14 California Education Association CEOs to Know

Jonno White
Aug 8
12 min read

Last updated: August 2026

Introduction

This directory brings together 14 people who currently run California's professional and membership associations for the education sector, spanning K-12 administration, school boards, school business, community colleges, independent colleges, independent schools, bilingual education, school psychology, parent groups and small rural districts.

As of August 2026, the role, title and organisation for each person below are current. These associations rarely get much public attention on their own, even though they set standards, run professional development, and advocate on behalf of thousands of California schools, colleges and educators. Knowing who leads them is useful for vendors, conference organisers, journalists and anyone else who works alongside California's education sector.

The names below are presented alphabetically by surname for easy navigation, not in any order of importance. Some of these leaders run associations you have probably heard of, with statewide membership numbering in the thousands. Others run smaller, subject-specific bodies that matter enormously to their members but rarely make headlines outside their own sector. Jonno White, who put this list together after years of working with schools, corporates and nonprofits around the world, has tried to give a genuinely useful, honest snapshot of who is currently at the helm of California's education associations.

This is not a competition, and it is not an exhaustive list of every association serving California education. It is an honest, sourced starting point for readers who want to know who to talk to, and a reminder that behind every association's logo and mission statement is a specific, named person accountable for what that organisation actually does.

Why California education associations matter

California's education system is large and fragmented across thousands of districts, colleges and independent schools, and professional associations are one of the main ways that fragmented system stays connected. They set shared standards, run the conferences and credentialing programmes that keep practitioners current, and give members a collective voice in Sacramento on funding, policy and regulation.

For a school business official, a school psychologist, or an independent-school head, the relevant association is often the single most useful professional home they have. It is where they find peers facing the same budget pressures, the same compliance questions, and the same staffing challenges. For an outside organisation trying to reach California educators at scale, these associations are frequently a faster and more credible route than reaching out to individual schools or districts one at a time.

The chief executives on this list are the people who keep those associations running day to day. They shape the professional development calendar, set the advocacy agenda, and decide how the organisation shows up for its members. Understanding who holds that role at each association is a practical first step for anyone trying to work with, learn from, or simply understand California's education sector, particularly when a partnership, sponsorship or advocacy conversation depends on reaching the right person the first time.

The leaders

1. Vernon Billy

CEO and Executive Director, California School Boards Association

Vernon Billy is the CEO and Executive Director of the California School Boards Association, which represents the governing boards of school districts and county offices of education across the state. He sits close to the centre of California's K-12 governance landscape, working directly with board members on the advocacy issues that shape local schools.

He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and has led CSBA for more than a decade, building on earlier experience as a governmental relations director for both the San Francisco and Los Angeles Unified School Districts. That mix of district experience and statewide advocacy is useful context for readers working with California school boards.

2. Scott Borba

Executive Director, Small School Districts' Association

Scott Borba became Executive Director of the Small School Districts' Association effective 1 July 2026, after more than two decades leading small, rural and high-needs districts, most recently as Superintendent and Principal of Le Grand Union Elementary School District. SSDA exists to advocate for California's smaller districts, and his own background sits squarely inside the community he now represents.

He is the author of The Leader You're Not, and Why It's Just as Important as the Leader You Are, and was named California Superintendent/Principal of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators. Readers working with small or rural districts will find his writing and advocacy directly relevant.

3. Myrna Castrejón

President and Chief Executive Officer, California Charter Schools Association

Myrna Castrejón is President and Chief Executive Officer of the California Charter Schools Association, the membership organisation representing California's public charter schools. She has led CCSA since January 2019, guiding the association's advocacy and member-support work through a period of sustained legislative and regulatory attention on charter authorising and accountability.

That tenure gives her a close vantage point on how charter-school policy is actually made in Sacramento, from funding formulas to renewal standards. Anyone tracking California charter-school policy, or working with charter operators directly, is likely to encounter her name in that context.

4. Paul Cauchi

Executive Director, California Association of School Psychologists

Paul Cauchi is the Executive Director of the California Association of School Psychologists, which represents school psychologists and licensed educational psychologists across the state. He joined CASP after two decades in association management, most recently leading a large regional association for real estate professionals.

He previously served as CEO of the Southland Regional Association of REALTORS, where he grew membership and modernised the organisation's communications, before bringing that association-management experience into the school psychology field. Readers comparing how different California professional associations are run will find his cross-sector move a useful data point.

5. Tatia Davenport

Chief Executive Officer, California Association of School Business Officials

Tatia Davenport is the Chief Executive Officer of the California Association of School Business Officials, the professional body for the finance, facilities, procurement and operations staff who keep California's public schools running. She has spent 14 years with CASBO, the past several as CEO, after earlier executive roles in the private sector.

Under her leadership CASBO won a Bronze Stevie Award for Organization of the Year in the Non-Profit or Government Organizations, Small category at the International Business Awards, and she writes published Forbes Business Council columns on topics such as artificial intelligence in school business operations.

6. Larry Galizio

President and CEO, Community College League of California

Larry Galizio has served as President and CEO of the Community College League of California since 2015, leading the organisation that represents the state's community college districts and trustees on advocacy, governance training and policy research. Before joining the League he was President of Clatsop Community College in Oregon.

He is co-author of A College for All Californians, the first comprehensive history of the California Community Colleges, and previously served three terms in the Oregon Legislative Assembly. That combination of scholarship and legislative experience shapes how he approaches community college advocacy today.

7. Phil Gutierrez

Executive Director, California Association of Independent Schools

Phil Gutierrez became Executive Director of the California Association of Independent Schools effective 1 July 2026, after nearly three decades in independent education as a teacher, administrator and Head of School. CAIS accredits and supports independent schools across the state, from early childhood through high school.

Before leading CAIS he spent almost a decade as Head of School at Marin Primary and Middle School and at Mid-Peninsula High School, after serving on the CAIS Board of Directors from 2020 to 2024. That board experience means he arrives already familiar with the association he now leads.

8. Josiah Kitonga

Executive Director, California State PTA

Josiah Kitonga is the Executive Director of California State PTA, one of the largest grassroots child-advocacy organisations in the state, where he oversees the professional staff supporting local PTA units, councils and districts across California. He works alongside PTA's elected volunteer leadership to run the organisation day to day.

He was appointed to the role in 2023 and brought a background in nonprofit management to the position. For readers working with parent and family engagement at the school or district level, California State PTA's staff leadership is a useful point of contact.

9. Keetha Mills

President and Chief Executive Officer, Foundation for California Community Colleges

Keetha Mills is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for California Community Colleges, the nonprofit auxiliary to the largest system of higher education in the country. A community college alumna herself, she has led FoundationCCC since 2012, aligning its work with the system's statewide strategic priorities.

Since becoming CEO, she has grown FoundationCCC into an organisation that now provides over 200 million dollars in annual resources to students, colleges and communities, including securing two of the largest philanthropic commitments ever made to a community college.

10. Tara Rolle

Executive Director, California Association of Private School Organizations

Tara Rolle is the Executive Director of the California Association of Private School Organizations, a consortium of religious and independent school organisations that advocates for parental choice and K-12 private education across the state. She represents member organisations covering the large majority of California's private-school enrolment.

She holds a doctorate from Pepperdine University and previously served as an associate superintendent and executive director within Bay Area Catholic dioceses before moving into her current role. That direct diocesan and school-system background informs how she represents private education in Sacramento today.

11. Kristen Soares

President, Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities

Kristen Soares is President of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, the fourth person to hold the role, representing more than 80 nonprofit independent colleges and universities across the state. She previously spent nearly 25 years at the University of Southern California in government and community relations.

Under her leadership, AICCU reached a landmark agreement with the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office to adopt the Associate Degree for Transfer pathway, improving transfer opportunities for community college students moving on to independent colleges and universities.

12. Marshall Tuck

Chief Executive Officer, EdVoice

Marshall Tuck is Chief Executive Officer of EdVoice, a Sacramento-based organisation that advocates for California education policy reform. He came to the role after leading education-recovery philanthropy work coordinated through the pandemic and after two earlier stints running school systems directly in Los Angeles.

As founding CEO of the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, he led a turnaround in which graduation rates at the Partnership's schools grew from 36 percent when the organisation launched in 2008 to 88 percent today, a track record that continues to shape his current policy advocacy work.

13. Cynthia Vásquez Petitt

Interim Chief Executive Officer, California Association for Bilingual Education

Cynthia Vásquez Petitt is the Interim Chief Executive Officer of the California Association for Bilingual Education, an organisation that has worked since 1976 to promote bilingual education and biliteracy across California schools. She stepped into the role in April 2026 while the association's board conducts a search for a permanent chief executive.

Her appointment kept CABE's programmes, conferences and advocacy running without interruption during a leadership transition, which is a useful reminder for readers that association continuity often depends on exactly this kind of interim leadership.

14. Edgar Zazueta

Executive Director, Association of California School Administrators

Edgar Zazueta is the Executive Director of the Association of California School Administrators, overseeing the association's strategic direction, public policy work and day-to-day operations on behalf of school leaders statewide. ACSA supports administrators across the full management and leadership spectrum, from assistant principals to superintendents.

He leads ACSA, which describes itself on its own website as the largest umbrella organisation for school leaders in the United States, supporting school administrators statewide through a network of regional charters. For readers working with California school leadership at any level, ACSA is one of the first associations worth knowing.

What these leaders show us about California education associations

Looking across these 14 profiles, a few patterns stand out. Several leaders came up through the exact sector their association now serves, whether that is a former Head of School now running CAIS, a former district superintendent now running SSDA, or a former school system leader now running EdVoice. That practitioner background appears to be a common, though not universal, path into association leadership in California education.

A second pattern is tenure. Several of these chief executives have led their associations for close to a decade or more, which suggests that California's education associations tend to value continuity and long-term relationship-building over frequent leadership turnover. At the same time, two of the associations on this list, CAIS and SSDA, brought in new executive directors in the middle of 2026, and one, CABE, is currently led on an interim basis while its board runs a search. Leadership transition is a live and current reality across this sector, not just a historical footnote.

A third pattern is structural diversity. Some associations, such as CSBA and CASBO, separate an elected volunteer President from a paid staff chief executive, while others fold both functions into a single leadership role. Readers approaching any of these associations for the first time should expect to find both an elected leadership structure and a staff leadership structure, and should be clear about which one they actually need to reach.

None of this is a formula for what makes a good association leader. It is simply what becomes visible when 14 current profiles are placed side by side.

How to use this list

If you are trying to reach a California education association for a partnership, sponsorship or advocacy conversation, the chief executive named here is usually the right first point of contact, or at least the right person to ask for a referral to the correct department. Naming the actual person, rather than writing to a generic inbox, tends to get a faster and more useful reply.

If you are researching California education policy, these are the people whose organisations are actively shaping legislative and regulatory conversations in Sacramento on behalf of their members. Their public statements, testimony and published writing are a useful primary source, often more current and more specific than general news coverage of California education policy.

If you are considering a career in association leadership, the varied paths represented here, from classroom teacher to Head of School to association CEO, from real-estate association management into school psychology, from district superintendent into statewide advocacy, are worth studying as real examples of how people moved into these roles. There is no single required background.

Whatever your reason for being here, treat this list as a starting point rather than a finished picture. Visit each association's own website for current programmes, membership details and contact information before reaching out, and confirm the current chief executive's name before an important outreach or event.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a California education professional association?

It is a membership organisation that represents a specific group of education professionals, such as school administrators, school board members, school business officials or school psychologists, and that provides advocacy, professional development and shared standards for its members across the state.

Do all these associations use the title "CEO" for their top leader?

No. Some use Chief Executive Officer, others use President and CEO, and others use Executive Director for the same top staff role. This list uses whichever title each association's own website currently uses, rather than forcing every entry into a single standard job title.

Is the President of an association always its chief executive?

Not always. Several associations on this list, including CSBA and CASBO, elect a volunteer member President separately from a paid staff chief executive who runs day-to-day operations. This list focuses on the paid staff chief executive rather than the elected volunteer President.

How current is this information?

Every detail on this page reflects each association's current leadership as of August 2026. Association leadership can change over time, so readers planning an important outreach, sponsorship or event should double-check the name directly with the association itself before relying on it.

Why are only 14 associations included, when there are more than 14 education associations in California?

California has many more education associations than the 14 profiled here. This page names an honest, accurate first set of current chief executives rather than stretching to a round number, and it may grow to cover more associations in a future update.

Conclusion

California's education sector runs on more than its schools, districts and colleges. It also runs on the professional associations that connect practitioners, set shared standards, and carry members' concerns into policy conversations in Sacramento. The 14 people profiled here currently lead a meaningful slice of that landscape, from K-12 administration and school boards through community colleges, independent schools and subject-specific bodies like school psychology and bilingual education.

Some of these leaders have run their associations for a decade or more. Others stepped into the role only this year, and one is serving in an interim capacity while her board completes a search. All of them are, as of August 2026, the person actually answering for their organisation's direction, whatever the length of their tenure so far.

If you work alongside California education in any capacity, whether as a vendor, a policy advocate, a conference organiser or a fellow association professional, this list is a practical starting point for knowing who is currently at the helm. Use it to identify the right first conversation, then go directly to that association's own website to confirm details and take the next step.

Work with Jonno

If your association or education organisation needs a keynote, workshop or facilitated leadership session, Jonno White works with schools, corporates and nonprofits on exactly these kinds of leadership questions. He is not positioned above the leaders on this list. He is simply a separate resource available if your team wants outside facilitation for a conference, retreat or leadership day. To enquire, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

About the Author

Jonno White is a Brisbane-based leadership consultant, keynote speaker and Certified Working Genius Facilitator, and the author of Step Up or Step Out. He works with schools, corporates and nonprofits around the world. To enquire about a keynote, workshop or facilitated leadership session, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

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