CABE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2024-2025
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Dr. Raúl Maldonado
President
Raul's Biography
DR. RAUL MALDONADO, PRESIDENT-ELECT
California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)
Palmdale School District, Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Raul Maldonado was named Superintendent of Schools for the Palmdale School District in May 2014. Previously, he served as Superintendent of the McFarland Unified School District, Kern County. He is well known throughout California as an innovative and inspirational leader. He is experienced in transforming school and district culture and has a proven record of improving student achievement. He sets high expectations, strategically allocates resources, and provides continuous support and multiple opportunities for collaboration, and he holds high expectations for all stakeholders. He believes all students should receive the best educational opportunities utilizing a rigorous curriculum delivered using effective research-based strategies and 21stcentury skills that will prepare students to be successful and to graduate college and be career ready.
Dr. Raul Maldonado has received many accolades during his illustrious career. He has been the featured speaker and presented in many conferences throughout the state, including Online Assessment Reporting System (OARS), California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE), and California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA). He has been recognized by several professional organizations for his leadership and for his work on behalf of the students in California. He even collaborated with Disney Productions on the filming of “McFarland”, a movie which features an exceptional teacher who goes to extraordinary efforts on behalf of his students in McFarland.
Dr. Maldonado has been an Antelope Valley resident since 1994. He is very involved in the community and enjoys working with community members, parents and students. He has been married to his beautiful wife, Isabel, for 22 years. Together they have four children, two in college and two attending Highland High School. His four children attended elementary school in the Palmdale School District and completed the Dual Language program at Los Amigos School through eighth grade.
Dr. Maldonado received his Bachelor Degree and Master’s Degree from California State University, Los Angeles. He holds a Multiple Subject Credential and a Clear Administrative Services Credential from the same university.
Dr. Karling Aguilera-Fort
President-Elect
Karling's Biography
DR. KARLING AGUILERA-FORT, PRESIDENT-ELECT
California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)
San Francisco Unified School District, Associate Superintendent of Education Services
Dr. Karling Aguilera-Fort is the Site Associate Superintendent of Educational Services in SFUSD.
Prior to returning to SFUSD, Dr. Aguilera-Fort served as the Superintendent of Schools for the Schools of the Oxnard School District during 2019-2023. Dr. Aguilera-Fort also served as the Superintendent of the El Rancho Unified School District (ERUSD) from 2017-2019.
Dr. Aguilera-Fort has served as Bilingual Special Education teacher, school principal and assistant superintendent in charge of supervising PK-12 schools in SFUSD. His career has focused on ensuring high quality and equitable education for students who historically have not been served properly by our educational system. Dr. Aguilera-Fort is a firm believer in developing the whole child. He states, “We must support the development of the whole educator in order to provide the tools and mindset to address the needs of the students we receive every day in our classrooms.”
Dr. Aguilera-Fort possesses school site, district, and regional national and international experience across PK-12 and college levels. Throughout his career as educational leader he has supervised, coached, and mentored school and district leaders at all levels. He has been responsible for overseeing a number of programs created to address the needs of students that historically have not been served properly by our educational system. These programs include English Learner Services, Special Education Services, and Standard English Learner Services. These experiences have reinforced his beliefs on leading through a Student-Centered approach.
His work with the Superintendent Fellows is generating a different meaning to the concept of student involvement. This idea is developing future leaders through the empowerment to find solutions to the different dilemmas and challenges students face in our schools today. This work is about student empowerment and about students helping adults to understand the needs and perspective of the students.
He credits his experience as a special education teacher as significantly influencing his career’s work. It includes early education intervention and prevention teacher, elementary and middle school special education teacher, and general education teacher. Aguilera-Fort has been a lecturer in the Principal Leadership Institute at the Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley.
Originally from Venezuela where he worked at different levels in the educational system within Special Education, Dr. Karling Aguilera-Fort was invited to teach in the Spanish Bilingual Special Education setting in SFUSD. Since the beginning of his career, he has been involved with the issues of equity and social justice on behalf of the most marginalized students. He has served as President of the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) Board of Directors, a role that he performed from 2007-2010, and from 2014-2017. He attended the Graduate School of Education at UC Berkeley where he obtained his Master’s Degree in r Educational Leadership. Dr. Aguilera-Fort earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership from the East Carolina University through the International and Global Leadership program hosted in Thailand.
Dr. MariaElena Diez Esquer
Vice President
MariaElena's Biography
DR. MARIAELENA DIEZ ESQUER, VICE PRESIDENT
California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)
Palmdale School District, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services
Dr. MariaElena Diez Esquer is currently the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services in the Palmdale School District. She has served the district for 27 years in various roles, including as a teacher at Tumbleweed School, Assistant Principal at both Tamarisk and Yucca Elementary School, and Principal at Los Amigos Dual Immersion K-8 School. Additionally, she has served on the CABE Board of Directors for five years, serving as the Region V Representative in the Antelope Valley and Ventura Chapters and Vice-President. Dr. Esquer is a strong advocate for multilingualism and equity for all students across California.
Dr. Esquer holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UCLA and a master’s degree from California State University, Bakersfield. These advanced degrees have greatly informed her extensive work in curriculum development and implementation. Her efforts have focused on serving English Language Learners, Standard English Learners, and Dual Immersion programs. She is also deeply committed to professional learning for educators, which leads to continuous improvements in student learning, achievement, inclusion, parent engagement, and cultural proficiency within the educational community.
Dr. Esquer believes in lifelong learning, a principle she holds as a personal standard and encourages in others. Her dedication to educational excellence and comprehensive experience makes her a valuable leader and advocate for those she serves.
Dr. Bárbara Flores
Director of Financial Affairs
Bárbara's Biography
DR. BÁRBARA FLORES, DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL AFFAIRS
California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)
California State University, San Bernardino, Professor
Dr. Bárbara Flores is a pioneer Latina scholar activist, teacher educator, children’s literature writer, and international expert in the areas of biliteracy development, teaching/learning based on Vygotsky’s sociocultural theoretical framework, professional staff development, bilingual education, and critical pedagogy. Not only has she published her work in professional journals, books, and chapters, but she is also a sought-after keynote speaker throughout the Americas. She has lectured throughout the United States, Mexico, Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Canada, Germany, Portugal, New Zealand, and Australia. She has been a professor for the last 30 years and currently has an academic appointment at California State University, San Bernardino.
Currently, she serves on the CABE Board of Directors as President and the Vice President of the California Latino School Board Association. She was elected to the San Bernardino City School Board in 2008 and has served as both the President, Vice President and now as a Board member after being re-elected in 2013. She is also the past President of the National Association for Bilingual Education and served on a variety of national, regional, and state professional councils, which include the editorial board of the prestigious American Education Research Association Journal, Social and Institutional Analysis Section. She is the founding member of the Journal of Latinos and Education and the editor of a special edition on Theme Cycles, Primary Voices Journal for the National Council of Teachers of English Executive Board. Additionally, Dr. Flores is the nationally elected Chair of the Elementary Section of the National Council of Teachers of English, is on the Executive Board of the National Latino/a Education Research Agenda, and is the past Co-Chair of the Education Task Force for the Inland Latino Coalition under Congressman Baca.
During the last 30 years, she has also engaged in collaborative Action Research and Teaching and 15+ longitudinal action/research/teaching projects. As a result of this work, she has spearheaded the development of curriculum and pedagogy as well as assessment tools to address the development of scientific concepts and academic language across the content areas of science, social studies, and literature in grades PreK- 8. Her most creative work includes the creation and co-authorship of the first authentic Latino Spanish/English beginning literacy and biliteracy collections, Piñata (132 titles, 1994) and Más Piñata (88 titles, 1997) in the United States. Furthermore, she was the first person to lead the editorial and adaptations of 12 English traditional tales into Spanish for Rigby of Australia in 1988. Her most recent children’s book is titled, Mud Tortillas, published by Lee & Low Press of New York.
Mary Helen Ybarra
Director of State / Legislative Affairs
Mary Helen's Biography
MARY HELEN YBARRA, DIRECTOR OF STATE/LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS
California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)
Corona-Norco Unified School District
Mary Helen is the President of the CNUSD School Board. Being the first Latina to be elected on this board she continues to be a true advocate for the students of her school district.
Mary has continued going to Sacramento to Advocate for different CABE issues for English Learners. She is also the Vice President of the California Latino School Board Association and a Delegate on California School Board Association.
Mary has been working hard with her chapters in Riverside, Coachella, San Bernardino and San Diego.
Keeping in touch through Zoom or phone calls to presidents and boards. Mary Helen understands all too well the struggles that English learners go through, as she was one. She is very Proud to be part of the CABE familia and as a Regional Representative.
Marissa Lazo-Necco
Director of Community Affairs
Marissa's Biography
MARISSA LAZO-NECCO, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS
California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)
SBCSS, Family & Community Engagement Content Manager
Marissa Lazo-Necco is the Family & Community Engagement Content Manager at San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, where she advocates for English Learners and multilingual access for ALL by embodying integrity, equity, and leadership through strong statewide, national, and international partnershps that support the children we share across our borders and all students.
She was born in El Salvador to a mother who was a professor and a father who was an accountant. Being the youngest of three siblings, life in a country that was going through civil war was filtered through the care and love of her parents and brother and sister. In 1988, Marissa and her family came to this country where she navigated the education system as an English Learner Student who struggled to merge into the language and culture of this country. Her experience with family engagement was first lived as a teenager who stayed focused on education through the inspiration and support of her own parents.
After serving children as a pre-school teacher for 2 years, Marissa transitioned to gain experience in a High School District where her passion for family engagement met her passion for high expectation for all students through the coordination of district-wide family engagement and coordination of English Learner student placement and re-classification. Her family engagement journey has taken her through a growing process as a Coordinator for a Parent Center for the Ontario-Montclair School District, where she applied, at ground level, different family engagement promising practices to engage the wider community.
Rosa Armstrong
Director of Paraprofessional Affairs
Rosa's Biography
ROSA ARMSTRONG, DIRECTOR OF PARA-PROFESSIONAL AFFAIRS
California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)
Retired, Access & Equity/Department Palmdale School District
Rosa Armstrong attended UCLA as an undergraduate student. She graduated from California State University of Los Angeles with a Bachelor’s Degree. She has been a member and an elected official of CABE for the past fourteen years. Rosa has been an employee of the Palmdale School District since 1994. She started her career as a Bilingual Instructional Assistant. Since then she has filled many positions in the bilingual sector of the district. She was the District Translator/Interpreter for ten years, taught ESL classes and parenting classes in her community; and is a facilitator for DELAC, ELAC and Migrant Education programs. Currently she works as the Assistant to the Director of Special Education. She assisted in creating many of the bilingual education programs for the Palmdale School District. She considers herself as exceptional individual who is highly respected by district administrators, educators, and parents.
Her Leadership Experience includes: Alfalit-Literacy Program-Head Facilitator in Lima-Peru, PTA President (two years at school level), South Antelope Valley Council PTA President, Palmdale School District Lead Translator/Interpeter, CABE Chapter 58-President, Vice President, Treasurer 2000-2014, CABE Director of Paraprofessional Affairs 2006 – 2012, CABE Annual Conference Planning Committee 2011- 2013, CABE Director of Paraprofessional Affairs 2016-2018, CABE Director of Parent Affairs 2018-2020.
Maryanna Lee
Director of Parent Relations
Maryanna's Biography
MARYANNA LEE, DIRECTOR OF PARENT RELATIONS
California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)
Anaheim Union High School District, Assistant Principal
Maryanna Lee has extensive expertise in dual language immersion at the secondary level and multilingual education. She worked as the Dual Language Academy (DLA) Coordinator at Anaheim High School for over ten years, besides serving as the World Languages Department Chair and Spanish teacher leader for 15 years. Her Spanish and Korean tri-literacy skills and dual language immersion expertise helped her develop program pathways and implement plans that enhanced student learning. In the role of Dual Language teacher and DLA lead, Maryanna was responsible for coordinating and overseeing program initiatives, optimizing the dual language learning experience, designing parent meetings and workshops, and organizing school-wide cultural events that sparked the interest of the community. She led the visits of multiple district teachers and leaders to see the CSBA Golden Bell Award and CABE Seal of Excellence Award Winning Spanish Dual Language Academy at Anaheim High School in action. Maryanna’s educational journey is a testament to her global perspective and diverse experiences. Born in the Rep. of Korea and raised in Argentina, she navigated the intricacies of education from kindergarten through high school, immersing herself in the country’s vibrant culture and rich traditions. She then pursued higher education at Korea University, majoring in Spanish Language and Literature with a focus on Linguistics. Later, she furthered her academic pursuits at Stanford University, obtaining a master’s in Education. Currently serving as a school administrator at AUHSD, Maryanna Lee continues to make a lasting impact in the field of multilingual education, blending her wealth of experience with a forward-thinking approach to student success.
Dr. Lettie Ramírez
Director of Secondary & IHE Affairs
Lettie's Biography
DR. LETTIE RAMÍREZ, DIRECTOR OF SECONDARY AND INSTITUTES OF HIGHER EDUCATION AFFAIRS
California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)
Program Director, Cal State East Bay, Retired Professor
Dr. Lettie Ramirez, born in El Paso, Texas worked her way through elementary school in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, middle and high school in El Paso, Texas and finally worked her way through a doctoral degree at University of Texas at Austin. She was hired at CSU East Bay in 1994 to teach future teachers in the Teacher Education Department and Special Education classes in the Educational Psychology Department.
In 2005, she became a full professor. Throughout her tenure at CSU East Bay, she has received numerous awards such as Professor of the Year (2001), Advisor of the Year (2007), Si Se Puede! Excellence Award (2013), Outstanding Contributor to Community Engagement (2013) and Latino Heritage Recognition by Senator Wieckowski in (2015). Her strong focus in writing and obtained grants has helped her obtain over 35 million to support numerous students. Dr. Ramirez has presented and taught classes at the local, state, national and international level in several countries such as Greece, Mexico, Philippines, and Spain.
Dr. Ramirez has been the editor of four books. First two books were for teachers Portraits of Teachers in Multicultural Settings: A Critical Literacy Approach and Multicultural Education in Practice: Transforming One Community at a Time. The other two books have been working with parents You are Not Alone: Recipes for Success by Parents for Parents and in Spanish No Estas Solo: Recetas para Obtener Exito de Padres Para Padres.
With the goal of helping all students obtain a quality education, she has founded several programs at CSU East Bay. She was the co-founder of GANAS: Gaining Access aNd Academic Success a program to support students who transfer and now Director of STEP: Sophomore Transition Enrichment Program to increase academic support and retention of sophomores.
Dr. Annie BichLoan Duong
Region I Representative
Annie's Biography
DR. ANNIE BICHLOAN DUONG, REGION I REPRESENTATIVE
Dr. Annie BichLoan Duong came to America at age twenty-two with fourteen years of education in Vietnam and three months of survival English from a refugee camp in Indonesia. She has been in the field of education for more than 30 years, working as a bilingual instructional assistant, a community liaison, an ELD, mathematics, and science teacher, a district language development specialist, and currently as a coordinator for Language & Literacy at the San Joaquin County Office of Education. She has been an adjunct faculty member in the Teacher Education department at California State University, Stanislaus, since 1999, and at the University of the Pacific and the Teacher’s College of San Joaquin since 2001, teaching courses on theories and practices around Second Language Acquisition, English Language Development, and Mathematics Methodology.
Dr. Duong earned her Multiple Subjects Teaching credential along with the Mathematics Supplementary Single Subject credential and the Vietnamese BCLAD (Bilingual Crosscultural Language and Academic Development) certificate in 1996. She completed her Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction in 1999 and her Preliminary Administrative credential in 2010. She finished her doctorate at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, in 2012.
Annie’s experience in various educational capacities has provided her with a deep understanding of teaching and learning, especially for students who speak English as an additional language. In addition, Annie’s involvement in a variety of committees and projects at both local and state levels (CELDT Technical Advisory Group, ELA/ELD textbook adoptions, ELPAC, Science, Writing, etc.) has deepened her vision, expertise, and leadership ability. Currently, she serves as the Region 1 Representative on the CABE Board of Directors and as the Principal for the Van Lang Vietnamese Heritage School.
Martha Padilla Chavarría
Region II Representative
Martha's Biography
Martha Padilla Chavarría, REGION II REPRESENTATIVE
Martha Padilla Chavarría is a dedicated advocate for bilingual education, multicultural competence, and equity for all students. As the Board President of North Monterey County Unified School District and President of North Monterey County LULAC Council #2907, Martha’s leadership is deeply rooted in her family’s legacy and her commitment to community service.
Born to immigrant parents from Mexico who instilled in her the values of hard work and community involvement, Martha draws inspiration from her mother, Mercedes Padilla, a retired Migrant Education Coordinator, and her father, Crecencio Padilla, founder of Tri-County LULAC and a retired investigator for the Monterey County Public Defender Office. Their dedication to service has profoundly influenced Martha’s own journey of over 35 years of community involvement.
A proud parent of four successful children, all alumni of North Monterey County Unified School District, Martha has been actively engaged in various leadership roles, including the School Site Council, Parent Teacher Group, Athletic Clubs, and Bond Oversight Committees. Her decade-long tenure as a Board Trustee, and currently as the Board President, reflects her unwavering commitment to enhancing educational opportunities and outcomes for all students.
Since 2007, Martha has led the North Monterey County LULAC Council, a nonprofit organization that has significantly impacted the local Latino community. Under her leadership, the council has raised over $400,000 in scholarships, developed youth leadership programs, organized food distributions, and provided Thanksgiving meals to over 1,000 families. Her efforts also fostered a partnership with local law enforcement, resulting in the appointment of a community officer to address racial profiling concerns, earning the council the state’s Council of the Year award and Martha the National LULAC Woman of the Year honor.
Martha’s passion for supporting the community and youth is unwavering. Her potential election to the prestigious CABE Board would provide an opportunity to further enhance the organization’s mission within her district and beyond. With a community that is over 80% Hispanic and growing with indigenous families, Martha sees a vital opportunity to expand services promoting equality and inclusion.
Her vision aligns perfectly with CABE’s mission to promote bilingual education, build multicultural competence, and advocate for English Language Learners. Martha Padilla Chavarria is committed to driving positive change and fostering a more inclusive and equitable educational environment for all students.
Manuel Colón
Region III Representative
Manuel's Biography
MANUEL COLÓN, REGION III REPRESENTATIVE
Manuel Colón retired in 2022 after 31 years of service in education as a teacher, assistant principal, junior high school principal, high school principal, and assistant superintendent. Manuel grew up in Norwalk, California. He is married and has a daughter and a son. After retirement, Manuel joined the team at Inflexion, an educational nonprofit that supports schools and districts across California. Manuel holds a degree in Language and Culture from the University of California, Santa Cruz and advanced degrees in education and school administration from Stanford University and UCLA. His experience as a site and district office administrator and over 30 years in education grounds him when leading local, state, and national initiatives that impact student outcomes. In his role as Chief Academic Officer in the Anaheim Union High School District, Manuel was instrumental in creating a state model for family and community engagement and was recognized for building partnerships with institutions of higher education, local businesses, and nonprofits. He is a transformational leader that has excelled as a site principal, leading his school to be named one of the first national P-21 Exemplar Schools.
Manuel has received individual awards for his service in education including the Apple of Gold Award in Excellence in Teaching from the Hispanic Education Endowment Fund, California State Administrator of the Year for Valuing Diversity from the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), Campbell UHSD Teacher of the Year, and the LaBoskey Award in Teacher Education from Stanford University. In addition, Manuel’s passion for language development has led him to publish: “Spanish literacy and the academic success of Latino high school students: Codeswitching as a classroom resource.” Nichols, Patricia C. and Colón, Manuel. 2000. Foreign Language Annals 33: 498-511 and Interactive journals in bilingual classrooms: An analysis of language transition. García, Eugene and Colón, Manuel. 1995. Discourse Process 19, 39-56. His poetry has also been published in a teaching tools video for a Spanish textbook ¡Dime! Pasaporte al mundo 21. D.C. Heath, 1994.
Angélica Hurtado
Region IV Representative
Angélica's Biography
ANGÉLICA HURTADO, REGION 4 REPRESENTATIVE
California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE)
Program Manager, San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools
Angelica Hurtado currently serves as Program Manager of Multilingual Education for San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools. She has been in bilingual education for over 25 years and has taught in bilingual classrooms K-6. In addition, Angelica has served as a bilingual Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) Support Provider, English Learner Programs District Coordinator, Elementary School Principal, and Director of State and Federal Programs. She proudly serves 33 districts in San Bernardino County and supports the implementation and development of their multilingual programs. Angelica has been a California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE) member throughout her education career. She helped establish the local CABE Chapter in San Bernardino where she is currently vice president. Angelica is a champion and advocate for English learners and multilingual students in hopes of helping them achieve success in a global economy. She’s a servant leader that enjoys uplifting others and networking with colleagues.
Dr. Sarah Zepeda
Region V Representative
Sarah's Biography
DR. SARAH ZEPEDA, REGION IV REPRESENTATIVE
Dr. Sarah Zepeda currently serves as the Principal and Lead Learner of Dos Caminos Dual Immersion School in Palmdale, California. She received her B.A. from Mount St. Mary’s University in Business Administration and went on to receive her Teaching Credential and M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from California State University, Bakersfield. She holds a second M.A. in Humanities from Mount St. Mary’s University. In addition, Dr. Zepeda earned a doctorate degree in education from the University of Southern California. Her research focused on building academic vocabulary for English language learners. She started her career in education 24 years ago and has taught Kindergarten, First, and Second grades.
Dr. Zepeda also wrote curriculum for newcomer students in the Seventh and Eighth grades. She has served as an English Learner Coordinator, Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) Support Provider, and a Master Teacher with California State University, Bakersfield. Dr. Zepeda is actively involved with Antelope Valley CABE Chapter 58 and looks forward to serving as the Region V Representative.
