Cohort 1

Debbie Budd is the Vice Chancellor of the San José-Evergreen Community College District, after having served as  President of Berkeley City College. Dr. Budd's community college leadership experience includes serving as Associate Vice Chancellor of Education Services for the Peralta Community College Districtand, Vice President of Instruction for Berkeley City College, Vice President of Educational Resources and Instruction at Foothill College and Dean of Applied Health Physical Education and Community Affairs at Chabot College. Prior to serving in the Community College System, Dr. Budd was both a teacher and administrator in K-12 education for 12 years.

Dr. Budd has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics and Physical Education from the University of California Santa Barbara and a Master of Arts in Education from Stanford University. She received her doctorate for her dissertation titled Institutional Effectivieness and the Relationship to African American and Latino Transfer Rates.

Michelle Donohue-Mendoza is Dean of Student Services at Cabrillo College. Before moving to Cabrillo College, Dr. Donohue-Mendoza served as  Acting Dean of Student Services and Director of Student Development at West Valley College.  Prior to that, she had a decade-long career with the California State University including a role in developing the “start up” campus of CSU Monterey Bay.

Dr. Donohue-Mendoza has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Sonoma State University and a Master of Arts in Student Affairs in Higher Education from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She received her doctorate for her dissertation titled The Supervision and Career Advancement of Women in Higher Education Administration.

Janet Egiziano is the Director of Marketing and Recruitment - Extended University at California State University Channel Islands where she also directs the University’s Thousand Oaks satellite campus and teaches a core course in leadership for the MBA program. Previously, she served as the Associate Director of the MBA Program and Director of the Thousand Oaks Campus and Santa Barbara Programs at California State University Channel Islands. From 2002-2011, she served as Associate Director of the Marian Wright Edelman Institute for the Study of Children, Youth, and Families at San Francisco State University. In addition to higher education, her work experience includes the fields of adult education, grants management, and non-profit management.

Dr. Egiziano has a Bachelor of Arts. in Humanities with a Cross Cultural Emphasis and a Master of Arts in Gender as Cultural Politics from San Francisco State University. She received her doctorate for her dissertation titled, How Gendered Values Impact Institutional Effectiveness: A Case Study of Leadership.

Matthew Harris is Deputy Head of School for Learning Technology at British School of Jakarta.  He has a deep passion and vast experience around Educational Technology.  In his career, he has worked as an educational leader, teacher, instructional technologist, author, presenter and researcher for nearly 15 years. He has taught at all grade levels from preschool to university graduate school as an ICT and mathematics teacher, and worked as a senior administrator at independent schools and universities in North America and Asia.  Additionally, Dr. Harris works as an educational consultant for schools and Ministries of Education in the Middle East, Africa, North America, Australia, and Asia.

Dr. Harris is a frequent conference speaker and author focusing on educational topics from educational technology integration and information literacy to professional development and change management. His research interests lie in the design and implementation of staff development, educational leadership, and instructional programs that focus on improving student learning through resource allocation and usage.

Currently, he serves as the Chair-elect of the Board of Directors for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and will take over as Chair of the Board in 2016, becoming the first person to hold the post while living and working outside of the United States.

Dr. Harris has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a Master of Arts in Education, Information Technology from San Francisco State University. He received his doctorate for his dissertation titled Impactful Student Learning Outcomes of One-to-One Student Laptop Programs in Low Socioeconomic Schools.

Matthew Kritscher is Vice President of Student Services at Chabot College where he had previously served as Dean of Counseling. Prior to his leadership positions at Chabot College, Dr. Kritscher served as Dean of Student Support Services/Matriculation at Laney College and Dean of Counseling/Matriculation at De Anza College.

Dr. Kritscher has a Bachelor of Science in Recreational Administration and a Master of of Arts in Education, Counseling and Guidance from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo. He received his doctorate for his dissertation titled How Peer Mentors Affect the Persistence of Community College Students of Color.

Vincent Matthews is Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District, where he more than 140 schools serving over 57,000 students. Prior to leading SFUSD, Dr. Matthews had served as the state appointed administrator for Inglewood Unified School District after several years as Superintendent for the San José Unified School District. Dr. Matthews' leadership also experience includes serving as the state appointed administrator for the Oakland Unified School District, the Educator-in-Residence for the New Schools Venture Fund, and principal in the San Leandro Unified School District.

Dr. Matthews has a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and an Master of of Arts in Educational Administration from San Francisco State University. He received his doctorate for his dissertation titled The Impact of Results Based Budgeting on the Oakland Unified School District.

Newin Orante is the Vice President of Student Services for Diablo Valley College.  Dr. Orante's previous administrative experience includes serving as Dean of Academic and Student Affairs at Laney College, as well as Dean of Student Development and Director of EOPS and CalWORKs at Los Medanos College.

Dr. Orante holds a Bachelor of Artis in Biology and a Master of Arts in Public Administration with an emphasis on Organizational Change from San Francisco State University. He received his doctorate for his dissertation titled Transformative Leadership and Resistance: (Re)Constructing Self as Leader in Today's Community College.

Curt Sanford is an ESL Instructor at City College of San Francisco. In addition, Curt is a teacher trainer at UC Berkeley Extension TESOL certificate program where he supervises student teachers in their field placements. Sanford is the Project Coordinator of the City College of San Francisco Reflective Teaching Project.

Dr. Sanford has a B.A. in Spanish Language and Culture from Humboldt State University and an M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages [TESOL]. He received his doctorate for his dissertation titled Inquiries into L2 Writing Practice: Professional Learning Communities in Community College ESL.

Stacey Shears is Division Dean of Disability Support Programs & Services at De Anza College. Previouly Dr. Shears was Academic Student Services Manager at Diablo Valley College where she was involved in Disability Support Services advising, academic advising, LGBT advising, the Office of Civil Rights campus review, technical support visits for other DSPS offices and accreditation with group participation.  She is proficient in American Sign Language and Spanish.

Dr.Shears has a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Caribbean Studies from City College of New York and a Master of Science in Human Development, College Student Personnel from the University of Rhode Island.  She received her doctorate for her dissertation titled Understanding African American Community College Transfer Student Experiences: A Qualitative Case Study.