Kōrero EAG - Start Local, Go Global

Dave Cardona is a Graphic Designer in the Clothing Industry and has worked for over 20 years. Dave developed his passion for Graphic Design and Art by collecting Sports Trading cards and reading Sports Illustrated as a young boy. His first job as a Graphic Designer was in the Clothing Industry, and he continues to design, source and manufacture clothing with vendors overseas.

Carol Jiménez was elected to the Perris Elementary School District Board of Education in November 2022 and sworn into office in December 2022. Carol started her tenure in the district as a teacher, and as she noticed the disparity of the children in her district wrote grants to start a preschool program for the district. The grants were awarded and Carol became the Director of Child Development Programs for the District. With collaboration and funding from the state and First 5 a unique school readiness facility was built in Perris, named Rob Reiner Children & Families Development Center. The goal of the preschool programs was to address children and families’ needs to prevent barriers from being successful in school. She has two master’s degrees in Education, one from UCR and one from Cal State, San Bernardino. Her goal for being on the school board is to continue to serve the community with transparency and excitement!

Lisa Evans Powell was elected to the Conejo Valley Unified School District Board of Education in November 2022. She is a Southern California native and holds Master's degrees in Social Welfare and Public Policy (as well as her Bachelor’s) from UCLA and a Doctorate of Social Work from USC (University of Southern California). She is a social worker, researcher, and active community volunteer who views her school board role as another way to serve her community. Lisa is thrilled at her new role, as she is of the belief that there is nearly no greater honor than playing a role in the education and development of our children and youth.

Dr. Denise Kennedy is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Studies at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She is part of an early childhood education collaborative in California called PEACH (Partnership in Education, Articulation, and Collaboration in Higher Education) and co-leads the Credential workgroup. Dr. Kennedy is on the leadership team for the CA Baccs group of 4-year University baccalaureate programs in California. She is on the California Commissioning on Teacher Credentialing Teacher Performance Assignment Design team for the Teacher level of the Child Development Permit and is active in the state in creating the PK-3 Early Childhood Specialist Instruction Credential. Given the push down of K-12 into early childhood, she is working with other Early Childhood Education (ECE) Professionals to create a developmentally appropriate credential through best practices in Child Development/ECE BA programs and Credential programs in CA. She is the Principal Investigator for the Cal Poly Pomona portion of the UP-LIFT California grant, where she and her team of Norco College, Baldwin Park Unified School district, and Early Edge California have created 8 DLL Competencies as well as an observation Tool to assess them in the classroom.

Dr. Chris Burns has been the Executive Director of Boys Republic since 2010 and has been employed there in various capacities for the last 30 years. His wife, Brandy, and he have raised their two boys in the Chino Valley, with one graduating from Cal Poly Pomona and working as an electrical engineer and the other in his junior year at Cal State Long Beach on a baseball scholarship. His passions begin with family and friends, assisting the less fortunate, and partnering with the Friends of Steve McQueen to bring a world-class car show to Boys Republic each June.

Dr. Christy Pattengill-Semmens is Reef Environmental Education Foundation's Co-Executive Director of Science & Engagement. She has been with REEF for almost 30 years and has overseen the expansion of its citizen science fish monitoring program over the last 2 decades. Christy’s role at REEF intersects citizen science, education, and conservation, engaging REEF’s members to advance the organization’s mission of protecting biodiversity and ocean life. She oversees all aspects of the Volunteer Fish Survey Project, facilitates the incorporation of REEF’s citizen science data into resource management policy and the scientific literature, and regularly leads expeditions as part of REEF’s Field Survey Trips program. She is also a member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/REEF.org

Louis is a very talented individual. He played three sports in high school basketball, baseball, and football. He also played the clarinet in high school and really enjoyed it. He graduated from St. Cloud State University with a bachelor's in manufacturing engineering. Now he is an engineer working on designing machines that deal with tires. His ultimate goal is to create a product that will impact many. He officiates basketball, football, volleyball, and soccer, and umpires softball, where he goes by the name of BlueLou. He wants five kids one day so he can have a huge family and leave his legacy behind. He wants to be great and to be great, you have to motivate others around you, which he does daily.

IG: Steveyyjayylou

FB: Steveyyjayylou

Twitter: Steveyyjayylou

Bella is a young professional, currently working in the field of philanthropy at the Packard Foundation in Silicon Valley. She graduated during the pandemic with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations with an emphasis in Global Environment and three minors in Climate Science and Policy, Human Rights, and Professional Writing, and was able to study abroad twice during her undergraduate career to Ecuador and Australia. As a true California native, Bella enjoys the outdoors including camping, hiking, traveling to the mountains and the beaches, and going out in the city. Her true passions lie with the environmental and climate justice movements, exercise and holistic nutrition, traveling, and advocacy and activism for the environment.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bellabucheli/

IG: @bellarbuch

Twitter: @bellsbuchels

Dr. Joel Wong is a Professor of Counseling Psychology in the School of Education at Indiana University. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and of the Asian American Psychological Association. Joel conducts research on the science of gratitude interventions and practices. [email protected]