As President and CEO, Ron is responsible for leadership of School Services of California, Inc. and brings more than 25 years of experience in public business and finance. He is also responsible for projects ranging from facilities issues to district organization and operation to fact-finding and executive searches, as well as legislative services and strategic planning.

In addition to his leadership role at School Services of California, Inc., Ron is a recognized expert in the areas of collective bargaining, leadership development, school district governance, and financial management. He is involved in shaping the state's most critical public policy issues, but is also a key participant in resolving issues within school districts both large and small.

Ron is responsible for the organization and coordination of the major professional development activities for School Services of California, Inc., including the annual School Finance and Management Conference, the Governor's Budget Workshop, and the May Revision Workshop. These venues offer the latest training and information available and assist school district leaders in the implementation of best practices.

He previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Superintendent in Long Beach, Fresno, and ABC Unified School Districts. As the chief business official, he was responsible for all business activities including; accounting, budget, facilities, maintenance, computer services, food service, transportation, risk management, and purchasing. He was also responsible for offices of grants and technology, state and federal programs, student services, internal audit, and the Fresno School for Adults (9,000 students). Long Beach and Fresno are the third and fourth largest school districts in California. Both had nearly 80,000 students, 8,500 employees, and $500 million budgets. Ron led Fresno to a major fiscal turnaround and established solid financial management systems. He also evaluated, selected, and implemented new instructional and administrative information systems in all of these districts. Ron has extensive experience in school facility policy and management and served as a Director of the Coalition for Adequate School Housing.

Ron's consulting experience includes participation in a Management Information and Financial Systems Review for the Oregon Department of Education, an Education Finance Reform Study for the Wyoming Legislature, and scores of school business engagements in California. He is sought out as a public speaker on education issues.

Raised in California, Ron earned his Bachelor's of Business Administration at the University of Oklahoma and his Master's in Business Administration from Michigan State University. He is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in the state of Oklahoma.

Dr. David Long was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Secretary of Education in March 2007. In that role, he served as policy advisor to the Governor on education issues. Dr. Long has more than 40 years of experience in the field of education, ranging from 21 years of classroom teaching to the superintendency. He obtained his Ph.D. from Iowa State University. Prior to his appointment by the Governor, Dr. Long was the Riverside County Superintendent of Schools.

Dr. Long is a former President of the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association (CCSESA). He is the Chairperson of the Federal Education Safe and Drug Free Schools and Community Advisory Committee.

He has been honored as California Administrator of the Year by the National Organization of Partners in Education, Superintendent of the Year, and received the Governor’s Award for school leadership. He was also honored as the Inland Empire Entrepreneur of the Year for his innovative approach to raising student achievement through the Riverside County Achievement Teams.

He has been awarded the prestigious Marcus Foster Memorial Award from the Association of California School Administrators for outstanding leadership and significant contributions to public education by a school administrator.

Dave is recognized and respected for his longstanding and impactful work in the area of improving student achievement on both the district and site levels. His systems analysis approach coupled with appropriate and meaningful educational actions have resulted in improved results.

Dr. Long is deeply involved with communities. He served as a First 5 Riverside Commissioner, earned the Lifelong Learning Award from the Boy Scouts of America, and was awarded both the Honorary Service Award and the Golden Oak Service Award from the California State PTA.

Dave and his wife, Joanne, a principal in the Corona-Norco Unified School District, have two daughters, Angelica and Vika. In addition, Dr. Long has four adult children and 13 grandchildren.

Scott P. Plotkin joined the California School Boards Association as Executive Director in October 2001, bringing to the position more than 20 years experience with national, state, and local educational issues affecting both K-12 schools and higher education. Plotkin provides executive leadership for the association, which represents and serves the elected and appointed members of the governing boards of the 1,028 school districts and county offices of education in California. He served as the association's president in 1992.

Before becoming Executive Director of CSBA, Plotkin, served five years as chief consultant and staff director for the Senate Committee on Education, providing policy and fiscal advice, analysis, and guidance on education matters to members of the state Senate. In order to serve in this capacity during several legislative sessions since 1997, Plotkin was on leave as Director of the Office of Governmental Affairs of the 23-campus California State University system, a Sacramento- based position that gave him substantial insight and experience into the workings of the California Legislature and state's executive departments.

An elected member of the Board of Trustees of the Rio Linda Union Elementary School District in Sacramento County from 1981 to 2001, Plotkin served as president of the Sacramento County School Boards Association from 1985-1988. He has been a guest lecturer on state and local government and the legislative process at several CSU campuses and has been a frequent speaker and panelist at CSBA and National School Boards Association conferences. Plotkin represented California school boards on the Board of Directors of WestEd, formerly the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development. Plotkin also represented the National School Boards Association on the Board of Examiners for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, where he was also appointed to their Appeals Board.

Plotkin has also served his local community as a member of the Private Industry Council, the Sacramento Employment and Training Agency and the North Highlands and Rio Linda/Elverta Chambers of Commerce. He has also served as a member of the Jewish Federation of Sacramento, Common Cause of California, the CORO Foundation and KVIE Public Television, Channel 6 in Sacramento.

Plotkin has received numerous national, state and local awards and commendations over the course of his career in public service and education. He lives in Sacramento with his wife, Patricia Thiel. They have three sons, Thomas, Timothy and Travis.

Terry Anderson understands the inner workings of the State Capitol after spending nearly a quarter of a century as staff in the State Senate. The years she spent as education advisor to the President pro Tempore (Bill Lockyer, John Burton, Don Perata) gave her insights into education policy as well as the State Budget, which she now uses to effectively represent her clients.

During her years in the Capitol, Terry crafted and negotiated major education policy, including statewide testing and accountability systems, charter schools, school facility bonds, high school exit exam, instructional materials, and special education. She negotiated education budgets that provided significant funding increases, as well as those that included reductions. Terry understands inner works of the State Capitol and brings these insights into play to help policy makers understand implications of decisions.

Since becoming a member of the School Services of California, Inc. team, Terry has effectively represented clients including school districts, county offices of education, and various coalitions. She is also a member of the executive search team.

Carole Ferraud, a member of the DLA team, is a native of the Coachella Valley and has been an educator since 1981. Her educational experiences range from preschool to junior college. She has had successful experiences teaching preschool, kindergarten, being a middle school counselor, a high school assistant principal, middle school principal, and regional administrator for the Riverside County Office of Education, providing curriculum support to seven school districts in the desert area. Ferraud had the honor of opening a new middle school in the Desert Sands Unified School District (John Glenn Middle School of International Studies) and serving as the principal at that school for three years. John Glenn Middle School became a fully authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) in July of 2004 and was recognized as a State and National “School to Watch”. John Glenn Middle School was also recognized as a National Magnet School of Distinction and the school also earned prestigious recognition as a National AVID Demonstration School.

Additionally, she served as an external evaluator lead for schools identified as under performing based on SB-IX legislation and she is a certified curriculum auditor.

As the regional administrator for the Riverside County Office of Education, Ferraud was the lead for the Riverside County Achievement Team (RCAT) in the desert region. The team worked with low performing schools to identify barriers to student achievement and to develop an action plan to address those barriers. Her role with the county office also included coordination for the California School Recognition Program. She also worked with schools throughout Riverside County with the application process for California Distinguished School and National Blue Ribbon recognition.

In July of 2004, she accepted a position as assistant superintendent of Educational Services. In her role as assistant superintendent, through a systemic process and a focus on building internal capacity, her team was able to make significant achievement gains at all levels in the district including exiting multiple schools from Program Improvement.

In January of 2006, she became superintendent of Bear Valley Unified School District. In her tenure at BVUSD, student achievement has increased significantly to include four of seven schools reaching the state goal of 800 or better on the API, the remaining schools are close to the 800 goal. No schools in the district are facing Program Improvement, and the district is not facing Program Improvement. A focus on building internal capacity and careful monitoring have once again contributed to increased student achievement.

As she reflects on her educational journey, she knows that her passion for education remains strong and she has truly chosen the best career. She still feels the same excitement that she felt the first time she entered her own classroom, every day brings a new adventure and a new challenge.

Holly Jacobson joined CSBA as legislative advocate in 1992. She was named assistant executive director, board development, in 1994, and then assistant executive director, policy services and analysis in 1997, bringing to both positions an extensive background in educational policy.

In her current role, Jacobson oversees much of CSBA’s policy agenda, including curriculum, standards, assessment, teacher quality and coordinated services for children. She also represents CSBA in meetings with the State Board of Education, Department of Education, Commission on Teacher Credentialing and other state and federal bodies. Last year, Jacobson also served as chair of the statewide Public School Accountability Act Advisory Panel. She is generally regarded as one of California’s leading experts on accountability.

Jacobson also oversees CSBA’s Continuing Education department, which develops CSBA conferences and training seminars on emerging issues and trends. In that capacity, she guides such events as the Annual Education Conference, Forecast Conference and the Back-to-School Webcast.‎

Before joining CSBA, Jacobson was a consultant for the Assembly Education Committee, where she analyzed and drafted education legislation. She also served as an associate consultant for the Assembly Governmental Efficiency and Consumer Protection Committee.

Jacobson is a graduate of Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in history.

Jannelle Kubinec is Associate Vice President at School Services of California. She has worked with school districts throughout California as well as state departments of education and school agencies around the country. Each year she assists dozens of districts and schools through budget reviews, special education studies, program evaluations, and other consulting support. Jannelle is a recognized expert on effective management of categorical resources and California school finance.

Jannelle shares her knowledge about categorical programs, strategic planning, special education, and effective budget management through workshops and trainings. She is a regular presenter at the Association of California Administrators (ACSA) Categorical Academy, California School Boards Association (CSBA), and California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) statewide conferences.

Prior to joining School Services of California, Inc., Jannelle was regional manager and partner in charge of education consulting for a national consulting firm. She also worked for the Legislative Analyst's Office, where she was the lead analyst on Proposition 98, revenue limits, teacher quality and supply, school reform, and school governance.

Christopher Maricle is a governance consultant for the California School Boards Association. He works with governance teams across the state conducting board workshops, including helping boards develop mission and goals and set district priorities. He leads governance retreats and takes boards through self-evaluations, as well as superintendent evaluations. Maricle has experience in conducting public engagement/community forums and assists board's in their role and strategies in program improvement.

Before joining CSBA in 1996, Maricle served for 20 years as a classroom teacher, school principal and assistant superintendent. He possesses a broad knowledge of the research on effective practices in K-12 education at the classroom, school and district level and has highly developed skills in public speaking, group facilitation, staff development and organizational leadership.

He has worked with boards and school leadership in the areas of governance, strategic planning, and community engagement. He has extensive knowledge in helping schools systems to focus on learning through the accreditation process in cooperation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Maricle completed his bachelor's degree in Psychology at California State University at Sacramento, and graduated with honors from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California with a master's degree in Educational Leadership.

Sandy Sanford, a member of the DLA team, became immersed in standards-based education in 1970 and began teaching in California public schools in 1989.

He has served as a classroom teacher, mentor teacher, site administrator, and district administrator of categorical programs, assessment, accountability, and research & evaluation.

In 2000, Sandy created a laboratory to develop better methods for gathering, analyzing, reporting and using assessment data to guide the instructional process in a standards-based educational environment. In 2001, he committed his data laboratory to direct support of the Riverside County Achievement Teams in California.

For the past five years Sandy has presented across the country with the US Department of Education’s Teacher-to-Teacher workshop program. Sandy actively participates as a team member in SAIT, DAIT, and other program improvement efforts.

Sandy provides consulting services in instruction, assessment, accountability, data analysis, trouble shooting, standards development, and more, to schools, districts, and state agencies across the country.

Sandy holds master’s degrees in both education and systems management and a doctorate in education.