California State Board of Education member Matt Navo was sworn in today as the newest member on the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) Governing Board.

The CCEE is a new and different kind of statewide agency that is working alongside the State Board of Education (SBE) and the California Department of Education (CDE) to grow and strengthen the state’s innovative System of Support – a crucial component of California’s new school accountability system whose guiding principles include local control and continuous improvement.

Navo currently serves on the SBE Board and was appointed to the five-member CCEE Governing Board by SBE President Linda Darling-Hammond.

“It is without question that the work of the CCEE team has been greatly appreciated by many educators across the state,” Navo said. “I appreciate the opportunity to serve and hope to contribute to the teams continued success in providing systems of support that enable our schools to provide successful outcomes to the children of California.”

In addition to his state board responsibilities, Navo is also director of systems transformation at the Center for Prevention and Early Intervention (CPEI) at West-Ed, a San Francisco-based education research and training nonprofit.

Navo has held multiple positions at the Sanger Unified School District from 1999 to 2018, including superintendent, area administrator and director of pupil services and special education. He replaces Sue Burr who has served as the CCEE’s Governing Board chair since the agency was created in 2014 as part of California’s groundbreaking Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) legislation.

“It is with great respect and admiration that I take this opportunity to thank Sue Burr for her tremendous leadership, compassion and expertise in helping to lead and shape the work of the CCEE. The CCEE would not be where it is today without Sue Burr’s contribution and leadership.” Navo said. Darling-Hammond also praised Burr for her five years of service on the board, saying her “guidance and expertise have been invaluable in helping launch the Collaborative.”

Burr believes Navo’s experience as a K-12 educator and superintendent will be an important asset to the CCEE going forward.

“During my tenure, I have had the distinct honor to work with the talented CCEE staff to support the development of a dynamic organization built to support California school districts,” said Burr, who is also a member of the State Board of Education. “I will greatly miss the work, but I know that Matt Navo will step in and lead the CCEE to the next level.”

This is the second time Navo has been appointed to the CCEE Governing Board.

In 2016, he was chosen by former Governor Jerry Brown because of Navo’s expertise as the then acting superintendent of Sanger Unified. CCEE governing board bylaws require the Governor to appoint a superintendent to the five-member panel.

Navo served as adjunct faculty at California State University, Fresno from 2010 to 2013. He earned a Master of Arts degree in special education from California State University, Fresno.