Candidate for
Trustee; Capistrano Unified School District; Trustee Area 1

Karin Schnell had the opportunity to move about every two years because her father was in the oil business. This enabled her to experience several educational systems and learn how to be flexible. She met her husband in high school in Brussels, Belgium. His first job out of graduate school brought them to Southern California in the late 1970s.

Karin has a masters degree in exhibition design/museum studies from California State University, Fullerton, where she teaches a Museum Education class. Her undergraduate degree is in arts education from Oklahoma State University. Her professional career has been with non-profit arts organizations, such as the Orange County Museum of Art and Arts Orange County. She also serves on non-profit boards and as an arts commissioner at the John Wayne Airport and the City of Dana Point.

Karin's two children started at Del Obispo Elementary School and graduated from Dana Hills High School. Karin and her husband Rick moved to South Orange County because of the quality education CUSD offered then and continues to offer today. Their daughter received her marketing/business degree from California State University, Fullerton and their son an art degree in illustration/graphic design from Laguna College of Art and Design.

Over the years, Karin has worked with the district on several projects. During her time at Arts Orange County, she partnered with CUSD's Music Coordinator to apply for a Local Arts Education Partnership Grant from the California Arts Council, to develop an `Arts Day' bringing artists in to work with the students at Del Obispo, Bathgate and Wood Canyon. Additionally, she developed a new Visual Artists in Schools Program working with 4 Orange County school districts including CUSD. Karin has served as a community advisory member of South Orange County School of the Arts for the past 4 years. More recently Karin helped coordinate the Capistrano Alliance for Arts Education bringing together community and business leaders, administrators, educators, and parents to raise awareness and advocacy for arts education in the district.