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Members of the Commission


David Pearson, Chair

Position: Faculty Representative

Appointed: February 2006

Term Expires: November 2009

P. David Pearson serves as Dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, and as a faculty member in its Language and Literacy program. His current research focuses on issues of reading instruction and reading assessment policies and practices at all levels-local, state, and national. Prior to coming to Berkeley in 2001, he served as the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Education in the College of Education at Michigan State and as Co-Director of the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement. Even earlier, he was Dean of the College of Education, Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Reading, and Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois. His initial professorial appointment was at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Dr. Pearson received his B.A. in History from the University of California at Berkeley, after which he taught elementary school in California for several years, and went on to complete his Ph.D. in Reading Education at the University of Minnesota. He completed post-doctoral stints at the University of Texas, Austin and Stanford University.

He has written and co-edited several books about research and practice and has received numerous prestigious awards for his research. In addition, he has been active in professional organizations and currently is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Writing Project, the Educational Advisory Board of the National Geographic Society, and the Board of Visitors of the Colleges of Education at the University of Minnesota and the University of Pittsburgh.




Caleb Cheung, Vice Chair

Position: Teacher Representative

Appointed: July 2006

Term Expires: November 2009

Caleb Cheung is a science coach for the Oakland Unified School District. Previously, he was the science department chair at Frick Middle School in Oakland. He has worked as an Adjunct professor at JFK University and Holy Names College where he taught science methodology courses. He is also a Master Teacher for UC Berkeley and Mills College. Caleb received his undergraduate education in Integrated Biology at UC Berkeley and his teaching credential from California State University at Hayward. A lifelong Oakland teacher, Caleb has made significant contributions to the Oakland Unified School District in areas of curriculum, recruitment, new teacher support, and standards. As a teacher leader, he led the Curriculum in Focus Project which designed and disseminated a year long science curriculum to all middle school teachers for four years. In 2000, Caleb was the first National Board certified teacher in Oakland and has since served as a coach and on the National Board's Science Standards Committee and currently serves on the Research Committee. In 2002, Caleb was named Marcus Foster Educational Institute Distinguished Educator of the Year, Oakland's Teacher of the Year Award. Caleb took an unpaid sabbatical in 2002-2003 to work on a Master's degree in Curriculum and Teacher Education at Stanford University. He has also written curriculum various other projects including the Center for Disease Control and UC Berkeley. Caleb is the 2005 Awardee for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching for California.



Josephine Calderon

Position: Public Representative

Appointed: November 2006

Term Expires: November 2009

Commissioner Calderon is president of JLC Consultants, a community relations consulting firm in San Diego. She leads her clients through the successful delivery of major projects. Some of the projects she has worked on include: the SR-125 Tollway in San Diego, MTDB's San Ysidro Intermodal Transportation Center Project, and the PG&E National Energy Group's permit application to construct the Otay Mesa Generating Project, a 500-megawatt natural gas power plant in east Otay Mesa.

She is president of the Mexican American Business and Professional Association and works extensively with the Latino community on a broad range of topics. She has also worked extensively with California legislators to support education legislation and has actively campaigned for passage of local sales tax measures and school bonds. She currently serves on the UC San Diego Board of Overseers, the San Diego County Office of Education Superintendent's Advisory Board, and the Scripps Mercy Hospital Foundation Board. And she has worked extensively with the San Diego Mayor's Advisory Board, the City of Chula Vista Police Department, and the San Diego County Water Authority. She's recently assisted the City of Chula Vista with the formation of a Citizens Task Force to study and make recommendations on the issue of police civilian review.




Paula Cordeiro

Position: Public Representative

Appointed: December 2005

Term Expires: November 2008

Ms. Paula Cordeiro is currently the dean of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences at the University of San Diego. She created a ground-breaking model of leadership training in her work at the University of Connecticut with the Danforth/Connecticut Administrator Program before becoming a dean at the University of San Diego.

Ms. Cordeiro is Chair of the Board of Directors of Keiller Leadership Academy (a charter school), a member of the Board of Directors of Francis Parker School (an independent school), a founding member of the Academy of International School Heads and a board member of the International Council for the Education of Teachers (ICET), as well as being past President of the San Diego Council on Literacy.

Ms. Cordeiro has recently written a book with William Cunningham entitled Educational Leadership: A Problem-Based Approach, which focuses on developing instructional leaders prepared to face the challenge of leading school reform.



Margaret Gaston

Position: Public Representative

Appointed: July 2006

Term Expires: 2009

Margaret Gaston is currently serving as President and Executive Director of the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, a not-for-profit, public policy organization providing non-partisan, research-based information about teacher development and quality issues. Prior to establishing the Center in 1994, Ms. Gaston was a consultant to philanthropic organizations and public agencies, advising them on strategies to strengthen public education. She formerly worked for the California Department of Education, overseeing the School Improvement Program (SIP), School Program Quality Review, Community Education, and other school reform efforts, and framing policies to promote improvements in curriculum and teaching. Ms. Gaston began her career as an elementary classroom teacher, and subsequently as a high school vice principal in California schools.



Guillermo Gomez

Position: Teacher Representative

Appointed: November 2004

Term Expires: November 2008

Mr. Guillermo Gomez is currently an Elementary Content Expert in District Reading Programs for the Los Angeles Unified School District and an Elementary Literacy and Administrative Trainer for the Sacramento County Office of Education. In addition, he is the Vice Chair of the English Learner Advisory Committee for the California State Office of Education. He previously served as an Elementary Teacher with the Bassett Unified School District, ELD Instructor for the California Youth Authority, and a Bilingual Elementary Teacher at Little Lake School District.




Jennifer Husbands

Position: Administrative Services Representative

Appointed: December 2007

Term Expires: November 2011

Jennifer Husbands, Ph.D. serves as director of site support for High Tech High, a charter school management organization. Ms. Husbands was a research associate for the Center for Research on Educational Equity, Assessment and Teaching Excellence at the University of California, San Diego. She was a research assistant at Stanford University's Center for Research on the Context of Teaching and served as an evaluation specialist for the National School & Community Corps in Philadelphia, PA.



Leslie Littman Position: Designee, Superintendent of Public Instruction

Appointed: September 2003

Term Expires: Ongoing

Ms. Leslie Littman is currently a High School Teacher at Hart High School in Newhall California. She has been there since 1994 and is currently teaching Social Studies. She has also taught other subjects at Hart High School such as Economics, Honors Economics, US Government, US History, US History Sheltered, Modern Civilizations, Sociology, and Sheltered Government. She has also been a Long-Term Substitute Teacher of Social Studies at Schurr High School in Montebello California.

Ms. Littman earned her Bachelor of Arts in History and Economics in 1991. She then proceeded to obtain her Master's of Education in 1992, along with a Single Subject Professional Clear Credential of Social Studies, all from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Ms. Leslie Littman has also served as a member of several prominent Associations including the NCATE Board of Examiners, California Teacher Association Liaison to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and the Credentials and Professional Development Committee of the State Council of Education.


Marilyn T. McGrath

Position: Ex-Officio Representative of California Postsecondary Education Commission

Appointed: August 2004

Term Expires: Ongoing

Ms. Marilyn T. McGrath is currently an instructor and program director for the Santa Monica Community College District. She currently teaches classes in Child Development, Psychology, and extension classes in Parenting. She is in charge of developing and implementing the Professional Development Institute for Early Childhood Educators. She has helped develop and assisted in implementing two new education courses that focus specifically on teacher preparation.

Ms. McGrath received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from the University of Bridgeport in 1963. She received her Master's degree from National University in 1995. She also earned an Administrative Services Credential from National University in 1995.

Prior to her current position, Ms. McGrath served as a Project Manager for Santa Monica Community College District where she was in charge of a Teacher & Reading Development Partnership Grant. She has also worked for Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, Kindercare Learning Center, and the Ridgefield Board of Education.

Ms. McGrath is a member of several professional organizations including the Los Angeles Childcare Planning Committee, the Santa Monica Early Education and Care Task Force, and the Life Long Learning Community Partnership.




Lillian Perry

Position: Teacher Representative

Appointed: September 2006

Term Expires: November 2008

Lillian Perry is a resource teacher at Fontana Middle School in Fontana Unified School District. She holds a Multiple Subjects teaching credential and her expertise is in the area of reading as she works closely with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students to increase their reading comprehension. Previously, she taught grades K-6 for Miles Avenue School in the Los Angeles Unified School District from 1980 to 1986, was a substitute teacher for grades 7 and 8 with McCosh Elementary School in Chicago, IL from 1977 to 1979, and taught grades 4 and 5 for College Hill School in Evanston, IL from 1973 to 1976.

She was educated in the Chicago public schools, earned her B.A. in Psychology from Lake Forest College, and her Masters in Teaching from Northwestern University. She founded the PhiLill Foundation in 2003, a nonprofit devoted to enriching the greater community through the arts and education through entertainment.




Leslie Peterson Schwarze

Position: School Board Member

Appointed: March 2005

Term Expires: November 2008

Ms. Leslie Peterson Schwarze of Novato, California was first elected to the Board of Trustees of the Novato Unified School District in 1997 where she served as its president during the 1999-2000 academic year. She is currently serving her second four-year term and is president of the Board once again for the 2005-2006 academic year. From 1998-2000, she served as treasurer for the Marin County School Board Association. She is also a member of the California School Boards Association.

Ms. Peterson Schwarze has also had considerable statewide experience in education. From 1998 to 2002, she served on the California State Curriculum Commission where she was Chair of the Foreign Language Subject Matter Committee and a member of the Executive Committee.

Ms. Peterson Schwarze served on the AB 466 Staff Development Selection Panel, the Reading First Grant Review Panel, and, since 1998, the STAR Content Review Panel for Reading/Language Arts - a position she continues today. In addition, she has been a member of the STAR Performance Level Setting Panel for Reading/Language Arts since 2000. She served as liaison for the Curriculum Commission to the CTC from 1999-2000 and was the parent representative for Northern California Leadership Training for the AB 3482 California Reading Initiative.




Tine Sloan

Position: Ex-Officio Representative of University of California

Appointed: May 2007

Term Expires: Ongoing

Tine Sloan is the Acting Director of the Teacher Education Program in the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at UC Santa Barbara. She has taught courses in the Ph.D. and Teacher Education Programs focused on issues in human development, educational psychology, teacher education, and assessment. Her primary research interests revolve around teacher education, particularly with respect to teacher and teacher educator learning, as well as to the role that policy and context play in this learning and in program development. Related to this is her interest in understanding, developing and using valid and reliable assessments of teacher and student learning. All of her work is framed by her primary interest in understanding and advocating for the well being of children in educational contexts. Prior to coming to UCSB, she spent 3 years in Singapore and was a member of the faculty at the National Institute of Education in Nanyang Technological University. Dr. Sloan completed her teacher certification at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 1988, and her master's and doctoral work at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1996.



Ting Sun

Position: Public Representative

Appointed: December 2007

Term Expires: November 2011

Ting Lan Sun has more than 19 years in the field of education and has been actively involved in the charter schools movement for more than a decade as a teacher, administrator, and school operator. The co-founder and Educational Programs Director of the Sacramento-based Natomas Charter School, Dr. Sun directed curriculum, instruction, staff development, and professional growth. From 1997-2000, she was an Educational Programs Consultant in the California Department of Education's Charter Schools Unit where she participated in the development of charter school administrative policies and regulations, and the administration of the federal public charter schools grant program.

From 2003-2006, Dr. Sun served as Vice President of Leadership and Quality for the California Charter Schools Association where she has developed and implemented the Association's quality assurance strategy and initiatives, including standards articulation, quality site visits and program reviews aligned with quality initiatives. Dr. Sun was also responsible for technical assistance publications, knowledge briefs, reports and articles commissioned, issued and published by the organization. In addition she has created, directed and implemented effective leadership training programs in all aspects of school administration for charter schools on a statewide basis and served as a mentor for the Leadership for Educational Entrepreneur (LEE) Program at Arizona State University.

Dr. Sun is currently a consultant for Cambridge Education (LLC).




Dr. Karen Symms Gallagher

Position: Ex-Officio Representative of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities

Appointed: July 2003

Term Expires: Ongoing

Karen Symms Gallagher currently serves as the dean of the Rossier School of Education for the University of Southern California. Dr. Gallagher previously served six years as dean and professor of educational policy and leadership in the School of Education at the University of Kansas.

Dr. Gallagher has taught language arts, social studies, and speech and served as a principal in public schools in Washington state. She also taught educational administration at Loyola University of Chicago and the University of Cincinnati, and was staff director and senior policy consultant to the Ohio Commission for Education Improvement. She has been the associate dean for undergraduate studies in Cincinnati's College of Education, as well as the college's associate dean for academic affairs, and dean for the School of Education at the University of Kansas.

Dr. Gallagher is a board member of the Holmes Partnership and the Urban Education Partnership, President of the USC Phi Kappa Phi, Chair of the USC Urban Initiative. She is a member of the American Association for School Administrators, the American Educational Research Association, the Association for the Student of Higher Education and the American Association for Higher Education and the Los Angeles NAACP.




Loretta Whitson

Position: Non-Administrative Services Representative

Appointed: September 2006

Term Expires: November 2008

Ms. Whitson received her M.S. in educational counseling and her Pupil Personnel Service Credential from the University of La Verne, her Administrative Service Credential and her B.A. in Organizational Communication from California State University of San Bernardino. She is the Director of Student Support Services for the Monrovia Unified School District. Since 2000, Ms. Whitson has served as the Executive Director for the California Association of School Counselors. She is a non-voting member of the Board and serves as the chief executive officer representing school counseling interest in California. She is also a Senior Adjunct Professor for the University of La Verne. Her experience includes 18 years of commitment to K-12 education and 15 years as a University Professor. She has served on the Board of Institute Examiners, served on state committees and leadership positions, and participated in standards development for School Counselor, School Social Workers, School Psychologist and Child Welfare and Attendance. She has been an expert witness for the California Senate and Assembly Education Committees. She has both state and national publication pertaining to aspects of the school counseling profession. In 2002 she received state recognition from Stanford University, H.B. McDaniel's Foundation for exceptional contribution to the field of school counseling.




Dr. Beverly Young

Position: Ex-Officio Representative of California State University

Appointed: May 2005

Term Expires: Ongoing

Dr. Beverly Young is currently the Assistant Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, Teacher Education and Public School Programs for the California State University System. She works with the campus Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Deans of Education in order to facilitate changes in teacher preparation within the 23-campus system. She earned her Master's degree in Diagnosis and Improvement of Reading and earned her Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction.

Prior to coming to the Chancellor's Office, Dr. Young has served as teacher education faculty at CSU Fullerton and as an elementary school teacher. She has also been involved with the Commission's SB 2042 Panel, the SB 1422 Panel, and the Accreditation Study Work Group.


Current Commission Vacancies
• Teacher Representative (2 Vacancies)



Updated January 23, 2008