Members of the Commission

Tine Sloan is an associate teaching professor in the Department of Education at the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at UC Santa Barbara. She joined the school in 2000 and served twelve years as Director of the Teacher Education Program. Prior to this, she was a member of the faculty at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. It was her interest in children—how they think, learn, grow, and thrive—that led to her credential program at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and later to her masters and doctoral studies at UCLA. But it was her experience with teachers and teacher educators that taught her about their profession, their practice, and their efforts to support and nurture the diversity of the school children they served. This led to many roles including service on boards and advisory committees at the state level, in the University of California, to other universities, and in her local community. She is involved in California and national initiatives on teaching performance assessments (PACT, edTPA, CalTPA). Tine also served eleven years on the CTC as the ex-officio representative for the University of California.

Tine’s research focuses on programmatic issues in teacher preparation including the study of interventions of practice and the use of data in programmatic change. This work aims to understand new teachers’ learning, teacher educators’ learning, organizational change, and leadership action. She is the lead investigator for the California Teacher Education Research and Improvement Network (CTERIN), a large research collaborative across nine University of California campuses. She also studies international contexts of teacher preparation, working closely with partners in multiple research and practice collaborations (these include colleagues from Denmark, Singapore, Switzerland, New Zealand, Taiwan, Japan, Finland, Norway and more). This led to an international student teaching exchange program for teacher candidates at UC Santa Barbara. Her doctoral courses focus on teacher education, while her teacher education courses focus on instructional design, classroom assessment, and learning and development. All of her work aims to understand how to prepare and support teachers who can meet the diverse needs of California’s students, ensuring their well-being while preparing them for success in the 21st century.

A native Californian, Alicia grew up on the beaches and in the mountains of Santa Cruz. She knew she wanted to be a teacher in kindergarten when Ms. Condor, her kindergarten teacher, allowed her to eat the cheese cut into various shapes upon reciting the correct shape name. 

Alicia has been teaching elementary school for 15 years in the Cambrian School District, where she lives for the joy and excitement for learning on her students' faces. Aside from teaching full time, Alicia has spent time active in her teacher's union where she served as President for four years. She also is a representative for California Teachers Association's State Council where she serves as Chair of the Credentials and Professional Development Committee. 

Alicia has three wonderful children, ages 9, 11 and 13 who enjoy laughing, the beach and throwing big parties. In her free time Alicia can be found underwater scuba diving and taking pictures to bring back to her students. She also enjoys poetry, hiking and fine wine.

Kirsten Barnes has worked for the Hanford Joint Union High School District for the past 21 years. She began her career as a teacher for the continuation high school and after obtaining her counseling credential became the counselor of the continuation high for 5 years before transferring to Hanford West High School. She has been at Hanford West for the past 13 years. Kirsten also works part time in the evenings as a teacher and counselor for Crossroads Charter School in Armona, California. 

Kirsten is the current President Elect of the California Association of School Counselors, (CASC), a State Council Representative for the California Teachers Association, Treasurer and Bargaining Chair of her local association: HSEA, and Vice Chair of the Tulare Kings Service Center Council. She is also a member of American School Counselor Association, National Education Association, Humane Society and the SPCA. She received her Masters in School Counseling from Fresno Pacific University and her Bachelors in Liberal Studies from Mount St. Mary's College. 

Kate Williams Browne is a tenured professor and Chair of the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Department at Skyline College and Coordinator of the San Mateo Region of the California Early Childhood Mentor Program. She currently serves as President of the Faculty Senate of Skyline College and Executive Secretary of the California Community College ECE Faculty Association. A native Californian and the first in her family with a college education, she holds a BA (with Academic Honors) in Psychology from Stanford University and MA (with Academic Scholarship) in Early Childhood Education from the University of Michigan. Her education credentials include Elementary Certification from Michigan, a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential from California, a California Children's Center Permit and a California Community College Credential. 

Among Kate's professional experiences are ECE teacher and administrator (including parent co-op, child care, bilingual preschool, kindergarten/first grade and 15 years at Stanford's Bing School); textbook writing (Beginnings & Beyond: Foundations in Early Childhood Education, Beginning Essentials, To Teach Well: ECE Student Teaching Guide, and Guiding Young Children in a Diverse Society); and higher education instructor (Stanford University, Foothill, De Anza, Canada and Skyline Colleges). She also served on the Steering Committee for the ECE Competencies Integration Project at the California Department of Education. Among recent recognitions, she is the recipient of the Meyer Award for Teaching Excellence (Skyline College), ECE Professional of the Year (Peninsula Association for the Education of Young Children) and Who's Who of American Professional Women.

Michael Cooney is a partner in Investment Group of Santa Barbara and President and General Counsel of Cimarron Management Company. Mr. Cooney is also currently a member of the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission. He served on the California Student Aid Commission from 2000-2004 and was Chair of that commission for 3 years. He was on the Board of Directors at EdFund from 2006-2010 and a trustee with Montecito Union School District from 1977 to 1988. Mr. Cooney also was a partner with Price, Postel & Parma in Santa Barbara, California for 30 years.

Marysol De La Torre-Escobedo received her Bachelor's Degree from UC Berkeley and her Clear Social Science Teaching Credential and M.A. in Education from Stanford University. In 2003, she began her teaching career as a founding member of East Palo Alto Academy High School. As a founding member of EPAAHS de la Torre-Escobedo worked closely with the Stanford School Redesign Network and their efforts in meeting the needs of all students and creating a model of school reform. 

De La Torre-Escobedo has taught AVID, Economics, Spanish, US History, and World History in the Bay Area, the Dominican Republic, the Glenn County Juvenile Hall, and Chico. She has been a teacher for the Chico Unified School District since 2007. In 2010, she co-founded Chico's first in-district charter school, Inspire School of Arts & Sciences, where she currently teaches. In 2013, she was selected as a Chico Rotary Educator of the Year and she also received the Golden Apple/KHSL Teachers are Heroes Award in 2014. 

De La Torre-Escobedo is the first generation daughter of Mexican immigrants. She currently resides in Butte County with her husband and two children, ages 6 and 4.

Annamarie Francois is the Executive Director of UCLA Center X, where she leads the work of social justice educator preparation, development and support for urban school communities.

Dr. Francois is committed to making schools and schools of education equitable spaces for deep learning, critical reflection, and liberation. In her work, Francois and her colleagues at Center X collaborate with local school districts to design and implement professional learning opportunities that live at the intersection of research, practice, and social justice. She is deeply involved in teacher education where she serves as a faculty member and the program’s academic administrator.

Francois joined the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies in 1999 and became Director of the UCLA Teacher Education Program in 2010. She was named Executive Director of Center X in 2014. Since joining Center X, Francois has established IMPACT, an innovative, community-based urban teacher residency program; launched the California chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education; collaborated in the design of the UCLA and Mann-UCLA Community Schools which serve as university-assisted public schools in high-needs communities in Los Angeles; and is lead investigator for numerous grant funded initiatives that focus on innovation and research in equity-driven, content-focused educator learning.

Prior to joining the UCLA faculty, Francois was a K-6 teacher and administrator at the Los Angeles Unified School District, and a founding member of the Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, a grassroots charter school serving the culturally and linguistically rich communities of Pacoima and San Fernando.

A native Californian raised in Los Angeles, Francois holds a bachelor’s degree in History from UCLA, a master’s degree in Administration, Supervision and Higher Education from California State University, Northridge, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from UCLA.

Francois is the mother of three amazing young adults, all of whom matriculated through K-16 public schools. Her son graduated from San Francisco State University, her eldest daughter graduated from Cal Poly Pomona, and her youngest daughter recently transferred from Pierce Community College to California State University, Northridge.

Marquita Grenot-Scheyer is a proud product of the California State University system, having completed all of her educational degrees at California State University, Los Angeles. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, with a minor in Child Development, a Multiple Subject credential and Special Education credential, the Administrative Services credential, a Master of Arts in Education and her Ph.D. in Special Education from the Joint Doctoral Program with the University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA. In recognition of her career, she was selected as the Distinguished Alumnus, CSULA Charter College of Education, in 2008. 

Grenot-Scheyer currently serves as Assistant Vice Chancellor, Teacher Education and Public School Programs with the CSU Office of the Chancellor. Prior to this appointment, she served as Dean of the College of Education at California State University, Long Beach, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, and Program Coordinator for both the Master's program in Special Education and the Special Education Credential program. 

She was the Chancellor's Office representative on two state-wide committees: The State Superintendent of Public Instruction's Autism Advisory Committee and the California Department of Education, State Performance and Personnel Development Plan Stakeholder Group. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Council for the Accreditation of Education Preparation (CAEP) and served on the CAEP Commission on Standards and Performance Reporting. 

Grenot-Scheyer's current research and work is focused on collaborative teacher preparation models to support student success. She has published numerous articles and book chapters in the areas of severe disabilities, inclusive models of education, and culturally responsive teacher preparation and is co-editor of the books, At the end of the day: Lessons learned in inclusive education (Paul H. Brookes, 2001), 1998) and Making friends: The influences of culture and development, (Paul H. Brookes, 1998). 

Johanna Hartwig first became interested in education policy when serving as her high school’s school board representative in the Livermore Valley Unified School District. Johanna benefitted from 12 years of the District’s great public education. Through her early Board service, Johanna’s understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the California public school system deepened and expanded, as did her appreciation for the teachers, administrators and school board members who support the system. 

Johanna built on her California education by attending Yale University, where she earned an undergraduate degree in history. After working for a number of years in New York City, Johanna then earned a law degree and a public policy degree from the University of Michigan. In graduate school, Johanna took a particular interest in classes addressing education reform and equity issues. She also served as a student attorney on child welfare cases through the law school’s clinic. 

Johanna had always planned to return to the West Coast, and did so after graduate school. She worked as a practicing attorney in corporate litigation for two international law firms based in San Francisco. While practicing, she undertook extensive pro bono work. Johanna also served as a law clerk for a judge on the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and simultaneously as the judge’s ethics clerk for the federal judiciary’s ethics committee. Johanna currently serves as the Assistant Dean for Career Planning & Legal Community Engagement at the University of San Francisco School of Law, which is one of the most diverse law schools in the country. 

Terri Jackson was inspired to become a teacher after having “very strong high school teachers” when her military family lived in Great Britain. Ms. Jackson has taught for 34 years. She taught 8 years at Raymond Elementary School in the Fullerton Elementary School District and is currently a sixth-grade math and history teacher at Stewart Elementary School in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. She is an active member of United Teachers of Richmond, where she has served as faculty representative, elementary director, vice president and president.

As a CTA State Council representative, Ms. Jackson served on the Political Involvement Committee as a member and later, vice chair.  She was also chair of CTA’s Educational Change Workgroup.  She is currently serving her eighth year on the CTA Board of Directors.

Ms. Jackson earned her B.S. in Child Development at California State University, Fullerton.  She completed her teaching credential at Fullerton after a year of student teaching in Yorba Linda and Brea. She received her M.S. in Educational Technology at Pepperdine University.

Bonnie Klatt currently teaches high school English and serves as English Department Chair at the Performing and Fine Arts Academy at Natomas Charter School. Prior to working at Natomas Charter School, she worked for five years as a consultant and administrator for the California Department of Education and the California State Board of Education on projects including the California High School Exit Examination, a variety of programs within the Charter Schools Division, and the implementation of new statewide assessments. Before joining the Department of Education, she taught high school English, media literacy, and AVID in the Center Unified School District and in the Grant Union High School District for a total of 15 years. At Center High School, she acted as a technology mentor, helped to implement and build a California Partnership Academy program, and co-developed districtwide writing assessment tools. 

Ms. Klatt is a lifelong resident of the state and has either attended or worked for California public education institutions since kindergarten. She earned her B.A. in English at the University of California, Los Angeles, and her M.A. and teaching credential in English at California State University, Sacramento.

Kevin Kung works as a chemistry teacher at Palisades Charter High School. He previously taught science at Lowell High School and Hoover Middle School, both in San Francisco and at Beverly Hills High School. Mr. Kung also taught summers in China for the Center for Talented Youth program for Johns Hopkins and worked several years as a staff seismic geologist at URS Corp. Mr. Kung completed his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and master’s degree and single subject teaching credential from San Francisco State University. He held teaching fellow positions at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University; the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Teachers at Stanford; and the Tribal College and Universities Program at Middle Tennessee State.

Jane Marks currently teaches at Alice Birney Waldorf Public School in Sacramento.  She helped create, implement, and sustain a model of Waldorf education in the public school sector. She has served on the Board for the Alliance of Waldorf Public Schools and served on the committee to align Waldorf curriculum goals with California Common Core Standards.  She has worked as mentor and teacher educator in a variety of programs within the public Waldorf school movement.  In this work, her focus has been in the areas of diversity, child development, and curriculum.  She has been a California public school teacher for 25 years. Prior to teaching, she worked in the field of environmental education serving inner city youth and their families as a YMCA program director.  She has served the homeless population as an employee at Loaves in Fishes in Sacramento.

Ms. Marks is a lifelong resident of the state and has either attended or worked for California public education institutions since kindergarten.  She earned a B.A. in anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles and her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential at California State University, San Bernardino.  She has three grown children, all products of California public schools. 

Cindy Marten is deeply committed to creating educational conditions and opportunities that enable all children to become actively literate, contributing and participating members of a democratic society who make a positive difference in the world. Her 25 years as an educator include teaching elementary grades as a classroom teacher and later, serving as a school-wide literacy specialist in the Poway Unified School District.

After participating in a seven-year improvement effort at a struggling school in Poway, Marten chose to take her experience to one of the most challenging schools in San Diego Unified — Central Elementary in City Heights— where she served for 10 years as teacher, instructional leader and principal.

At Central Elementary, Marten worked passionately at attracting and retaining high-quality, dedicated staff. She nurtured innovative programs to support her students and staff including: a highly successful bi-literacy program, a hands-on school garden program, quality after-school and preschool programs, employees’ child day care center, and a community health and wellness center for students and their families. Her team’s success was validated by steady and improved student achievement, which included an increase in the school’s Academic Performance Index (API). By 2012 it reached 788, just shy of the state target of 800.

As the district’s superintendent, Marten leads the district team and community with a singular focus on student success. She believes that there are no excuses when it comes to providing children with the very best conditions that will enable them to become confident, successful learners who can achieve their dreams. Marten is working with the Board of Education to implement Vision 2020, creating quality schools in every neighborhood throughout the district.

Monica R. Martinez is an education strategist, author, speaker on innovation and education, including high school redesign, teaching, and college access. She is currently the Senior Strategist for the XQ Super School Project. She was a Senior Fellow for the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and an appointee to the White House Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics by President Obama. Her career encompasses major programmatic, management and executive leadership roles, including hands-on experience running and supporting major foundation initiatives related to expertise of secondary reform and college success. Monica was as an independent consultant where she served in an advisory capacity to multiple organizations, including non-profits, state systems, and foundations to assist in creating, revising, or implementing their education strategies and initiatives. Prior to this role, Monica served as the President of the New Tech Network and the Vice President for Education Strategy at KnowledgeWorks. 

In Washington, DC, Monica was a senior associate at the Institute for Educational Leadership where she founded the Washington, D.C. based National High School Alliance. Her book, Deeper Learning: How Eight Innovative Public Schools Are Transforming Education in the Twenty-First Century reflects her cumulative experience and shows how we can transform public education for the 21st century. She is on the Board of Trustees for Learning Forward, a national professional association devoted exclusively to those who work in educator professional development, and Marin Humane, a local non-profit organization focused on animals. In 2016, she was name as a Distinguished Alumni of New York University where she received her doctorate degree.

David Simmons has been the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for the Goleta Union School District (GUSD) since 2017. In that capacity, he oversees Human Resources, Data Management, Medical Benefits, and Labor Relations for GUSD. Prior to working in Goleta, he served in multiple administrative positions for the Ventura County Office of Education, including Assistant Superintendent of Personnel and Director of Bilingual Teacher Training and Paraeducator-To-Teacher Programs. His first teaching assignment was as a teacher of middle school mathematics in the Ventura Unified School District.

For over thirty years, Mr. Simmons has worked with CTC to improve and diversify the teaching profession by supporting teachers and expanding pathways into the teaching profession. Over his career, he has supervised nine CTC-approved credential programs: General Education Teacher Induction; Education Specialist Teacher Induction; Administrative Services Induction; Language and Academic Development Preliminary; Added Authorizations in Autism Spectrum Disorder, Orthopedic Impairments, and Early Childhood Special Education; English Learner Added Authorizations (CCSD); and Designated Subjects Credentials in Adult Education, Career Technical Education, and Special Subjects. He cofacilitated CTC’s General Education Induction Standards Panel. He served on CTC’s Teacher Preparation Advisory Panel (TAP) and the Mathematics Teacher Preparation and Assessment Advisory Panel. For several years, he also served as the designated representative to CTC for the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA).

Mr. Simmons is a lifelong California resident. He earned a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a master’s degree in Educational Administration from California State University, Northridge. His credentials include a Single Subject Teaching Credential in Mathematics, a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, and an Administrative Services Credential.

Andrew F. Wall is the Robert A. and Mildred Peronia Naslund Endowed Dean of the School of Education at the University of Redlands. As dean, Wall is dedicated to ensuring that all students receive a high-quality learning experience from the point of admission through to graduation, all the way until they become engaged alumni.
Wall joined Redlands in July 2014 from the University of Rochester in New York, where he was associate professor and department chair of educational leadership at the Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development. While at Rochester, Wall also served as the higher education program director and most recently as interim co-director of the Warner Center for Professional Development and Education Reform.
Alongside his leadership achievements, Wall's teaching has won him numerous accolades, including Rochester's 2010 G. Graydon '58 and Jane W. Curtis Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Nontenured Member of the Faculty and being named a 2008 Emerging Scholar by the American College Personnel Association (ACPA). His research and scholarship interests span the educational spectrum and have included examining P-12 school finance, teacher preparation, student health and learning, along with assessment and evaluation in education.
The author of numerous book chapters and journal articles, Wall is also the co-author of two books, "Assessment Reconsidered" and "Case Studies in Higher Education Leadership: An Instructional Tool." He is a member of the American Education Research Association, the Association for the Study of Higher Education and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
Wall received his Ph.D. in education, organization and leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also holds a B.A. in sociology and political science from the University of Iowa and an M.A. in academic and student affairs from Ball State University.