Leadership Programs

Emily Springhart

Emily Springhart is a Master's degree candidate in the 24th cohort of the Principal Leadership Institute program at UC Berkeley's School of Education. Her educational interests include special education, program development, mental health supports and services, and inclusive educational practices.

Emily currently works as a school psychologist in the West Contra Costa Unified School District, where she serves as the co-chair of the Psychology department as well as the district behavior team. She is also an active cadre member of CAPTAIN (California Autism Professional Training and...

Ángel Vargas Rico

Ángel Vargas Rico is a Chicano social justice practitioner and educator and a Master's degree candidate in the 24th cohort of the Principal Leadership Institute (PLI) program at UC Berkeley's School of Education. Ángel is committed to yielding equitable outcomes for historically underserved students and seeks to break the generational cycle of poverty for marginalized students and their families by removing barriers to their educational success. Ángel's commitment to educating, empowering, and supporting students in fulfilling their needs aligns perfectly with the PLI's mission. Ángel...

Yesenia Castro-Mitchell

Yesenia Castro-Michell is a Master's degree candidate in the 24th cohort of the Principal Leadership Institute at UC Berkeley's School of Education.

Yesenia has worked in education since she was a student in Los Angeles Unified Schools District (LAUSD). She has worked in a variety of contexts, including at UCLA, SFUSD, CSUSM, SSU, and OUSD serving in capacities that range from IEP Coordinator to Department Chair for Computer Science. Yesenia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Fine Arts. She has a Masters in Instructional Science Technology, a credential in Art and Computer...

rocky chiasson

rocky chiasson is a Master’s student in the Principal Leadership Institute (PLI) at UC Berkeley’s School of Education. She has 19 years of experience as an educator in the California public school system. Rocky holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, a Master's Degree in Social Work, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).

rocky has worked in social services for most of her professional career, in the fields of developmental disabilities, addiction treatment, and education. rocky found a love for education while completing her graduate school internship at El Cerrito High...

Chelsea Card

Chelsea Card has worked in the California public school system for fifteen years. She is entering her twelfth year as a classroom educator in the San Francisco Bay Area holding foundational single subject credentials in both math and science, as well as a multiple subject credential earned from Concordia University, Irvine. She currently serves as a middle school math teacher in Woodside, California.

Chelsea is working towards her Master’s Degree as a member of the 24th cohort of the Principal Leadership Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. As an educator, Chelsea...

Katy Memon

Katy has worked in special education since 2015. Currently, she serves as the resource program specialist and special education team leader at Sutro Elementary School in the Richmond District of San Francisco. Throughout her nine years in education, Katy has also held roles as a paraprofessional, behavior interventionist, special day class teacher, and teacher educator. In 2024, Katy was nominated for the Advocate Worthy of Excellence Award from the SFUSD Community Advocacy Committee for her work at Sutro Elementary School.

Katy received her Bachelor’s in Philosophy, Neuroscience...

Bruce Fuller

Note: I have retired from teaching and (with mixed emotions) no longer accept new graduate students.

Bruce Fuller, a sociologist, delves into how institutions, large and small, try to lift the learning and growth of children. This prompts the question of how local actors, educators, and policy players can work smarter to lift organizations.

Recent work delves into:

How schools in Los Angeles raised the achievement of students for two decades prior to the pandemic, reported in ...

Leadership Programs 2023 in Review

2024

California funds historic 21CSLA initiative to support educational leaders, equity in schools

February 20, 2023

The California Department of Education is making another historic investment in its educational leaders by awarding up to $12 million in additional funding over three years to the 21st Century California School Leadership Academy (21CSLA) State Center, a project housed and led by UC Berkeley School of Education in partnership with the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies and UC San Diego-based California Subject Matter Project. (Multi-year funding is subject to US Department of Education allocations and California state budget...

Leadership Programs 2022 in Review

2023