Tackling Teacher Shortages: Investing in California’s Teacher Workforce

David Alvarez
California Assemblymember, District 80

David Alvarez was elected to the California State Assembly in June 2022 to represent the 80th Assembly District. The 80th Assembly District includes the communities of Barrio Logan, Logan Heights, Sherman Heights, Bonita, Lincoln Acres, Otay Mesa, and San Ysidro, along with the cities of Chula Vista, National City, and Imperial Beach.

Assemblymember Alvarez is the proud son of Mexican immigrants and the youngest of six siblings. His father was a farmworker and a janitor, and his mother was a fast food worker. He is the first in his family to receive a college education, receiving a BA with distinction in Psychology from San Diego State University. Given the importance of education in his life, he has started a scholarship to support students from immigrant backgrounds in fulfilling their educational goals.

Assemblymember Alvarez serves as Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance and the Select Committee on Reconnecting Communities. Additionally, he is a member of the following legislative committees: Budget; Education; Insurance; Military and Veterans Affairs; and Water, Parks, and Wildlife.

During his time in office, Assemblymember Alvarez has supported historic investments in both K–12 and higher education, increasing child care funding, economic relief for working families, and investments in housing and critical infrastructure improvements. He was able to secure $25 million in state funding for a new library in Chula Vista and provided funding for the University Now Initiative, which is a step closer to a binational, multi-institutional university in Chula Vista.

Alvarez has authored laws that address health inequalities, housing production, cultural expression, and cross-border issues related to education and the economy, including AB 91, which will allow border students to attend California community colleges as in-state students.

Desiree Carver-Thomas
Senior Researcher and Policy Analyst, Learning Policy Institute

Desiree Carver-Thomas is a Senior Researcher and Policy Analyst at the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) and co-leads LPI’s Educator Quality team. Her work focuses on how educator quality, teacher diversity, and leadership development can promote equitable opportunities for teaching and learning. She also leads LPI’s Racial Equity Leadership Network team. Before joining LPI, Carver-Thomas taught in New York City public elementary schools, where she had experience in bilingual education and special education, and as a mathematics lead. As a graduate student fellow with the Center for Cities and Schools at the University of California, Berkeley, she worked with the City of Richmond on implementing a full-service community schools initiative. She conducted similar work with the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Carver-Thomas holds an MPP from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley; an MS in Teaching from Fordham University; and a BA in Comparative Ethnic Studies with a concentration in Anthropology from Columbia University.

Linda Darling-Hammond
President and CEO, Learning Policy Institute; President, California State Board of Education

Linda Darling-Hammond is the President and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute and the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University, where she served as the faculty sponsor of the Stanford Teacher Education Program, which she helped to redesign. Darling-Hammond is past President of the American Educational Research Association and recipient of its awards for Distinguished Contributions to Research, Lifetime Achievement, and Research-to-Policy. She led the Obama education policy transition team in 2008 and the Biden education transition team in 2020. In 2022, Darling-Hammond received the Yidan Prize for Education Research in recognition of her work that has shaped education policy and practice around the most equitable and effective ways to teach and learn. Darling-Hammond started her career as a public high school teacher, has helped to found several schools, and has consulted widely with federal, state, and local policymakers and educators on strategies for improving education practices. She earned an EdD from Temple University (with highest distinction) and a BA from Yale University (magna cum laude).

Annamarie M. Francois
Associate Dean, UCLA School of Education & Information Studies

Annamarie Francois is a teacher, teacher educator, and organizational leader. Her work focuses on equity and building coalitions with state and local education agencies, community-based organizations, and philanthropic organizations to address critical issues facing our society through high-quality, community-engaged education and information research, practice, and policy. Francois has over 35 years of teaching, leadership, and administrative experience in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the charter school community, and the UCLA Department of Education. She co-founded the Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, the first grassroots charter school in California; established three innovative, community-based urban teacher residency programs focused on STEM and computer science; and co-visioned the creation of UCLA Community School at the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools complex and Mann UCLA Community School in South LA. Prior to her appointment as Associate Dean, over her 23-year tenure Francois served the UCLA Center X in a variety of roles, including teacher education faculty, Director of Teacher Education, and Executive Director. In 2021 she published a co-edited book titled Preparing Social Justice Educators that explores Center X’s work to transform public schooling to create a more just, equitable, and humane society.

Francois currently provides thought partnership and service to a range of agencies and organizations seeking to meet the needs of California's increasingly diverse student body and educator workforce, including the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the National Center for Teacher Residencies; the UC|CSU Collaborative for Neuroscience, Diversity, and Language; the California Community Schools Transformative Assistance Center; the 21st Century California Leadership Academy State Center; and the CSU Center for Closing the Opportunity Gap.

Daisy Gonzales
Executive Director, California Student Aid Commission

Daisy Gonzales serves as the Executive Director of the California Student Aid Commission, the largest state financial aid system in the United States. She is responsible for administering over $3.5 billion in financial aid programs for students attending public and private universities, colleges, and vocational schools in California.

Gonzales has dedicated her career to making higher education accessible to all Californians. Most recently, she served as the second-highest administrator for California’s 116 community colleges, where she administered $13 billion in funds. As Interim Chancellor, she supported colleges in innovating during the COVID-19 pandemic by leading efforts to secure historic levels of state and federal funding and redesigning policies to remove barriers to equitable success. She is a first-generation college student and a proud alumna of California’s Community Colleges. She holds a BA in Public Policy, and an MA and a PhD in Sociology.

Marquita Grenot-Scheyer
Chair, California Commission on Teacher Credentialing

Marquita Grenot-Scheyer is Professor Emeritus in the College of Education at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Grenot-Scheyer serves as Chair of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and is Chair of the Board of Directors for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. She previously served as Assistant Vice Chancellor, Educator Preparation and Public School Programs, for the California State University (CSU) Office of the Chancellor from 2016 to 2021. Prior to this appointment, she served as Dean of the College of Education at CSULB from 2008 to 2016. She has served as a member of the WestEd board and was a member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Teacher Education Task Force on Teacher Preparation (2016), which produced the report Preparing Teachers in Today’s Challenging Context. She previously served two terms as a board member of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), 2013–2017, and served as a commissioner on the Commission on Standards and Performance Reporting for CAEP, 2012–2013.

Grenot-Scheyer earned her PhD in Special Education in 1990 from the joint doctoral program at the University of California, Los Angeles and CSU Los Angeles. In recognition of her career accomplishments, she was selected as the Distinguished Alumnus in 2008 and was honored as a Distinguished Educator in 2023 by the CSU Los Angeles Charter College of Education.

Tara Kini
Chief of Policy and Programs, Learning Policy Institute

Tara Kini serves as the Learning Policy Institute’s Chief of Policy and Programs, working in California and nationally to bring high-quality research to policymakers, including on issues related to educator quality, equitable school resources, whole child education, and early childhood education. She has more than two decades of experience working in public education as a civil rights attorney, classroom teacher, and teacher educator. Previously, she was a Senior Staff Attorney with the civil rights law firm Public Advocates, taught English and history for 6 years in Bay Area public schools, and served as a faculty supervisor with UC Berkeley’s teacher education program. Kini is a member of the State Bar of California. She earned a JD from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and an MA in Education and a teaching credential from Stanford University, where she also received her BA.

Leslie Littman
Vice President, California Teachers Association

An educator since 1992, California Teachers Association (CTA) Vice President Leslie Littman taught AP U.S. history, economics, and government at Hart High School in the William S. Hart Union School District in Santa Clarita. She previously served as CTA Secretary-Treasurer from 2019 to 2023 and on the CTA Board of Directors before that.

Littman comes from a family of public school educators. Her mother, two aunts, two uncles, and many cousins were all public school educators. Arriving at Hart Union School District in 1994, Littman advised the yearbook class for a decade, led the school’s accreditation review twice, and served as a mentor teacher to new educators.

Littman won the NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence in the 2011–12 school year. Littman is dedicated to ensuring California educators have the tools and support they need to be the teachers all students deserve, lifting their experiences and advocating for their needs. A graduate of California public schools and universities, Littman earned her bachelor’s degree in History and Economics and master’s in Education from UCLA.

Kai Mathews
Executive Director, Urban Ed Academy

Kai Matthews has dedicated her life to creating innovative and equitable learning environments for all students. She is an educator, researcher, and creative strategist who is passionate about liberatory pedagogies and culturally sustaining structures in K–12 education. She is currently the Executive Director of Urban Ed Academy, a nonprofit organization that provides a 4-year fellowship to recruit, prepare, and support Black men into the teaching profession. As the former Research Director for the California Educator Diversity Project at UCLA's Center for the Transformation of Schools, Matthews has led multiple statewide efforts and research initiatives on creating a more equitable and humanizing teacher pipeline and profession.

Efrain Mercado
Director of California Policy, Learning Policy Institute

Efrain Mercado Jr. is the Director of California Policy and Senior Policy Advisor at the Learning Policy Institute, where he leads LPI’s work related to policy issues in California and supports work on assessment and accountability issues at the federal level. Before joining LPI, Mercado was the Legislative Advocate and Liaison Coordinator for the California Teachers Association (CTA), advancing CTA’s priorities with state agencies and partner organizations and managing its legislative portfolio regarding credentials, professional development, assessment, and accountability. Prior to joining CTA, he was Director, Education at Children Now, where he led efforts around state policy decisions related to the System of Support, English learner issues, assessments, and accountability with the California Department of Education and State Board of Education. Mercado also previously served as the Senior Policy Director for the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association and supported the Common Core State Standards at the National Association for State Boards of Education and ASCD. He has a background and expertise in policy development, supporting educators, and developing partnerships to promote college and career readiness for all students. Mercado holds a BA in U.S. History from the University of California, Riverside.

Al Muratsuchi
California Assemblymember, District 66

Al Muratsuchi represents the California State Assembly for the 66th Assembly District, located in the Los Angeles South Bay and Harbor Area. A champion for public education, Assemblymember Muratsuchi serves as Chair of the Assembly Education Committee and previously served as Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Funding. He is fighting to transform public schools to promote student success and the well-being of every child, regardless of who they are and where they live. He is the lead author of Proposition 2, a $10 billion statewide school bond. Assemblymember Muratsuchi also authored the California Freedom to Read Act to fight book bans at public libraries.

The son of immigrants, Assemblymember Muratsuchi was born and raised on U.S. military bases overseas before arriving in California in 1982. The product of public schools and a first-generation college graduate, he attended the University of California, Berkeley, and earned a JD degree from UCLA before settling in the South Bay. Muratsuchi has dedicated his career to public service, working as a teacher, civil rights lawyer, and Deputy Attorney General with the California Department of Justice. Prior to serving in the California Legislature, he served on the Torrance Unified School District Board of Education and the Southern California Regional Occupational Center Board of Trustees. Muratsuchi lives in the South Bay with his wife, Hiroko Higuchi; his daughter, who attends a local public school; and their dog, Teddy.

Ingrid Roberson
Chief Deputy Superintendent (appointed), California Department of Education

Ingrid Roberson is the newly appointed Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, bringing over twenty-five years of experience in California education. Roberson most recently served as the Senior Advisor of Research Learning at the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE), where she spearheaded the i3 Data Research Learning Network for counties and districts. This statewide initiative is focused on transforming data and assessment practices through a forward-thinking, three-pronged approach: (1) Deeper Learning (instruction), (2) Data Literacy & Leadership (innovation), and (3) Data Dashboards (impact). In her role, Roberson provided strategic guidance and support to districts selected for Direct Technical Assistance, helping them strengthen their capacity for continuous improvement by optimizing their data and assessment systems.

Before joining CCEE, Roberson was the Associate Superintendent of Academic Services at the Alameda County Office of Education. With more than two decades of experience in California public TK–12 education, she has held diverse roles at the county, district, school site, and classroom levels. Her career also spans work within higher education and private foundations, where she contributed to educational innovation and leadership.

Roberson holds a BA from the University of California, Berkeley; an MA from Stanford University; and an EdD from the University of California, Berkeley.

Mary Vixie Sandy
Executive Director, California Commission on Teacher Credentialing

Mary Vixie Sandy serves as the Executive Director of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the nation's oldest independent standards board for educators. In this capacity, she oversees public policy related to educator preparation and licensing and directs an agency that awards over 300,000 credentials per year and accredits more than 250 colleges, universities, and local education agencies offering educator preparation programs. Previously, Vixie Sandy served as the Executive Director of the University of California (UC), Davis School of Education Center for Cooperative Research and Education Services for Schools; the Associate Director of Teacher Education and Public School Programs with the California State University Chancellor's Office, and as a Policy Analyst for the California Department of Education and the California Postsecondary Education Commission. Vixie Sandy holds a doctorate in Education from UC Berkeley, a master’s degree in Education from UC Davis, and a bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Sonoma State University.

Natalie Wheatfall-Lum
Director of TK–12 Policy, EdTrust-West

Since Natalie Wheatfall-Lum joined EdTrust-West in 2014, she has supported the organization’s policy research, analysis, and position development—primarily in TK–12 equitable funding and accountability. Wheatfall-Lum’s work is grounded in understanding the experiences of those stakeholders directly impacted by education policy decisions: parents, students, and community advocates. Before her current position, Wheatfall-Lum was an Education Pioneers Graduate Fellow with EdTrust-West. Before working in education policy, she practiced law, gaining experience in various civil rights issues, including LGBTQ equal rights, fair housing, and immigration. While in law school, she worked as a student attorney in Howard University’s Civil Rights Clinic, representing clients in employment, housing, and education discrimination cases. A proud product of two of California’s higher education systems, Natalie earned an AA in Transfer Studies from San Diego Mesa College and a BA with honors in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, San Diego. Natalie earned her JD from Howard University’s School of Law.

Melissa Eiler White Senior Advisor, Research and Policy, WestEd

Melissa Eiler White guides evaluation and technical assistance projects focused on strengthening teacher workforce systems. She has designed and led formative evaluation and continuous improvement projects in the context of large-scale change efforts focused on improving the preparation of teachers and addressing the equitable distribution of teachers.

White’s expertise in teacher workforce issues, formative evaluation, and continuous improvement supports clients to leverage data in making strategic and data-informed decisions about teacher workforce policy and practice, as well as system changes to support lasting improvements.