Posted January 31, 2006

Gov. Chris Gregoire has announced appointments to the State Board of Education.  The board oversees the state’s K-12 educational requirements and is charged with developing a statewide accountability system.

“I am proud to appoint this group of citizens to the State Board of Education,” said Gregoire.  “They exemplify the Washington values of responsibility, opportunity, and service to others.  Together, we will build on past successes to give Washington children the tools to succeed in a global economy.”

Gregoire's appointments are as follows:

Dr. Bernal Baca of Yakima has been appointed to a term effective January 30, 2006, ending January 30, 2009.  Baca is the director of the office of recruitment and retention at Yakima Valley Community College.  Baca has been with YVCC for over 20 years.  He teaches at City University in Seattle and Heritage University in Toppenish.  He runs the Cross Cultural Consortium and is the board chairman for Enterprise for Progress in the Community, a Yakima based non-profit.  Baca is a member of the Washington Learns higher education subcommittee. 

Amy Bragdon of Spokane has been appointed to a term effective January 30, 2006, ending January 30, 2009.  Bragdon is a retired educator.  She spent over 30 years with the West Valley School District.  She served as a teacher and later as an elementary, middle and high school principal.  She is a member of the Elementary School Principals Association, Association of Middle Level Principals, and a former president of the West Valley Principals Association.  She is a former member of the EWU Principal Professional Education advisory board. She is a member of the Japanese Americans Citizen’s League and a former member of the YMCA board of directors.

Dr. Sheila Fox of Bellingham has been appointed to a term effective January 30, 2006, ending January 30, 2010.  Fox is currently the assistant dean for the Woodring College of Education at Western Washington University; she has been at WWU for almost 20 years. She has her Ph.D. from the University of Washington in special education.  Fox is also a member of the Professional Educators Standards Board (PESB).  The PESB sets requirements for teacher preparation in Washington State.

Eric Liu of Seattle has been appointed to a term effective January 30, 2006, ending January 30, 2007. Liu served as a foreign affairs speechwriter and deputy domestic policy advisor for President Clinton. From 2000-2002 he was an executive at the digital media company RealNetworks.  Liu hosts a local National Public Radio interview show called "The Power of Voice" and teaches at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Affairs. He serves on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Seattle Public Library, the Asian Community Leadership Foundation, and the League of Education Voters. He was an honorary co-chair of the 2004 Seattle school levy. Liu is the author of "Guiding Lights: The People Who Lead Us Toward Our Purpose in Life," a book about life-changing teachers and mentors. He is also the author of "The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker," a New York Times notable book featured in the PBS documentary “Matters of Race.” Liu graduated from Harvard Law School.  Liu is a member of the Washington Learns steering committee.

Kristina Mayer of Port Townsend has been appointed to a term effective January 30, 2006, ending January 30, 2007.  Mayer currently leads the KLMayer Consulting group, Inc., helping philanthropic organizations to clarify and achieve their goals.  Mayer is a former teacher and has been an assistant principal for Central Kitsap School district and former principal for Bainbridge Island school district.

Mary Jean Ryan of Seattle has been appointed to a term effective January 30, 2006, ending January 30, 2010.  Ryan is the director of policy and management for the City if Seattle. She has a strong background in economic development having served as the head of the economic development office for the City of Seattle and as the associate deputy administrator for economic development for the US Small Business Administration in Washington DC.  She is a former Schools First board member and a current member of the Seattle Jobs Initiative board.  She is a member of HOPE, a network of people aimed at improving public education.

Jeff Vincent of Bainbridge Island has been appointed to a term effective January 30, 2006, ending January 30, 2010.  Vincent joined the Laird Norton Company LLC in January of 2001 and is chief executive officer and president.  He leads the Laird Norton investment team in the oversight of current investments, the development of new investment opportunities, and in the day-to-day management of company activities.  He has worked with privately held family companies where he developed a fundamental understanding of how to successfully manage these types of entities.  Vincent graduated summa cum laude from Drake University and received his MBA from the Harvard Business School where he was a Baker Scholar.  Upon graduation, he was a consultant with McKinsey and Company.  Vincent is a member of the Washington Learns K-12 advisory committee.

The appointees will join five SBE members recently elected by local school board members: Steve Dal Porto (Quincy), Phyllis Bunker Frank (Yakima), Steve Floyd (Gig Harbor), Linda W. Lamb (Olympia) and Warren T. Smith, Sr. (Spanaway).

Under a law approved last year, the reconfigured State Board of Education is now composed of 16 members: two members from the eastern region of the state and three members from the western region, elected by public school board members; one member, at large, elected by approved private schools; the superintendent of public instruction; seven members appointed by the governor; and two student representatives selected by the State Board itself.

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