Message from Our Superintendent

My motivation to be an educator comes from a deep desire to ensure that every child experiences safe, rigorous, and joyful learning every single day, so that they graduate from high school with the knowledge, skills, mindset, and agency necessary to thrive as adults and be powerful community members who exercise their voice. As the daughter of two parents who did not have the opportunity to go to college, and as the granddaughter of a woman whose schooling ended at the third grade so that she could support her family, I am deeply committed to making sure that every one of our children graduates college-ready, and to building a future in which socioeconomic status is no longer a predictor of academic opportunity or achievement. 

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My career in education started in 1993 when I taught 4th-6th grades at Manzanita Elementary School in Oakland for eight years. Drawn into the district-wide New Small Autonomous Schools reform movement through a partnership with a classroom parent, I had the privilege of co-founding ASCEND, a K-8 school recognized for its arts-integrated expeditionary learning model and effective community engagement practices. I eventually led ASCEND as Principal for 10 years, facilitating significant increases in student achievement and leading our staff and families to successfully petition for charter status to join Education for Change Public Schools in 2012. I then served as Chief Talent Officer at EFC, and currently serve as Superintendent of Schools.