Candidate for
Trustee; San Luis Coastal Unified School District; Trustee Area 1

Communications Experience

Current

Partner, Education Communication Solutions/Schoolyard Communications -- Work with 60 school districts statewide to improve their parent communications. Prepare School Accountability Report Cards and Annual Notification to Parents. Research, evaluate and summarize Ed Code as related to parent communications. Project started 10 years ago with 10 school districts and grew by word of mouth.

Business owner Education Communication Consultant

• Publicist, California Reading Association
• San Luis Obispo County Research and Information Consortium
• Writer/Editor, Stanfill Associates. Part of team servicing California Department of Education contract

Senior Communications Specialist, California School Employees Association, San Jose, CA

Communications Associate -- Association of California School Administrators, Sacramento, CA. Maintained and monitored budget

Local education organizations

Information and Research Coordinator/Public Information Officer Cabinet position, San Luis Obispo County Office of Education. Responsible for developing, monitoring and disbursement of department budget exceeding $150,000. Represented office at numerous non-profit agencies including sitting as board member of those agencies including the County Emergency Response Team as the spokesperson for public education. Negotiated and monitored contracts including contract for website redesign.

Public Information Officer -- Santa Maria-Bonita School District, Santa Maria, CA. Reported directly to Superintendent. Central Administrative Team member.

Teaching Experience

Featured lecturer -- Cal Poly State University San Luis Obispo, CA. Created and presented special school communications class to assist educators in communicating with parents, public and media.

Journalism Instructor -- Allan Hancock College Santa Maria, CA.

Workshop presenter -- conducted staff development training for certificated, classified and management staff of numerous California school districts. Invited speaker at conferences such as:

• Regional AVID training
• California Kindergarten Association
• 4Cs annual retreat
• California Reading Association
• ACSA Classified Educational Leadership Academy
• CSLA two-day school communication training
• Tracy School District management retreat
• Lompoc School District management retreat and Industry Education Council
• CSEA annual Public Relations Workshop

Education Writer, Copy Editor, Assistant City Editor, Telegram Tribune, San Luis Obispo, CA. Beyond regular assignments, researched and launched new regional publication.

Editor - The Federalsburg Times and The County Record, Denton, MD

Reporter - Tri County Radio, WCEM-WESP, Cambridge, MD

Managing Editor - Goleta Today, Goleta, CA

Reporter-Photographer - Atascadero News, Atascadero, CA

Associate Editor - Arizona Waterways, Tucson, AZ

Reporter-Photographer - Arizona Territorial, Tucson, AZ

Professional Associations

Active Member -- California School Public Relations Association

Past President Association of California School Administrators -- Northern Santa Barbara County Charter.

Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Representative to State

Classified Educational Leadership Committee; Liaison to Legislative Policy Committee

Community Service

Facility Joint Use Commission - City of San Luis Obispo - city council appointed commissioner.

Past member San Luis Obispo County Emergency Response Team - recruited to join the six-member team trained to respond to the media during times of crisis as the liaison for education throughout the county. Part of team responding to San Simeon Earthquake.

Past President; current Secretary; Tri County Education Coalition

Secretary California 24th District PTA - in charge of parent education programs.

Regional Commissioner; Board member -- American Youth Soccer Organization - responsible for program serving 2,500 families, $60,000 budget.

Charter member of San Luis Youth Sports Association

Member Ag in the Classroom committee

Past President; San Luis Obispo Child Abuse Prevention County committee

Member, Santa Maria Police Minority Community Committee

Public relations adviser; Santa Maria Ad Hoc Gang Prevention Task Force, American GI Forum (Hispanic War Veterans and families), and Blacks Recognizing A Goal.

Education

1976 -- Master of Arts in Journalism University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

1974 -- Bachelor of Arts in English Hobart College, Geneva, NY

Successful completion of California Basic Education Skills Test

California Community Colleges Teaching Credential

Training in Interest Based Bargaining (IBB)

Training in state-approved crisis response strategies, SEMS. This system now used by federal Homeland Security.

Awards

Tri-County Education Coalition -- Award for service

Administrator of the Year -- Association of California School Administrators, Region 13.

California School Public Relations Association Award -- for feature story press release, district brochure and 28-page tabloid parent handbook.

Milton S. Eisenhower Media Award -- American Heart Association -- one award in each state.

Maryland-District of Columbia Press Association Award -- for government reporting.

Milton H. Turk English Major Award -- Hobart College.

Partial list of supporters

Please join these early supporters

o Former School Board Presidents

Glenn Oelker and Patricia Andreen

o Former County Superintendent of Schools

Ken Palmer

o Former State Teachers of the Year

Betty Migliore and Carmen Candelaria

o San Luis Obispo County Supervisors
K.H. "Katcho" Achadjian and Jerry Lenthall

o Founder of the TEACh Foundation
Dave Cryden

Mary Jo Devitt

John Villa

Lisa Fraser

Richard Kriet

Maria Slavin

Ian Parkinson

Kayla Plourde

Jose Lemus

Joanne Rogoff

Don Norton

Vickie Tway

Bill Harvey

Joyce Hansen