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Advisory Commissioners and Members

In accordance with the ACSE By Laws, Article I, Section 4, Tenure, "Every Commissioner whose term has expired may continue to discharge the duties of his/her office until his/her successor has qualified."

Legislative Members:

Senate Member
Carol Liu
916-651-4021
916-324-7543 (fax)
Robert Oakes, Legislative Director
robert.oakes@sen.ca.gov

Assembly Member
Joan Buchanan
Sarah Tomlinson, Legislative Assistant
sarah.tomlinson@asm.ca.gov

Executive Secretary:
Fred Balcom
916-445-4602
916-327-3706 (fax)
fbalcom@cde.ca.gov

State Board Liaison:

Yvonne Chan
ychan@vaughncharter.com

State Special Schools Director:

Scott Kerby
916-327-3850
916-445-4550 (fax)
skerby@cde.ca.gov

Commission Staff Liaison:

Kathleen Smith
916-327-3698
916-327-3706 (fax)
kasmith@cde.ca.gov

Commissioner’s Biographies

Janice Brown

She has an Associate in Science degree and holds a Certificate of Achievement as a Developmental Disabilities Specialist and is a certified Special Education Advocate.

She is a past president of the San Diego Autism Society and also served as member of the San Diego Community Advisory Committee for Special Education and the Clairemont Planning Committee. In 2008, she was honored by San Diego’s Autism Society for her years of dedication to helping parents. Over the past 20 years, she has advocated tirelessly for parents and for community services and resources.

She is the parent of a child with disabilities.

Maureen O’Leary Burness

Ms. Burness is a special education consultant and currently serves as the northern California representative to the International Council for Exceptional Children. A recent retiree, she administered special education programs in California for over 20 years. Ms. Burness has a bachelor’s degree in Applied Behavioral Sciences, a master’s degree in Counselor Education, and several education credentials.

Ms. Burness was appointed to the California Legislative Blue Ribbon Commission on Autism and also served on the regional Sacramento Autism Team. Her many honors for her work for students with disabilities include Special Education Administrator of the Year from the Association of California School Administrators, and from the Council for Exceptional Children, as well as the Outstanding Community Service Support award from Alta California Regional Center.

Ms. Burness is passionate about programs and services for all ranges of students with disabilities, especially in the areas of mental health, autism, and disproportionality.

Ronald Gonzales-Lawrence

He is the Deputy Public Relations Coordinator for St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs, California, his alma mater. He is a former legislative staffer, community relations officer, and public affairs consultant. In 2007, he was elected to the Little Lake City School District Board of Education and currently serves as the Board Clerk. In his time on the board, Little Lake schools have gained many accolades. Five of the district’s nine schools were named a Title 1 Achieving School, four were named a California Distinguished School, one was named a National Blue Ribbon School and all seven of the elementary schools made the Academic Performance Index goal of achieving a score of 800 or above on test results.

In addition, he chairs the Plaza de la Raza Child Development Services Board of Directors, a 20 million dollar nonprofit providing early childhood education services throughout Southeast Los Angeles County.

Morena de Grimaldi

She has been working as a Special Education Assistant in a K-5 classroom for the past year and a half. Prior to that, she worked 20 years in retail customer service followed by 12 years in online banking customer service.

She attended San Francisco State University and San Jose State University where she majored in Chemistry. She is the parent of a child with a disability.

Kenneth Denman

He is a Resource Specialist in the ABC Unified School District and former President of the California Association of Resource Specialists and Special Educators. He received his bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and his master’s degree in Educational Management. He provides strong leadership in advocating for students with disabilities, playing an integral role in defining the current face of special education through his participation in numerous critical policy projects in California.

In addition to serving on numerous statewide task forces and committees and national forums, he has been recognized for his commitment to students and their special needs by the United States Congress, the California Legislature, California Department of Education and the County of Los Angeles. He is the recipient of a Certificate of Nomination from the United States Congress for induction into The American Legion.

Diane Fazzi

She is the Associate Chair for the Division of Special Education and Counseling at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA). She is a professor and coordinator of the Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialist Training Program for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She earned her doctorate at the joint program of University of California Los Angeles and CSULA in the fields of special education and educational psychology. She has numerous books, publications, and scholarly presentations on topics related to teaching O&M to students with visual impairments, including very young children and children with additional disabilities. In 2008, she received the Distinguished Woman Award from CSULA.

Betty Karnette

She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University Long Beach with a focus on K-12 and adult education. She taught 31 years for the Los Angeles Unified School District and received the following credentials: Reading Specialist, Adult Education Teacher, Master Teacher, ESL Specialist, Middle School Math Coordinator, and Administration.

She was elected to the California State Legislature in 1992 and served 6 years in the Assembly and 8 in the Senate where she chaired transportation, elections, arts, port/trade select committees and served on education committees in both houses. While serving, she authored significant legislation in the areas of elections, transportation, and education that were subsequently signed into law.

In addition to an educational and political career, her community activities include, but are not limited to, California Democratic Party, Long Beach Anti-Poverty Association, Long Beach Memorial Hospital Children’s Clinic, Long Beach Playhouse, Operation Jump Start, National Women’s Political Caucus, Planned Parenthood, Long Beach Historical Society, and the Retired Teachers Associations (local, state, and national). In 1987, she was named Woman of the Year, 57th Assembly District.

Alexa McBride

Miss McBride is a student at Sacramento State University majoring in Psychology and plans to attend graduate school at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Miss McBride attended public school in Santa Rosa and received a Leadership Award while in middle school. She graduated from Santa Rosa High School where she was active in student government. She served as President of the campus Christian Club and discovered her love for helping people.

Miss McBride wants to establish an organization for individuals with disabilities based upon the principle that personal challenges and obstacles shall not be a barrier to success and accomplishment.

Christina Michel-Albers

She is the Executive Director at Northern California Children’s Therapy Center (CTC) and a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist. She specializes in early language development, neurogenic disorders, oral motor development, feeding and swallowing therapy, and social language learning.

Prior to becoming Executive Director in 2003, she served as CTC’s Infant Program Coordinator. Her accomplishments include expanding CTC’s service area to include Sacramento and Solano counties, developing community outreach education, and assisting in the development and implementation of a cutting edge Socialization Training Program.

She earned her master’s degree in Communication Disorders from Eastern Washington University and her bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from California State University, Northridge.

Laurie Newton

When one of her sons was diagnosed with Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome, she became actively involved in all facets of her son’s special needs. Today, she shares her wealth of knowledge and mentoring skills with parents, professionals, and various organizations. She is currently working on publishing a book with her son.

Her volunteer activities are numerous and include, but are not limited to, Joni and Friends International Disability Outreach, Bayside Disability Ministry, A Touch of Understanding, California State Council on Disability, “Project Play” – a universally accessible playground project in her local community, and the Placer County Native American-Latino Leadership Council.

Tom Peraic

An attorney who has worked in the field of education law addressing issues involving charter schools, personnel, facilities, and risk management/insurance matters. He has a background in civil and probate litigation in both state and Federal courts. He is an interested parent in special education and maintains a focus on sharing best practices throughout California. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and earned his Juris Doctorate degree at Hastings College of the Law.

Naomi Rainey

Naomi Rainey is an award-winning educator, philanthropist, speaker, entrepreneur and civil rights advocate. She has a Bachelor’s Degree, two Masters Degrees, and seven teaching credentials and has been recognized locally, statewide, and nationally.

Ms. Rainey is a distinguished alumna of the California State University at Long Beach. Here many honors include teacher and administrator of the year, the Los Angeles County Human Relations Award, League of Women Voters “2009 Woman of the Year”, the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice’s Human Relations Award, and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peacemakers Award.

Ms. Rainey currently serves as President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Long Beach Branch. Under her leadership, the Long Beach NAACP received eleven National Thalheimer Awards. She serves on the Long Beach City College Foundation Board of Governors, St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees, and is the Vice President of the Long Beach Cancer League, as well as other community and state organizations. She is proud to be the wife of the late Paul Harold Pierson, Jr.

Laureen Sills

She has a bachelor’s degree in Communications, and in 1986, she moved to Los Angeles to work in television production.

As the parent of a child with Autism and two children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), she retired from professional life to dedicate time to her children. She has recently resumed work as a television writer and was honored to work on one of the televised Inaugural events for Barack Obama.

She is the Co-founder and President of the Malibu Special Education Foundation. The Foundation provides parent support groups, a speaker series for parents, teachers and administrators, and continuing education opportunities in all areas of special education for teachers and related special education staff.

She has volunteered in her community for over 20 years. In 2001, she received The Malibu Times Dolphin Award Citizen of the Year. In 2004, she received the Malibu Tile from Malibu City Council, an honorary service award recognizing a decade of service. Additionally, in 2008, her foundation received a Commendation from the City of Malibu as well as the Jake Kuredjian Award, recognizing outstanding volunteers who have left a lasting and significant mark in the service of the youth of Malibu.

Jim Woodhead

He is a licensed Speech Pathologist and holds a California teaching credential. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from San Jose State University. Prior to retirement, he was a speech pathologist and teacher of preschoolers with communicative disabilities for 35 years.

Active in the California Teachers Association (CTA), he served on the CTA State Council, championed the Special and Alternative Education Committee and participated in the initial “excellence in special education summit” which led to “Foundations for Excellence in Special Education.” Also during his career, he served as President of the Newark Teachers Association, Chair of the Hayward, New Haven and Newark UniServe, and delegate to the National Education Association Representative Assembly. He was named Teacher of The Year, Newark Unified School District and received the CTA Human Rights Award and Statewide WHO (We Honor Ours) Award.

Kristin Wright

As Chair of the California Advisory Commission on Special Education, she brings multiple perspectives to the important role that the ACSE plays in the lives of students with disabilities. She is the parent of a daughter born with significant disabilities and has a passion for helping traditionally disadvantaged populations. She received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from California State University at Sacramento and will receive her Special Education Teaching Credential and master’s degree in 2010.

Her history of public service includes two consecutive terms as Chair of the Community Advisory Committee for Special Education in Sacramento City Unified School District, and currently, a two-year elected term on her neighborhood association board.