High Quality IEPs (HQ IEPs) Resource Lead Project works collaboratively within the Statewide System of Support to increase the knowledge and engagement of families and students and build the capacity of LEAs, COEs, and SELPAs so that IEP design and development will result in educational benefit. Additionally, they provide technical assistance to LEAs identified by the California Department of Education as needing targeted assistance. Biographies: Heather DiFede is the Executive Director for East County SELPA. She is currently serving on the IEP Expert Panel for California. Under her leadership, East County SELPA has recently administered the IEP Technical Support and Assistance (ITSA) Grant awarded by CDE and is currently serving as an Exemplar for Interagency Collaboration for the California Early Childhood Special Education Network. As a SELPA Administrator, Ms. DiFede has served as the Chair of the SELPA Administrators’ Association, and additionally is serving or has served as co-chair for the following Association Committees: Forms, CALPADS & Compliance, Local Plan, and Interagency Collaboration. She has also served on numerous statewide committees including the Dashboard Alternate School Status, College and Career Indicator for Alternate Schools, AB 2657 Restraint & Seclusion Workgroup, and the Students with Disabilities Collective. Ms. DiFede was also awarded the 2016 Special Education Administrator of the Year for California by the Association of California School Administrators. Leo Mapagu is the Executive Director for Santa Clara County SELPAs I, II, III, IV and VII. Mr. Mapagu started his career in the Ravenswood City School District (RCSD), which placed heavy emphasis on IEP compliance and improved outcomes for underserved students with disabilities. During his tenure in RCSD, he participated in various activities to assist district administration in meeting corrective action plan and self-improvement plan requirements. Mr. Mapagu is a collaborator, as is evident by the various partnerships he has developed. He has worked with San Jose State University and Santa Clara County Office of Education’s (SCCOE) Educator Preparation Program to train teachers in a variety of special education topics. He has also partnered with Parents Helping Parents to serve as a panelist and present on special education and IEP-related topics. As a SELPA Administrator, Mr. Mapagu is serving or has served as co-chair of the following SELPA Administrators’ Association Committees: Forms, CALPADS & Compliance, Parent Engagement, Local Plan, and Related Services. Jennifer Yales, Ed.D firmly believes that all students can learn–her passion for this belief, and a strong sense of responsibility, drive Dr. Yales in her advocacy for the development and implementation of structures and systems that facilitate learning for all students. She is a lifelong learner with over twenty years of experience as a Special Education professional. For sixteen years she worked in a large, urban school district in California, growing from a school psychologist before being promoted into an administrative leadership role within the district, ultimately advancing to the position of SELPA Director. Prior to going the HQIEP grant, Dr. Yales served as the Senior Director for the System Improvement Leads (SIL) project for five years.Dr. Yales is certified as a Master Practitioner in Compassionate Systems and her doctoral work focused on parent perceptions of collaboration during the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. As a parent of a son with autism, Dr. Yales is committed both professionally and personally to providing equitable education for all students. Resources High Quality IEPs Empowering Futures Article

Eugene Hamilton, is a renowned speaker, youth advocate and educational consultant that has had the privilege of delivering more than 500 keynote presentations in over 25 U.S. States and internationally in such places as: England; Bermuda; Zimbabwe; the Virgin Islands and Canada. Currently, he serves as the Lead Consultant and Chief Executive Officer of The Eugene Hamilton Group, a professional speaking and PreK-12 education consulting firm. Biography: Eugene Hamilton, is a renowned speaker, youth advocate and educational consultant that has had the privilege of delivering more than 500 keynote presentations in over 25 U.S. States and internationally in such places as: England; Bermuda; Zimbabwe; the Virgin Islands and Canada. Mr. Hamilton began his career in the Everman(TX) Independent School District and most recently served as the Director of Community & Academic Partnerships at Loma Linda University in Southern California. He has received numerous awards to include: Excellence in Community Service Award from California’s 35th Congressional District and Civilian of the Year Award from the City of North Charleston, South Carolina. Currently, he serves as the Lead Consultant and Chief Executive Officer of The Eugene Hamilton Group, a professional speaking and PreK-12 education consulting firm. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife Traci and 3 year old son, Justin. Resources: The Eugene Hamilton Group

Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade is Professor of Latina/o Studies and Race and Resistance Studies at San Francisco State University. Biography: Dr. Jeff Duncan-Andrade is Professor of Latina/o Studies and Race and Resistance Studies at San Francisco State University. He was a founder of the Roses in Concrete Community School, a community responsive lab school in East Oakland and has been a classroom teacher and school leader in East Oakland (CA) for the past 30 years.  Resources: Roses in Concrete Community School⁠ ⁠TC Press Article on Culturally and Community Responsive Pedagogy⁠ ⁠Harvard Ed Article on Youth Trauma and Culturally and Community Responsive Pedagogy⁠  ⁠TED Talk on Youth Trauma and Culturally and Community Responsive Pedagogy⁠  ⁠Interview on Equity in the Face of Inequality⁠  ⁠Equality or Equity Full Keynote - Carnegie⁠  ⁠Equity and Equality: Toward a Model of Community-Responsive Education (Race and Education) - Amazon ⁠ ⁠Equity and Equality: Toward a Model of Community-Responsive Education (Race and Education) - Harvard Press

Jennifer Boettger is a Statewide Lead in the Open Access UDL project. The Open Access Project is funded by the California Department of Education and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence as a content Lead within California's Collaborative for Educational Excellence.  Biography: Jennifer Boettger is a Statewide Lead in the Open Access UDL project. In the role, Jennifer works diligently to improve educational outcomes for all students by providing organizational support through her work promoting the UDL Framework and aligning initiatives that focus on creating an equitable learning environment that values culture, diversity, and community. She joined the Open Access team to lead the training and coaching efforts in UDL, which is her passion.  Jennifer is passionate about UDL Implementation…supporting site teams in learning about UDL and building the culture and practices necessary to change systems. She is a seasoned educator, working in various roles within general and special education (Secondary English Teacher, from traditional high school, AP coursework and alternative education; Educational Specialist K-12; Instructional Coach). Her experience includes being a program specialist, statewide and national conference presenter, and UDL coach.  She believes that variability is an asset to any educational setting. Resources: ⁠Open Access

Luisa Paningbatan, Executive Director, Whole Child and Community Design Student Services and Programs, and Erin Mahoney, Senior Director, Community Schools Whole Child and Community Design at the San Diego County Office of Education Biographies: Luisa Paningbatan has over 20 years of experience in education. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Whole Child and Community Design at the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) leading the regional technical assistance support for emerging and existing community schools in Imperial, Orange and San Diego counties. Prior to SDCOE, she served as Director of School Support in the NYCDOE Office of Community Schools managing a team that supports over 200 community schools in Brooklyn and the Bronx around high leverage practices to support successful implementation of the community school strategy.  Luisa also served as the Director of Teacher Recruitment in the NYCDOE Office of Teacher Recruitment and Quality overseeing teacher recruitment for 1,800 schools.  Luisa participated in the Coro Leadership New York program and in Results Count, a national leadership program led by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.  She served as a sixth-grade English Language Arts teacher at MS 301 in the South Bronx and has worked in the Office of Community Partnerships at DC Public Schools. She earned her master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, a master’s degree in education from Bank Street College of Education, and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California Los Angeles.   Dr. Erin Mahoney is the Senior Director, Community Schools, Whole Child and Community Design at the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE). She has experience as a Special Education teacher, Academic Coach, Associate Principal, Principal and as an Executive Consultant with the Equity, Disproportionality, and Design team at the South County SELPA. With her dissertation focus on social emotional learning, Erin is passionate about ensuring every student is known for their strengths, interests, fears, and dreams, and provided the specific supports they need to be successful academically and in life. Resources: ⁠⁠Community Schools⁠

Lupita Olguin-Rubio and Vanessa Lopez are both Coordinators of Inclusionary Practices at Project MuSE, Imperial County SELPA. Project MuSE is a Special Education Resource Lead within the Statewide System of Support. Biographies: Lupita Olguin-Rubio is a Coordinator of Inclusionary Practices at Imperial County SELPA. Ms. Olguin-Rubio has over 25 years of experience as a curriculum coordinator providing professional development on English learners' literacy and language development topics at the Imperial County Office of Education. Ms. Ms. Olguin-Rubio believes that multilingualism is an asset and that every student is entitled to have his or her voice valued and heard. She is passionate about this philosophy and imparts this zeal in all her projects. Ms. Olguin-Rubio operates with a systems lens and recognizes that as educators, we are all change agents and have the capacity and ability to contribute. to transforming our school systems to improve outcomes for all learners. Ms. Olguin-Rubio has worked as a K-6 Bilingual Educator, Site Director for the California Reading and Literature Project, Region 9 CPIN/DLL Lead, Title III EL Specialist, and English Learner Curriculum Coordinator. At present, she is a member of the Imperial County SELPA Special Education Resource Lead work: Improving Outcomes for Multilingual Students with Exceptional Needs.  Vanessa Lopez is a Coordinator of Inclusionary Practices at Imperial County SELPA. Ms. Lopez has over 23 years of experience teaching multilingual learners with exceptional needs in various settings. Ms. Lopez works to highlight the myriad assets all learners, including those who are dually identified, contribute to our education system and community. She believes in being a change agent, an advocate for all students, and in contributing to the collective commitment and zeal educators bring to their students daily. Ms. Lopez has worked as a K-6 Special Education teacher, English language development coach, Resource Teacher, and Academic Support Teacher. She is a Google-certified educator, certified Assistive Technology (AT) assessor, and Adapted Physical Education (APE) Teacher.  Currently, she is part of the Special Education Resource Lead work: Improving Outcomes for Multilingual Students with Exceptional Needs, and an adjunct professor at Azusa Pacific University. Resources: Project MuSE⁠  

Dr. Joaquín Noguera, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Administration at Loyola Marymount University's School of Education. Biography: Dr. Joaquín Noguera earned his Ph.D. in social science and comparative education and a master’s degree in education from UCLA. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from St. John’s University. He is a former social worker, K-12 teacher, school leader, and director of the International Youth Leadership Institute, which is dedicated to serving Black and Latinx youth in New York City. His research engages three broad areas: the limits and possibilities for transformation and healing of education and schooling, particularly for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities and in low-income urban contexts; systems change that advances racial equity in organizational contexts; and critical analysis of society and culture and the impact of social and cultural patterns on the development and experiences of individuals and communities.

Dr. Matthew Tessier, Assistant Superintendent of Innovation at the San Diego County Office of Education. Biography: Dr. Matthew Tessier has been serving the educational community for the past 25 years in a variety of roles. He began his teaching career at Feaster – Edison Charter School in Chula Vista and taught 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades. Matthew worked as a National Mathematics Trainer for Edison Schools, leading math instruction for 20 schools in California, Texas, and Georgia. His administrative career has been marked by dramatic improvements in student achievement at each site he led. While a Principal in Chula Vista, he safely led Loma Verde School out of Program Improvement Year 2 and Harborside School out of Program Improvement Year 5, taking the school from a 701 API score to 843 within three years, and earning California Distinguished School recognition. Dr. Tessier was the Director of Technology and Student Assessment in the National School District before returning to Chula Vista as the Executive Director of Technology and Instruction, and then becoming the Assistant Superintendent of Innovation and Instruction. Dr. Tessier now serves the San Diego County Office of Education as the Assistant Superintendent of Innovation and is an active Board member for Junior Achievement San Diego, and the Classroom of the Future Foundation. He received his Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees from San Diego State University. Resources: SDWP Priority Sector Slides for Linda Vista Innovation Center Labs⁠

Dr. Talisa Sullivan, Executive Director of the Equity Department at the San Diego County Office of Education Biography: Dr. Talisa Sullivan has been an educator for more than 20 years, serving students, teachers, staff, families, and the community across five large counties: San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange. She specializes in serving marginalized populations who have experienced intergenerational inequities and marginalization and has built a rapport as an equity leader for county offices, comprehensive and alternative schools, and programs throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and a Teaching Credential from Cal State Dominguez Hills, a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from Cal State San Bernardino, and a Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis on Urban Leadership from  Claremont Graduate University.  In addition to serving as an educator in K-12 public education, Dr. Sullivan serves as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Education for the Teacher Education Program and the Ethnic Studies program as well as the Doctoral in Education Leadership Program at local Universities. She has delivered Keynote speeches at local universities and school districts as well as served as a breakout session speaker at several major conferences.   Dr. Sullivan has a magnitude of knowledge and training in education and is passionate about working with educators who prepare students for 21st-century college and careers. She specializes in the following areas;  Adaptive Leadership, Equitable Practices, Marginalized Populations, Alternative Education, Restorative  Justice, Diversity, Leadership Development, and Cultural Proficiency.  Resources: ⁠Equity Conference 2024⁠: Equity is Love in Action

Welcome to the Equity, Disproportionality, and Design (ED&D) Podcast, where we connect with educators and community members who are dedicated to fostering equitable systems and nurturing inclusive school environments for every student.