Education Leaders SummitSeptember 5, 2012

Speaker Bios

Introduction:

Welcome Remarks:Carl GuardinoCEO and President, Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Carl Guardino is the President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a public policy trade association that represents more than 375 of Silicon Valley’s most respected companies. In February 2007, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Guardino, one of Silicon Valley’s most distinguished business and community leaders, to a four-year term on the California Transportation Commission. He also serves on numerous other boards and is actively involved in a wide range of community organizations and projects. In 2000, the San Jose Mercury News named Guardino one of the “Five Most Powerful” people in Silicon Valley in a once-per-decade study.

Guardino was born and raised in San Jose and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from San Jose State University, where he is a Distinguished Alumnus. He is a member of Junior Achievement’s “Silicon Valley Business Hall of Fame,” a recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from City Year, and a second recipient of the American Public Transit Association’s Business Executive of the Year.

Host Remarks:Kristin RhodesGeneral Manager of the West Region for U.S. Public Sector Education Organization, Microsoft

Kristin Rhodes works as the General Manager of the West Region for Microsoft’s U.S. Public Sector Education Organization. Kristin joined Microsoft in 2000 as the Education Headquarters Sales Manager based in Bellevue, WA. Since then Kristin has worked in the Education organization in sales leadership roles. Currently, Kristin’s group has responsibility for supporting K-12 and higher education in the Western states. Her team’s mission is to deliver integrated, vertical business solutions that enable School Districts, Departments of Education, Community College Systems, Universities and Academic Medical Centers to realize the most value possible in their IT investments and to bring the full portfolio of Microsoft resources and programs to bear. Kristin’s team is also responsible for the development of education partnerships and the creation of strategic relationships to better support education customers in achieving their goals.

In addition to her work with Microsoft, Kristin is involved with a variety of outreach projects and currently sits on the boards of Jobs for Washington’s Graduates and the Washington State University’s Education Advocacy organization.

An Overview of California's Public Education System

Intro: Carl GuardinoCEO and President, Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Education Landscape: Paul WarrenPolicy Associate, Public Policy Institute of California

Paul Warren is a policy associate at the Public Policy Institute of California, and his expertise are in K-12 school finance, Proposition 98, categorical programs, state and federal accountability programs, and K-12 testing and accountability. He has written several publications on topics including California’s state budget, English learner students, and a K-12 master plan. Paul has worked as a Senior Policy Analyst on K-12 education in the Legislative Analyst’s Office and has served as the Deputy Superintendent for Accountability for the California Department for Education. Paul earned his Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government in 1982.

Intro Keynote: Kristin RhodesGeneral Manager of the West Region for U.S. Public Sector Education Organization, Microsoft

Opening Keynote: Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Tom Torlakson was elected to a four-year term as California’s 27th State Superintendent of Public Instruction on November 2, 2010. As chief of California’s public school system and leader of the California Department of Education, Superintendent Torlakson applies

his experience as a science teacher, high school coach, and state policymaker to fight for our students and improve our state’s public education system.

Torlakson’s journey has led him from the classrooms of Contra Costa County’s Mount Diablo Unified School District (where he remains a teacher-on-leave), to the Antioch City Council, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, and the California State Senate and State Assembly.

During his tenure in the California State Legislature, Torlakson acted to protect education funding, improve student nutrition and physical education, and ensure school safety. He also championed legislation to increase funding for textbooks, computers, and other instructional materials and efforts to close the digital divide, eliminate the achievement gap, and reduce the dropout rate.

In 1998 Torlakson authored legislation leading to the development of the largest system of after school programs in the nation. In 2006, he authored the bill that led to a 300 percent expansion in these programs—so they now reach 4,000 schools around the state. Torlakson authored the Quality Education Improvement Act (SB 1133) in 2006, which dedicates nearly $3 billion to our lowest performing schools. He also played a key role negotiating and authoring the $9 billion Proposition 1A bond measure in 1998—which has led to public votes supporting over $36 billion to build new schools and improve existing school buildings.

As the chair and founder of the California Task Force on Youth and Workplace Wellness, Torlakson has been a leader on banning junk food from our schools, providing healthier school meals, promoting student health and fitness, and combating diabetes and obesity among our children.

Born in San Francisco, Torlakson served as a fireman in the United States Merchant Marine, earning the Vietnam Service Medal. He earned a B.A. in History, a Life Secondary Teaching Credential, and an M.A. in Education from the University of California, Berkeley. Tom lives in Pittsburg with his wife, Mae Cendaña Torlakson, a member of the Ambrose Recreation and Park District Board of Directors.

California Policy LandscapePanel 1

Intro: Kim VuVice President of Community Relations, Technology Credit Union

Kim Vu is the Vice President of Community Relations for Technology Credit Union. Kim leads the community relations program and heads up Technology Credit Union’s advocacy in government relations. Prior to this position, she worked in Tech CU’s Private Banking division, as an assistant Vice President. Kim concentrates on supporting non-profit organizations and programs that focus on education in the areas of innovation, science, technology, engineering and math, because she believes that they are key to maintaining the quality of life and economic stability in Silicon Valley. Kim actively seeks out organizations to partner with and to whom Technology Credit Union can offer their resources through social leadership, contributions and volunteerism. Kim looks for organizations that can help strengthen Tech CU’s support of the technology community and that have synergy with the credit union’s values and goals.

Kim Vu was named among the 100 Silicon Valley Women of Influence for 2011. Vu helped launch and build one of the first and most successful private banking divisions of any credit union in the country. She graduated from San Jose State University in Business Management and earned a master's degree in Leadership from the Saint Mary's College.

Moderator: Rachael MyrowHost/Reporter, NPR’s “The California Report”

Rachael caught the bug for journalism in high school, where she started on the opinion page before realizing the world is infinitely more interesting when you don't think you know everything.

While getting her bachelor's degree in English at UC Berkeley, Rachael got hooked on public radio at the campus station, KALX-FM. After hosting and co-producing "Film Close-Ups," a radio magazine on Bay Area film, she returned to UC Berkeley for a graduate degree in journalism.

She landed her first job as a producer with Marketplace Radio in Los Angeles, and by the time she left, four years later, Rachael was an all-purpose editor, reporter and fill-in host. Rachael then spent six years reporting full-time for KPCC-FM in Los Angeles before returning to the Bay Area in 2007 to host the daily edition of KQED's California Report. Over the years, she's covered the explosive growth of trade through Southern California's ports, Irish snowballs in San Francisco, and the housing crisis across the state.

Rachael's work has won her awards from the LA Press Club, the Radio and Television News Association, the Associated Press Television-Radio Association of California and Nevada, the Radio-Television News Directors Association of Southern California, the Northern California RTNDA, SPJ Northern California Chapter, the San Francisco Peninsula Club Greater Bay Area and a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award.

Panelists: Michael KirstPresident, California State Board of Education

Michael W. Kirst is Professor Emeritus of Education and Business Administration at Stanford University, and president of the California State Board of Education. He has been on the Stanford faculty since 1969. Before joining the Stanford University faculty, Dr. Kirst held several positions with the federal government, including Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Manpower, Employment and Poverty, and Director of Program Planning for the Elementary and Secondary Education of the US Office of Education. He was a former president of the California State Board of Education. His two latest books are From High School to College with Andrea Venezia Josss, and The Political Dynamics Of American Education in 2009. Dr. Kirst received his Ph.D. in political economy and government from Harvard.

Molly MungerCo-founder and Director, The Advancement Project

Molly Munger is a co-founder and director of the Advancement Project, a public policy change organization rooted in the civil rights movement. Molly brings an extensive background of legal expertise to the Advancement Project, including twenty years as a federal prosecutor and business litigator. Between 1994 and 1998, Molly served with her current law partner, Connie Rice, as Western Regional Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.  Molly also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, a partner in the all-women litigation firm Baird, Munger & Meyers, and a partner in the Los Angeles office of New York-based Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson. Molly is deeply involved in efforts to improve and expand early childhood education in California. Her work was critical to the development of thousands of preschool spaces that serve low income children in Los Angeles County, and California's Preschool Challenge, her report on statewide preschool space shortfalls, spurred the creation of the Speaker's Task Force on School Facilities. Molly is a graduate of Radcliffe College and Harvard Law School.

Mo QayoumiPresident, San Jose State University

Mohammad Humayon Qayoumi is the 28th president and a professor of Electrical Engineering at San José State University. Dr. Qayoumi served as president of California State University East Bay from 2006 to 2011. He came to Cal State East Bay from California State University Northridge, where he served as vice president for administration and finance and chief financial officer from 2000 to 2006, and was also a tenured professor of engineering management. He has over 32 years of engineering and administrative experience in several universities. Dr. Qayoumi also served as an engineer on a variety of projects in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. He has made presentations at numerous conferences across the United States and in 10 other countries.

Dr. Qayoumi is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and has served as a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award examiner and senior examiner from 2000 to 2003. He also was senior examiner for the Missouri Quality Program from 1997 to 2000.

Dr. Qayoumi has served his native country in various financial capacities. He was the senior advisor to the minister of finance of Afghanistan from 2002 to 2005 and remains on several boards of directors, including that of the Central Bank of Afghanistan.Dr. Qayoumi is a senior fellow with California Council on Science and Technology (CCST). He is a member of several local Boards including the Bay Area Council, the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Joint Venture Silicon Valley, KQED, the Commonwealth Club, Blue Shield of California, and California STEM Learning Network.

He holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the American University of Beirut and four degrees from the University of Cincinnati: a master’s in nuclear engineering, a master’s in electrical and computer engineering, an MBA and a doctorate in electrical engineering. He has also published eight books, and more than 100 articles as well as several chapters in various books. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and a Certified Management Accountant.

Paul WarrenPolicy Associate, Public Policy Institute of California

Silicon Valley Programs

Intro: Dennis CimaSenior Vice President, Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Dennis Cima serves as Senior Vice President for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a public policy trade association made up of more than 300 leading Silicon Valley employers. Dennis is responsible for advancing the organization’s legislative agenda, in addition to his education and workforce policy portfolio. Dennis also serves on a number of local boards and councils, including the NOVA Workforce Investment Board, which serves northern Santa Clara County; the board of directors for IISME, or Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education, which places teachers in enriching summer fellowships in industry and research; the Santa Clara University College of Arts & Sciences Leadership Board; and the Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s STEM advisory board. In 2011, Dennis was asked by State Superintendent Tom Torlakson to serve on his statewide transition advisory committee. Dennis received a B.S. degree from Santa Clara University in political science, with an emphasis on American public policy.  

A. Step Up To Algebra:Manny BarbaraVice President, Advocacy and Thought Leadership, Silicon Valley Education Foundation

Manny Barbara serves as Vice President, Advocacy and Thought Leadership. Until recently, he served for ten years as Superintendent of the Oak Grove School District. Under his tenure, student performance increased for all District student subgroups, including the number of students successfully completing algebra and geometry by the end of grade 8. He has received the Hank Hutchins Award from the Santa Clara County of School Black Educators, was selected four times as the Administrator of the Year by ACSA Region 8, and was recently selected as the 2008 Educator of the Year by 100 Black Men of Santa Clara County. He has a Masters in Applied Psychology from San Jose State. He enjoys playing tennis, reading, and is an avid

sports fan, especially baseball. He is married with four children, including twin sons who are both public school teachers.

B. Educare of Silicon Valley:Dennis CimaSenior Vice President, Silicon Valley Leadership Group

Public Education in Silicon ValleyPanel 2

Intro: Anne CampbellSan Mateo County Superintendent of Schools, San Mateo County Office of Education

Anne Campbell, San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools, has been an educator for 35 years. Ms. Campbell previously served as Superintendent of the Portola Valley and the Belmont-Redwood Shores School Districts. She has also been a middle school principal, counselor, and teacher. Ms. Campbell’s priorities include closing theAchievement Gap, expanding access to quality early care and education, achieving school funding reform, and creating 21st century schools for 21st century students. She is working closely with County Office of Education staff to launch the San Mateo STEMCenter - a professional development center for teachers focusing on best practices in teaching Science, Mathematics, Technology, and Engineering.

Moderator: Ron GonzalesPresident and CEO, The Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley

Ron Gonzales is the President/CEO of the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley. The Hispanic Foundation invests in educational achievement, healthy aging, convening and engaging the Latino community, and leadership development of a thriving Hispanic community in Silicon Valley.

Prior to the HFSV, Gonzales was Founder, Chairman and CEO of Presencia, LLC. He also served as Mayor of San José, the nation’s 10th largest city from 1999-2006. His achievements included initiatives that strengthened neighborhoods, improved public education, and ensured the economic vitality of the city with high quality public services and solutions to affordable housing, regional traffic congestion and public safety.

Before his election as Mayor, Gonzales worked as an executive with the Hewlett-Packard Company.

Panelists: Marybeth Affleck-NaceyDirector, Franklin-McKinley Children’s Initiative

Xavier de la TorreSanta Clara County Superintendent of Schools, Santa Clara County Office of Education

Xavier De La Torre is the Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools. Prior to taking that position, he was superintendent of the Socorro Independent School District in El Paso, Texas. While he was there, the district was a two-time finalist for the prestigious Broad Prize for Excellence in Urban Education. He also led a facilities bond campaign that secured nearly $300 million dollars to build new schools in response to accelerated growth in the Socorro district. Prior to his time in Socorro, he spent four years as associate superintendent of Human Resources in the Elk Grove Unified School District near Sacramento. Before joining Elk Grove, he provided leadership over all aspects of personnel and labor relations as the associate superintendent of Human Resources in the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District.

Prior to his career as a school administrator and school leader, Dr. De La Torre spent 10 years in the classroom as a social studies and Spanish teacher. He earned a B.A. from California State University-Chico; an M.A. from the University of San Francisco; and his Ed.D. from UC-Davis.

Shelly MasurVice President, San Mateo County School Boards Association

Shelly Masur currently serves as vice-president of the Redwood City School Board, as Immediate past-President of the San Mateo County School Boards Association and as an elected member of the California School Boards Association's Delegate Assembly. She has been a board member for 7 years, is on the board policy committee, the district wellness committee, and is a board representative to Redwood City 2020, a collaborative of RCSD, the County of San Mateo, the City of Redwood City, and the Sequoia Union High School District. Shelly was president of the board and served on the board budget committee for two years. As a board member, she spearheaded a community outreach campaign that reached over 800 community members, the development of a wellness policy and a complete overhaul of all district policies. With her fellow board members, Shelly had led the district through the most difficult financial times making needed cuts while overseeing an overall increase in academic achievement. Shelly holds a Master's Degree on Public Health and has over 15 years of experience in adolescent health and youth services. She is the Executive Director of Teen Talk, a teen pregnancy prevention organization.

Bobbie PloughSuperintendent, Santa Clara Unified School District

Dr. Bobbie Plough currently serves as the superintendent for Santa Clara Unified School District. She also served as superintendent for the Natomas Unified School District in Sacramento, and the Romoland School District in Riverside County. During her tenure in Romoland, the District experienced a gain of 101 points in their Academic Performance Index (API) and exited Program Improvement Status.

Dr. Plough has a career-long passion for working with diverse groups of learners and at-risk students.  She opened San Pasqual Academy, the nation’s first public, residential high school for foster youth, and worked with several agencies, corporations, and individuals to design the educational program.

In addition to her service in public schools, Dr. Plough teaches in the doctoral program in the College of Education and Allied Studies at CSU East Bay.

Intro: Juliet Tiffany-Morales, Research Analyst, SRI

Juliet Tiffany-Morales is a research analyst at SRI International where she focuses on the teacher development system in California and accountability and school improvement efforts under the No Child Left Behind Act. Ms. Tiffany-Morales serves as the deputy project director for Evaluation of California's District Intervention and Regional Capacity Building Initiative. This foundation-funded evaluation is an implementation and effectiveness study of California's statewide system of support for districts in year 3 of program improvement. She also serves as the project manager for Teaching and California's Future, a 10-year research project aimed at providing California policymakers with timely, objective data on the state's teacher workforce.

In both her deputy director and project manager roles, Ms. Tiffany-Morales manages teams of researchers, develops data collection instruments (survey and interview protocols), collects and analyzes data from multiple sources, manages project budgets and client relationships, and co-authors reports. She works with her local community on education issues by serving on the education committee of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and by serving as a school board member for her local K-8 public school district.

Before joining SRI, Ms. Tiffany-Morales worked for a nonprofit organization that supported after-school, parent, and mentor programs in California's underresourced communities. She worked for UCLA's School Management Program, implementing an internal evaluation system, and worked as a bilingual tutor/teaching assistant in traditional elementary classrooms and in a Migrant Education summer program. Ms. Tiffany-Morales holds an undergraduate degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a master's degree in public policy from the University of Southern California.

Business Perspective on 21st Century Skills Panel 3

Intro: Oscar GarciaPresident and CEO, Mountain View Chamber of Commerce

Oscar Garcia is President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Mountain View.  Founded in 1922, Chamber of Commerce Mountain View is a Silicon Valley-based organization dedicated to enhancing the economic viability of our community and serving as a collective voice for its nearly 550 members.   Prior to working at the

Chamber, Oscar worked in the high tech industry for nearly 15 years in various roles. The last eight years he worked with several startups, some of which started here in Mountain View.  Oscar also co-founded Mesa de la Comunidad Mountain View, a local nonprofit that serves as a bridge between underrepresented groups and business, civic and community groups.  Recently, Oscar and his brother received the NFL Hispanic Heritage Award from the San Francisco 49ers for their community work.  In 2008, his family was honored by the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley with the "La Familia" Award for their community service.

Moderator: Dr. Linda M. ThorChancellor, Foothill-De Anza Community College District

Dr. Linda M. Thor is chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, serving the Silicon Valley. A nationally recognized educational innovator, Dr. Thor served for nearly 20 years as president of Rio Salado College in Arizona, a college known for serving working adults through online learning and worksite training. Earlier Dr. Thor was president of West Los Angeles College. She serves on the boards of Joint Venture Silicon Valley, Bay Area Council Economic Institute, NOVA Workforce Board and University Associates-Silicon Valley.

Panelists:Erin BrennockCorporate Affairs Director, Synopsys

As Corporate Affairs Director for Synopsys, Inc., the world leader in electronic design automation, Ms. Brennock oversees community and governmental affairs for the company. Ms. Brennock is president of the Synopsys Foundation, which works to inspire the next generation of leaders through science and math education and basic needs support. In 1999, Synopsys created The Synopsys Outreach Foundation, supporting the development of science projects by students and teachers primarily in California. Since inception, 1M students and teachers have participated in the science fairs and teacher workshops.

Ms. Brennock leads the company’s Government Affairs efforts, recently developing the global plan which supports internal subject matter experts and members of the Executive Staff. This program manages six public policy trade associations, includes more than 30 Synopsys experts and drives the company’s Executive board positions in these efforts.

Currently, Ms. Brennock is on the board of directors of the City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley, the Public Affairs Council, ITI and is Chair of the board for the Synopsys Outreach Foundation.

Partial list of awards include: Silicon Valley’s 40 under 40 leaders; Woman on the Year: Athena award Mountain View Synopsys Excellence Award

Tory BrunoPresident of Lockheed Martin Strategic and Missile Defense Systems, Lockheed Martin

Tory Bruno is president of Lockheed Martin Strategic and Missile Defense Systems, a leading developer of ballistic missile, reentry, interceptor and directed energy systems for the U.S. and its allies. His $2-billion- plus business is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and employs approximately 4,000 people in ten U.S. states and the United Kingdom.  

Mr. Bruno is a member of the board of directors of Silicon Valley Leadership Group and chairs the group’s education committee.  He previously served on the National Blue Ribbon Panel for Bettering Engineering & Science Education.  He oversees Lockheed Martin’s relationship with California Polytechnic (Cal Poly) State University, from which he holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

Kristin RhodesGeneral Manager U.S. Education Team West Region, Microsoft

David WelchChief Strategy Officer, Infinera

David F. Welch, Ph.D. co-founded our company and serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer. From May 2001 to May 2004, he served as our Chief Development Officer/Chief Technology Officer. From May 2001 to November 2006, Dr. Welch also served as a member of our board of directors. From February 2001 to April 2001, Dr. Welch served as Chief Technology Officer of the Transmission Division of JDS Uniphase Corporation, an optical component company. From January 1985 to February 2001, Dr. Welch served in various executive roles, including Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Corporate Development of SDL, an optical component company. Dr. Welch holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Delaware and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University.

Next Steps:

Dennis CimaSenior Vice President, Silicon Valley Leadership Group