We are excited to announce the Education Trust–West’s 2021-22 Educator Advisory Council (EAC) and reintroduce our inaugural cohort! We were honored to receive over 50 applications from talented and passionate educators. Below, you will meet the five new Educator Advisory Councilmembers!
The goal of the Council is to integrate the voices and experiences of educators of color into the issues, policies, and politics of California’s current preschool through higher education landscape, as well as offer feedback on ETW’s current and future projects, comment on our policy and legislative positions, and advocate in their respective communities for educational justice. The Council meets to engage with one another, with our staff, and offer insights into our work by providing invaluable input based on classroom and campus practices. Congratulations and thank you for being a part of our work!
Cohort 1
Andre ChenFeng is an advocate for healing-centered education. He is a Ph.D. student at Claremont Graduate University, with a focus on integrating contemplative practices and critical theories in higher education, specifically, around liberation-based healing with Teacher Educators of Color. He is also an adjunct faculty member at CGU in the Teacher Education Program. Andre received his Associate of Arts from Pasadena City College and Bachelor’s and Master’s of Education from University of California Los Angeles. He taught seventh and eighth-grade mathematics for twelve years in Los Angeles (UCLA). In his spare time, he watches This Is Us with his wife and enjoys reading books about big feelings with his son and daughter.
Dr. Manuel Rustin is a high school social science teacher enjoying his 18th year in the classroom. He currently teaches Ethnic Studies, American Government, and Economics at John Muir High School Early College Magnet in Pasadena, CA. In addition to teaching, Dr. Rustin serves as Chair of the California Department of Education’s Instructional Quality Commission, a body that directly advises the State Board of Education on matters pertaining to curricular frameworks and resources. Dr. Rustin is a recipient of the Milken Educator Award as well as the Pasadena NAACP Ruby McKnight Educator Award. He earned his doctorate in educational leadership at UCLA and received his Master’s in Teaching and Curriculum at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Visit on Twitter @Rustin3000
Meghann Seril is a third-grade teacher in the Mandarin Immersion program at Broadway Elementary in Venice, CA. She serves United Teachers Los Angeles as a chapter chair and House of Representatives member. Meghann earned her credential and Master’s in Teaching from the University of Southern California. She is a National Board Certified teacher and new teacher mentor. When Meghann is not in the classroom, she enjoys baking, traveling, and listening to podcasts.
Visit on Twitter @megpseril
Rubén González is proudly from Greenfield, California. He is a second year Ph.D. student in the Race, Inequality, and Language in Education (RILE) program at Stanford University, where he is concurrently working toward a Master’s in Sociology. His research focuses on the sociopolitical disposition development of teachers of color, and the use of critical pedagogy and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) in classroom settings. His work is dedicated to improving the K-12 experiences of Black, Indigenous, all students of color, and other marginalized youth. Prior to pursuing his graduate studies, Rubén taught high school English, English Language Development, and AVID in Sacramento, CA, for six years. He completed his Bachelor’s in English at Sacramento State University after transferring from Hartnell College. In local community settings, Rubén has organized with the Association of Raza Educators (ARE) Sacramento, and Ethnic Studies Now (ESN) Sacramento and Elk Grove.
Visit on Twitter @_rugonzalez
Cohort 2
Alicia Torres is an early childhood education leader committed to enhancing classroom quality and integrating a community representation of the world within the classroom. For over sixteen years, Alicia has held many different roles in the early care education sector and in a variety of different settings: director, teacher, trainer, coach, professor, and manager. Alicia has worked in non-profits, higher education institutions, and in a state and locally funded early care and education agency. Her experience and expertise bring vision, organization, classroom, and site-level success.
Amber Bradley is a social science teacher, who has been gaining knowledge about the workings of our public schools for the past eight years. Her Master’s and Bachelors’ degrees are in Political Science and she has been eager to get her students politically engaged for the entirety of her time in the classroom. She has learned that often there is a gap between educational policy and public schools. She is excited about this opportunity to attempt to bridge that gap and get her foot in the door in making a difference in the legislative world.
Visit on Twitter @amberebradley
Quantrell Willis is currently a Teacher on Special Assignment for success initiatives regarding African American students and their families within Val Verde Unified School District. He holds a teaching credential in Special Education. He received his Master’s in Higher Education from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, and his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology/African-American Studies. Quantrell holds a graduate certificate in Organizational Leadership from Kansas State University and will soon receive his Ph.D. from the department of Special Education, Counseling, and Student Affairs at Kansas State University. Quantrell has over twelve years of experience in higher education where he has held various roles, such as Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Support Services. He looks forward to continuing to address issues surrounding equity and access through his role with The Education Trust–West.
Visit on Twitter @iamqwillis
Susana Hernández is an Associate Professor in the Higher Education, Administration, and Leadership Program and the Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership at California State University (CSU), Fresno. Dr. Hernández earned her Ph.D. from Iowa State University, a Master’s of Science in Counseling with an emphasis in Student Development in Higher Education from CSU Long Beach, and Bachelor’s degrees from University of California Irvine. Prior to becoming a professor, Dr. Hernández held several student affairs positions across multiple systems of higher education. Dr. Hernández is the daughter of Mexican immigrants from the state of Jalisco, and grew up in the city of Inglewood, CA. Her longstanding commitment to educational equity is demonstrated in the meaningful ways she incorporates her family’s history into her daily practice as a scholar and educator.
Visit on Twitter @susana_phd
Tayo Enna has been teaching Kindergarten at STEAM@Stipe for the past sixteen years. He grew up in Santa Cruz, CA. He received his Associate of Arts Degree from San Jose City College, went on to receive his Bachelor’s in Social Science, and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from San Jose State University. Tayo is the co-founder of the Black Educators Coalition, committed to the recruitment and retention of BIPOC in education. He created the “How to Raise an Antiracist Family” Parent Workshops, designed to have conversations centered around recognizing and demonstrating what it means to be anti-racist parents. Tayo is Oak Grove School District’s 2021 Teacher of the Year, and recipient of the 49ers Foundation’s Teacher of the Game. During his time away from school, Tayo loves spending time with his wife and their two daughters.
