Keynote Speakers

 

Cheryl Cotton, Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, California Department of Education

Cheryl Cotton serves as Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction for the California Department of Education. She supports the Instruction, Measurement, and Administration Brand, which includes the Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division, Assessment Development and Administration Division, Educator Excellence and Equity Division, State Special Schools and Services Division, Human Resources Division, and the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Ms. Cotton started her career as an elementary school teacher in the Oakland Unified and New Haven Unified school districts before transitioning into school district leadership roles. She served as a principal in the San Francisco Unified and West Contra Costa Unified school districts. This transition came after her tenure with the Bay Area Coalition of Equitable Schools, a non-profit school reform organization, where she served as a school coach and coordinator of a project focusing on reading instruction and equity. Ms. Cotton went on to serve as Director of Human Resources in West Contra Costa Unified and Albany Unified before assuming the role of Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for the Contra Costa County Office of Education.

Throughout her career in education, Ms. Cotton has gained a variety of experience at the school, district, county, and state levels in strategies to improve student equity, effective recruitment and retention of teachers and support staff, meaningful curriculum and professional development, and engaging labor relations in support of optimal student learning environments.

Ms. Cotton holds a master's degree in education from Mills College and a bachelor's degree in social welfare from UC Berkeley.

Dr. Edwin Gomez, Superintendent of Schools, Riverside County Office of Education

The elected Riverside County Superintendent of Schools serves as both the chief executive officer of the Riverside County Office of Education (RCOE) and the Superintendent of Schools for the county’s preschool through 12th grade segment of that system—the 4th largest in California.

Dr. Edwin Gomez serves as the 13th Riverside County Superintendent of Schools. He leads the team of extraordinary employees at the RCOE in working with each of the county’s 430,000 students, almost 18,000 classrooms, 500 schools and 23 school districts to help ensure all students receive a high quality education, graduating from high school academically and socially prepared for college, the workplace, and civic responsibility.

He and his staff work to ensure each school district remains in solid financial condition. They advocate at the local, state and national levels for effective public education policy on behalf of the students, families, schools and school districts in the county. And they move forward sound, timely and effective education initiatives at the county level to help ensure all students are well prepared for the future.

 

Plenary Panel Session with Superintendents

 

Joey Adame, Superintendent, Los Molinos USD

Mr. Joey Adame is the Superintendent of Los Molinos Unified School District where he has served since 2017. He has over 23 years of experience with 21 years in education administration serving as assistant principal, K-8, middle and high school principal, director, and now, Superintendent. Prior to those positions, he served as a school counselor, law enforcement officer, and Migrant Education coordinator. Through his passion and commitment to innovation and increasing student achievement, all of his past schools have increased in state academic performance. Past achievements include being awarded the California Department of Education 2017 High School Gold Ribbon Award, and 2019 Exemplary District Award for Career Technical Education. Currently, under his leadership, LMUSD is leading the way for full K-12 implementation of the UC Davis C-STEM program. He holds multiple credentials and degrees from various colleges and universities.

 

Dr. Fal Asrani, Superintendent, Marysville Joint USD

Fal Asrani is the Superintendent of Marysville Joint Unified School District, a TK-12 district that serves 11,000 students in grades TK-12 across 24 campuses. In her role, Dr. Asrani provides strong leadership within the school district and the larger Yuba County community. She leads the organization in developing, implementing, and providing programs and services to support every child and adult who attend the schools. Dr. Asrani has recently been recognized as one of the top 25 National Superintendents to watch by NSPRA.

Additionally, Dr. Asrani serves on the advisory board of the Avenue M Medical Pathway at UC Davis, California Jobs First Capital Region Leadership Council, and the California K-16 Steering Committee. She earned her Doctorate in Urban Leadership at the University of Southern California, and has dedicated over 30 years to teaching and leading districts in California public schools.

 

Dr. Alfonso Jiménez, Superintendent, Hacienda La Puente USD

Dr. Alfonso Jiménez has served as Superintendent of the Hacienda La Puente USD since July 2020. The District serves 16,172 TK-12 and 12,000 adult education learners. Dr. Jiménez has 26 years of experience with 19 years in administration serving as assistant principal, principal, director, assistant superintendent, deputy superintendent, and now superintendent. Through his leadership, various programs continue to thrive such as C-STEM, New Pedagogies for Deep Learning (NPDL), visual & performing arts, robotics, and dual immersion. Under his leadership, two schools recently were awarded Schools to Watch at the state and national level. Several schools also earned honors for incorporating civic education. Recently, twenty-eight out of thirty-one schools and the district received the CA Pivotal Practice Awards for innovative teaching strategies implemented during the pandemic. Dr. Jiménez holds a B.S in Physiology from CSU Long Beach, M.S. in Administration from Pepperdine, and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California.