New Leadership At BUSD For Fall 2020

Press release from Berkeley Public Schools:

September 14, 2020

Please join Berkeley Unified School District in welcoming new leadership hires and congratulating employees in new leadership roles for Fall 2020.

New Roles at Our School Sites

Candyce Cannon, Principal, Cragmont Elementary School. Formerly Vice Principal at Malcolm X Elementary School, Ms. Cannon joined the Cragmont community as Principal. She has been an educator and administrator in Berkeley for her entire career and brings her elementary school expertise to her new position, as she taught at Malcolm X prior to becoming Vice Principal at the school. During her tenure as Vice Principal, Ms. Cannon led the Leadership team meetings, planned and facilitated staff professional development and coordinated student support services.

Chris Albeck, Interim Principal Willard Middle School. Formerly Vice Principal of Willard Middle School, Mr. Albeck has stepped in as the school’s Interim Principal. He has a strong history as a site administrator and has supported the Willard community as Assistant Principal for the last 5 years. Mr. Albeck is someone well known to the Willard community who will be able to provide both continuity and stability during this time.

Paco Furlan, Principal Longfellow Middle School. Mr. Furlan has rejoined the BUSD community, returning from sabbatical to become the Principal at Longfellow. He is a familiar face, well-known to students and families as the former Principal of Rosa Parks Elementary School from 2010-2019. As Principal of Rosa Parks Elementary, Mr. Furlan oversaw the school’s environmental science and dual-immersion programs, as well as a regional autism program, and he implemented a school-wide program for social-emotional learning,

Juan Raygoza, Interim Principal Berkeley High School. Formerly the Vice Principal at Berkeley High School, Mr. Raygoza has stepped in as the school’s Interim Principal. He has been at BHS since 2017 and has experience overseeing many programmatic, curricular, and day-to-day operations. Mr. Raygoza is a well-known and visible presence in the community at Berkeley High School.

Bryan Grau, Vice Principal Willard Middle School. Mr. Grau comes to BUSD by the way of 20+ years of experience as a teacher, Vice Principal, and Principal. Back and forth between the Bay Area and Madison, Wisconsin, Bryan has built his career around values of equity and shared leadership.

Linda Morgan, Vice Principal Malcolm X Elementary School. Ms. Morgan comes to BUSD from Oakland Public Schools. During her tenure in Oakland, she was an elementary school teacher, a coach, and a summer school lead administrator. In her most recent position, Ms. Morgan served as the Assistant Principal of Futures Elementary School.

Kiernan Rok, Interim Vice Principal Berkeley High School. Mr. Rok has worked at Berkeley High School for the last four years as Dean of Students. He feels deeply committed to the school and is very excited to be able to continue to support our students, families, and staff in this new capacity.

Salita Mitchell, Vice Principal Longfellow Middle School. Formerly, Ms. Mitchell worked as principal of Amethod Public Schools in Oakland, where she was known as a skilled and adaptable leader and collaborator. Ms. Mitchell is also known for her ability to connect with students and teachers and contribute to a positive school and staff culture.

Claudia Gonzales, Interim Dean of Students Berkeley High School. Ms Gonzales has distinguished herself for several years as a fierce advocate for her students as a teacher in the Science Department at Berkeley High School. She was a BioHealth Sciences teacher in the AMPS Learning Community and also served as a Berkeley High School Professional Development Coordinator.

New Roles at Educational Services

Adelita Martinez, Professional Development Coordinator. Ms. Martinez comes to BUSD after spending six years in Alameda as Coordinator of Language and Literacy/ELD. Prior to her position in Alameda, she was a project coordinator and coach at both the district and site level. Ms. Martinez began her education teaching in Oakland. She is known for her love for students and the joy that she brings to inspiring adults to learn.

Eileen Jacobs, Program Manager Special Education. Ms. Jacobs started her career in BUSD in 2001 as an Educational Specialist. In her most recent role, she served as the program supervisor for Berkeley High School. During her tenure, Ms. Jacobs has supported the Special Education Department at Berkeley High School in the areas of teacher professional development, coaching, and overseeing the student transition process.

Debbie Dean, Director TK-8 Schools. Ms. Dean brings 27 years of experience to public education as a high school teacher, LCSW, Vice Principal and Principal. For the past seven years, Ms. Dean’s tenure as Principal at Willard Middle School yielded positive results for student outcomes and school culture.

Michelle Sinclair, Director of State, Federal Programs and Special Projects. Formerly Principal at Cragmont Elementary School, Ms. Sinclair prioritized creating positive behavior support systems and a strong coordination of services team with a focus on equity. Prior to Cragmont, Ms. Sinclair served as the District’s Professional Development Coordinator.

Shawn Mansager, Executive Director of Special Education. Mr. Mansager comes to BUSD by way of our neighbor, SFUSD, where he served as Supervisor of Special Education. In his role as Supervisor, he oversaw all aspects of special education programs and services for 16 elementary school sites with a diverse array of student needs.

New Roles at the District Office

Glendaly Gascot-Rios, Director of Human Resources. Glendaly Gascot-Rios, Director of Human Resources. Ms. Gascot-Rios started her career in education in 2001 as an Instructional Assistant. In her most recent role, she served as the Principal of a Title-1 Middle School in Mt. Diablo Unified.

Liz Karam, Interim Director of Fiscal. Ms. Karam has been serving Berkeley Unified since 2009 in the Fiscal Department.

This press release was produced by Berkeley Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.