several technology companies including
two internet consulting firms with offshore development centers in India and Saudi Arabia. As a
Chief Design Manager at NEC Electronics, Vaseem successfully built cutting-edge microprocessor
PCI chipsets. He brings an impressive track record of business management, cultivating and
mentoring a worldwide technology team and adapting product strategies in response to changes in the education market.
His passion for education springs from watching his children excel in California’s public schools, leading him to serve on
School Site Councils as well as a charter school Trustee.
Vaseem graduated with Honors from India’s National Institute of Engineering and earned his Masters in Computer Science
from Oregon State University.
JORGE NAVARRO
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Jorge Navarro comes to SchoolCity with over 18 years of experience in public education. He began
teaching in 1989 and was named Teacher of the Year at Lecanto High School (Citrus County, FL)
in 1993. He holds a Masters in Education, and until recently, was a Doctoral Candidate (Ph.D.)
at the University of Florida. His research interests include Bilingual Education, second language
acquisition and immigration policy. In 2000, Jorge moved to New York City to conduct qualitative
research on teachers working with Latino students as well as to pursue artistic interests. In New
York, Jorge worked for the Creative Arts Team, an educational theater company in residence at
New York University. He administered an Annenberg Arts in Education grant and trained aspiring
principals for New Visions for Public Schools at New York City’s Leadership Academy.
Before coming to SchoolCity, Jorge served as Director of Client Relations at School Wise Press, a San Francisco-based K12
publishing and accountability consulting company. While there, Jorge’s sales and marketing efforts resulted in a 30% growth
in annual revenue. At SchoolCity, Jorge manages the company’s branding and lead generation programs through content
marketing, social media, and strategic business development. With The Synced Solution, he is developing and leading
efforts to drive market share; exceed revenue goals; and expand business through the partnership forged with Action
Learning Systems.
An accomplished songwriter and performer, Jorge is the founder and singer of The Cuban Cowboys, a band that blends
traditional Cuban music with indie rock. The band performs throughout the United States and has been featured on NPR’s
Weekend Edition as well as The California Report.
CORPORATE PARTNERS
BRAD BAIRD
Schoology
A professional of the education technology industry since its early days in the 1990s, Mr. Baird
has held executive leadership titles, sales and marketing positions, and has worked as an industry
consultant for both education startups and established vendors in the education marketplace.
At Schoology, Mr. Baird was responsible for managing all aspects of the company’s operations
including the development of product and marketing strategies to increase the effectiveness and
scalability of “Response to Intervention” along with diagnostic assessment technology and
processes for K-12 education. His efforts resulted in the acquisition of ILC by Northwest Evaluation
Association in 2011.
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Paul Taylor is a veteran in the world of internet technology, in which he has worked for 13 years.
He held management positions at ValueClick and Oversee.net, where he built and maintained
their online advertising networks. Prior to Shmoop, he oversaw corporate growth and strategy at
Efficient Frontier (recently acquired by Adobe), the world’s largest search engine marketing firm.
At Shmoop since 2010, Paul is a fast friend to the world of education. He creates and implements
programs at the school and district level. Shmoop’s interactive and rigorous learning guides and
test prep offer an affordable solution in the college preparedness arena.
ANN MEYER
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Ann Meyer has 20+ years as an educator /administrator in education. Ann has added emphasis in
teaching & providing program development for Learning Disabilities, Cognitive Disabilities, Physical Disabilities, Emotional Behavior Disabilities, & Autism. She is a national speaker & trainer on
topics including Technology & Literacy Instruction, Early Literacy Instruction, Special Education
Program Improvement, Curriculum adoption & implementation, 21st Century Learning, Universal
Designs for Learning, Enhancing ASD strategies with technology, Data Collection: Program Improvements, and The Millenium of Change for Classrooms: Practices / Beliefs / Expectations. Ann
is a member of federal & state committees for program improvement.
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CEO, Smarty Ants, Inc.
Mike has been focused on helping all kids become great readers for over 20 years. Previously
founder of the acclaimed LeapFrog educational games, Mike’s ongoing passion for using technology
to improve children’s learning led him to found Smarty Ants.
CORPORATE PARTNERS
JOSE LIZÁRRAGA
Researcher, Smarty Ants, Inc.
José Lizárraga is a Research Associate at Smarty Ants and a doctoral student at UC Berkeley’s
Graduate School of Education. His research interests include second language acquisition, new
media literacy, educational technology, creative practices, bilingualism/multilingualism and Latino
issues in education. He is currently interested in exploring the language practices and literacy
development of students as it relates to their use of digital media in educational and creative
capacities. José has worked as an educator and administrator in schools and after-school literacy
programs for over eight years. He holds a Masters Degree in Learning, Design and Technology from
Stanford University.
LARRY HALL
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With more than 33 years of success, Larry brings a broad base of experience to the development
process, specifically in the healthcare arena, educational institutions and corporate environments.
Development teams seek to provide strategic results for customers in all non-core service areas,
including dining and nutrition, environmental, operations and maintenance, energy, construction,
commissioning, stores and planning.
Customers in today’s challenging education environment seek professionals who understand their
unique operational needs and long-term strategic vision. They also seek partners who can help
them achieve results. Professional business development teams work with educational leaders to do just that. The goal is to
utilize Sodexo resources, knowledge and expertise to achieve customer results faster and execute more efficiently.
ROXANNE MOORE
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She has 20 years of experience specializing in nutrition education programming and public
speaking and has developed programs for healthcare, government, schools, restaurants and
supermarkets. As Sodexo’s Director of Wellness for schools, Roxanne supports program
development for more than 490 school districts and helps bring together procurement,
culinary development, public policy impacting child health and nutrition science to
create innovative and inspiring nutrition programs. She also assists in the implementation
of school regulations, connects key partners to ensure everyone works effectively together
to enhance student achievement and serves as a spokesperson for helping Sodexo Schools
become the recognized leader in student well-being solutions.
Prior to joining Sodexo, Roxanne served as a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA),
administered the USDA Child Nutrition Programs through the Maryland State Department of Education and the
Army, taught in the Department of Kinesiology at Towson University and served as Director of Nutrition Education
programs for a cardiac rehabilitation program. Roxanne’s media expertise has afforded her opportunities to educate the
community through a variety of venues, including live television and publications such as RedBook, Southwest
Airlines, Mens Health and Readers Digest. In addition, she has produced and hosted a weekly radio show entitled
Nutrition Matters through Voice America radio. She is certified as a Child and Adolescent Obesity Counselor
through both ShapeDown and The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She is a member of Sodexo’s Women
Network group, the American and Maryland Dietetic Associations and the Sports Cardiovascular and Wellness
Nutritionists dietetic practice group. She is an advisory board member to Share Our Strengths Cooking Matters
program and Girls Inc., as well as an active board member with the Maryland Dietetic Association.
CORPORATE PARTNERS
JOHN COSTILLA
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John Costilla serves as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at WIN Learning.
He has been a key contributor to key organizations throughout his education and business career
serving various roles including business partnerships, marketing and community development.
John’s primary objective is to align WIN’s education efforts focused on Career Readiness to the 21st
century skills that are required to meet the demands of today’s learners. John has served on the
executive leadership team in various capacities of key organizations including Compass Learning,
and Pearson Education. John also was a founding member of We Are Teachers, an education
collaborative and social community / Facebook application. John’s background includes 22 years of
experience in education as a middle school classroom teacher, curriculum specialist, and professional development leader.
He is a graduate of Texas Tech University with degrees in Secondary Education, Computer Information Systems, and English.
John is based in Austin, Texas.
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Joseph serves as the senior sales and marketing strategist for WIN Learning. Prior to WIN, Joseph
has managed leading organization over his eighteen plus years in education, including Carnegie
Learning and Plato Learning. Throughout his career, Joseph has worked with some of the largest
urban school districts in the country, and some of the most rural schools, providing solutions for
academic advancement, professional development, and systemic change across education.
Joseph began his career as a vocational educator where he developed a statewide mathematics
curriculum. He earned his Masters of Science degree in Administration and Supervision from the
University of Tennessee and upon completion, served on a statewide basic skills committee developing the guidelines
underlying system-wide adoption. For much of his career, Joseph focused on Professional Development and work with the
integration of technology into the classroom. Joseph has developed statewide programs and worked nationwide on policy
issues that affect education and promote student achievement. At WIN, Joseph is focused on creating Career Readiness
programs and systems that allow students to be both career and college ready.
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
ADVANCED ACADEMICS
Advanced Academics, Inc., as one of America’s leading providers of online learning solutions to public schools, has a
proven track record in partnering with schools throughout the nation to drive student success. The Advanced Academics
online learning solution includes aligned web-based curriculum, highly qualified teachers, a 24/7 support environment, and
a proprietary technology platform specifically designed for secondary education in grades 6-12.
The company was founded by educators who have a passion for student success. Since its inception in 2000, Advanced
Academics has implemented online learning programs in more than 100 schools and districts across 30 states. In 2007
Advanced Academics was acquired by DeVry Inc. (NYSE:DV), one of the world’s largest providers of post-secondary education.
Our Mission
Our mission is simple: to help students graduate and succeed. We are committed to creating an online learning environment
that helps students realize their full potential and providing schools with the tools to make it happen. Our strategy is to partner
with schools and school districts to serve more students by providing engaging and rigorous online learning solutions.
Our Accreditation
In 2002, the company received regional accreditation as a diploma-granting institution from the North Central Association
Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) and in 2009 accreditation from Northwest Association
of Accredited Schools (NAAS). Advanced Academics is an approved VIP provider in Florida and is an approved A-G provider
by the University of California. Also, Advanced Academics courses have been reviewed and approved by the NCAA.
AVID
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a non-profit, proven college readiness system that closes the
achievement gap. Today, AVID is implemented in approximately 4,900 schools in 46 states and 16 countries/ territories;
AVID impacts more than 700,000 students in grades K-12, as well as students in 28 institutions for higher education.
The AVID College Readiness System transforms a school’s academic culture to increase the number of students who
enroll in four-year colleges and succeed in postsecondary education and training.
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
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Established in 1996, Cumming is a leading provider of project/construction management, cost management and estimating,
planning and scheduling, and litigation support services nationwide.
Throughout our history, we have remained focused on one goal: to assist our clients in managing the critical issues
of time and cost from conception through closeout. From the outset, we have been committed to delivering value to
our clients through various means. We employ only the best and brightest talent available. And by acquiring this top
expertise, we are able to staff our projects efficiently, keep costs down, and ensure the maximum return on our clients’
capital investments.
Cumming possesses extensive experience in a broad range of project types. We are known for our specialized expertise
in education, hospitality, healthcare, government and tribal facilities, and entertainment and sports, and, as evidenced
by our ranking among the top 100 Agency CM firms (#35) in the U.S. by Engineering News-Record Magazine, we are
regarded as one of the nation’s preeminent project and cost management consulting organizations.
Cumming closely monitors the evolving construction landscape and adapts to meet our clients changing needs.
Most recently we established stand alone ADA accessibility consulting and constructability review practices.
These new services are designed to help our clients address the country’s evolving accessibility guidelines, as well as
provide measures to ensure the smooth and efficient completion of their construction projects.
DISCOVERY EDUCATION
Discovery Communications revolutionized television with Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms
through Discovery Education. Powered by the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Discovery Education
combines scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a dynamic user community in order to empower
teachers to improve student achievement. Already, more than half of all U.S. schools access Discovery Education
digital services. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.
EF EDUCATIONAL TOURS
For almost 50 years, EF Education First has helped millions of people become citizens of the world by breaking down
barriers of language, culture and geography. Through educational travel, cultural exchanges, language training and degree
programs, we are the World Leader in International Education with over 400 schools and offices in more than 50 countries.
EF was founded on a simple idea: to learn you need to experience. Together with educators across the globe, we’re dedicated
to providing educational experiences that teach the 21st century skills in critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration
and global competence. Our educational, service learning, cultural and language immersion tours are engaging and exciting
ways to enhance global education in schools by complementing the curricula with experiential learning, allowing
students to deepen their understanding of people and places they’ve studied in the classroom. Teachers and students bring
a global perspective back to their schools.
EF Educational Tours provides travel that is educational, easy and affordable. Our worldwide presence, combined with
our all-inclusive insurance plan and global liability policy, assures that students travel safe and worry-free.
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
-7Ê/ Are you looking to explore different options to deliver blended learning, professional development and alternative
education programs? Do you need to reduce the cost to deliver these programs and maybe increase your student
revenues by keeping students that might move to home schools or private academies? Jigsaw is a media rich delivery
platform for live virtual classes for K12 and universities. With multiple interactive and accountability tools that secure
the attention and engagement, students and teachers collaborate, share data and record information.
As education becomes more virtual, we give students the advantage of learning through hands on data review, discussion,
debate and interaction with the teacher and other students. Our virtual classroom gives teachers a controlled class and
allows students to learn in their own unique style.
Jigsaw does not replace teachers or schools but rather helps expand beyond the physical and geographic boundaries
and supports blended learning programs. Our virtual classroom compliments teachers’ and schools’ curriculum and
enriches the learning experience.
K12-AVENTA LEARNING
K12 is the #1 provider of online learning solutions for grades K-12, serving students in 50 states and 70 countries. K12
products help school districts boost graduation rates, improve student performance, expand course offerings, and more.
K12 has partnered with over 2,000 school districts to deliver individualized online learning solutions.
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Magic Johnson Bridgescape is a 21st century blended learning program for dropout prevention and recovery. Magic Johnson
Bridgescape partners with school districts to build a bridge to a positive, productive and rewarding future for at-risk
students and students who have already dropped out of school. Magic Johnson Bridgescape helps students gain their high
school diploma while also preparing them for a future of opportunities in further education, the military and/or employment.
Students who graduate are eligible for scholarships provided by the Magic Johnson Foundation. There are currently 15
Magic Johnson Bridgescape Academies in 5 states. This number is expected to more than double by the start of the 201314 school year.
MEDICAL BILLING TECHNOLOGIES
MBT helps connect California’s children to health insurance and health services by assisting school districts and other
local agencies in accessing important federal reimbursement funds. Over 200 clients can attest to the fact that MBT is
much more than just a Medi-Cal billing consultant; we are a partner and vital part of the community. Our hope is that by
helping our clients optimize federal reimbursement funds, more students will have access to the healthcare they need.
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
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Located in San José, California, NHU offers campus-based and online undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs
in business, teacher education, child development, computer science, mathematics and science, and translation and
interpretation—all delivered in a multicultural, collaborative, and supportive learning environment.
* -" Panasonic System Communications Company of North America architects technology solutions that help government
agencies, commercial enterprises and small and medium businesses transform information into innovation.
Panasonic is focused on embracing the principles of our founder in order to become a leading B2B solutions company in the
U.S. (and beyond) and change Panasonic forever.
1. Driven to deliver better outcomes: Panasonic is embracing the principles of our founder, Konosuke Matsushita,
in helping our customers achieve better outcomes (a better world) by enabling them to acquire, manage and
interpret the information they need to drive innovation.
2. Quality Matters: Reliability and quality differentiate Panasonic and it is on this engineering foundation that we will
continue to grow to become one of the largest B2B technology solutions suppliers worldwide.
3. Proven Vertical Experience: Panasonic has extensive experience in delivering mission-critical solutions to customers.
Building on this experience and these relationships, we are expanding the solutions we are able to offer them
through our extensive portfolio of products and our broad network of partnerships.
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Piper Jaffray is a financial services company and market leader in the field of California School Facility Bonds. Piper Jaffray has
one of the largest and most experienced California Education Finance Team among all competing firms in the field. Operating
from our headquarters in El Segundo and San Francisco, the Piper Jaffray California Education Finance Team has served the
needs of California school districts since 1987.
*6"/Ê, Ê*,/ ,Pivot Learning Partners is a leader in revitalizing public education. We build long-term relationships with school
districts, and as a result of working with Pivot, districts become more equitable, efficient and effective education
organizations. From the boardroom to the classroom, we develop leaders and redesign districts systems by providing the
coaching, training, project and change management, and implementation support services that meet a district’s unique
needs. Founded as a non-profit education reform organization in 1995, Pivot Learning Partners is proud to touch the lives
of more than two million students in over seventy partner districts in California and the nation. We combine researchbased best practices and innovative “next” practices to transform teaching and learning for all students.
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
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Headquartered in Carpinteria, CA, PlanMember Services is a nationwide financial services firm that specializes in providing
educational services, planning tools and investment and annuity solutions to employees of school districts and the nonprofit
community. They provide a broad range of choice including self-directed and professionally managed mutual fund portfolios;
fixed, variable and income annuities on three investment platforms, all consolidated in one account and one vendor solution.
PlanMember Services is a provider to nearly 3,000 employers nationwide. In addition, the company is a pioneer and
industry leader in providing personalized retirement planning and investment services to individual plan participants including
a complimentary plan and savings analysis and Financial Literacy curriculum to help improve 403(b) and 457(b) plan
participation. They have been recognized as a preferred provider in many districts and state consortiums throughout the
nation. In cooperation with CALSA, PlanMember has developed sophisticated and specialized planning and educational
services designed specifically for Superintendents and Administrators to construct and/or review their benefits package
and improve their own financial wellness while aiding CALSA in increasing their membership and their benefit services.
Visit us at *>˜i“LiÀ°Vœ“ or *>˜i“LiÀœ`i*>˜°Vœ“ or contact us at 800-874-6910 x5901.
*,-/Ê1 PreFast® supplies DSA Pre-Approved, High Performance, Plantcrafted Buildings® to K-12 districts through California.
PreFast’s permanent Plantcrafted Buildings are fabricated in-plant from precast concrete and structural steel and are ready to
receive students in as little as seven months. With their low maintenance and operating cost combined with a projected 100
year service life, PreFast’s architecturally attractive Plantcrafted Buildings offer a superior option when compared to traditional
trailer–based modular and stick-built buildings.
PreFast’s High Performance learning environments deliver improved academic performance, student and teacher attendance,
health, safety and student “ownership”. All of these characteristics should be of particular interest to Superintendents of
often under-served Latino Districts.
PreFast is the leader in DSA Pre-Approved High Performance education facilities in the State of California, with a total of
500,000 square feet of our Plantcrafted Buildings installed and committed in Districts with majority Latino enrollment during
the past six years.
We are excited to be attending CALSA’s “Focus on Results Symposium” this year and we look forward to continuing to
learn from each of you how PreFast can better serve Latino students in your Districts.
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
SCHOOLCITY
Since being founded in 1999, SchoolCity has evolved into an emerging force in assessment, curriculum, and professional
development solutions. SchoolCity’s services and products are only as good as the help they provide to teachers, students,
and administrators. Just as student achievement drives everything our customers do; our customers’ needs drive everything
we do.
This year SchoolCity is proud to introduce a Common Core curriculum component, The Synced Solution, to complement
its assessment platform. Developed in partnership with Action Learning Systems, California’s premier school reform and
Common Core experts, The Synced Solution allows SchoolCity to help districts meet the demands of Common Core
implementation as well as the rigor of ‘next gen’ assessments. With SchoolCity, districts across the country now have a
compelling, cost- and time-effective solution for helping teachers and students achieve.
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Shmoop’s goal in life is to take the friction out of learning. We spray WD-40 dripping humor on the tracks of knowledge.
Test prep and learning should not feel like a root canal.
SMARTY ANTS, INC.
Smarty Ants is a US and international company with a proven track record for providing the best in literacy instruction
and learning. Smarty Ants Reading World was created through a collaboration between Mike Wood, founder of LeapFrog
educational games and a world-renowned educational advisory board. For more information visit www.SmartyAnts.com
SmartyAnts Reading World is a research-based program developed by renowned reading experts to help teachers address
the individual needs of students. This comprehensive reading and language skills program provides explicit, systematic codebased instruction with over thousands of practice opportunities in the six essential reading pillars: phonological awareness,
phonics, fluency, vocabulary, spelling, and reading comprehension. The use of adaptive technology makes this program an
ideal tool for teaching, re-teaching, practice, or intervention. Extensive data capture and analysis insures schools can meet
the accountability demands of today’s classrooms.
SODEXO
Sodexo, leader of Quality of Daily Life Solutions, helps schools improve the learning environment by focusing on student
well-being and achievement. From nutritious school meals to clean classrooms to safe playgrounds and more, Sodexo
enhances every student’s ability to learn and grow. For more information, please visit www.sodexoUSA.com
7 Ê, Since 1996, WIN has become the leading provider of career readiness solutions to help districts prepare pathways for
students’ futures, whether they are college, trade school, military or workplace bound. To date, more than 10 million
students worldwide have participated in the specialized career–driven courseware and education intervention initiatives
as well as career-readiness certification programs. WIN provides districts and schools with the tools to assure middle and
high school students are career and college ready when they graduate. For more information, go to www.winlearning.com or call
888-717-9461.
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS
Friday Morning Welcome Breakfast
Friday Night Reception
Friday Night Entertainment
Friday Night Dinner
Saturday Morning Breakfast
Paxton/Patterson
Saturday Lunch
Creating & Managing
Wealth, LLC
Saturday Luau
Sunday Morning Pozole Breakfast
THANK YOU TO OUR PANEL SPONSORS