CCEE Staff Bios

Chris Hartley
Deputy Executive Director
Dr. Chris Hartley serves as a Deputy Executive Director at the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE). While supporting CCEE Executive Director, Matt Navo, his primary role is leading and supporting the CCEE Center of Transformative Systems for Equitable Educational Outcomes and efforts to build capacity and improve accessibility within the CA Statewide System of Support. Transitioning to CCEE from the role of serving as Humboldt County Superintendent of Schools, his background and service is focused on meeting the needs of children and youth throughout the K-12 system.
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David M. Toston
Senior Advisor of Equity & Innovation
David Toston is originally from Compton, CA, and credits his mother and K-12 educators for showing him the importance of education and preparing him for a life of public service. A graduate in English and Education at Pacific Union College, Toston received his Master’s of Education in School Psychology at Azusa Pacific University and completed the Educational Leadership program at Western Washington University. Currently, as the Director of Systems Improvement and Innovation at the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, Toston leads in the development of direct technical assistance guidance and resources that LEAs can utilize to improve instructional quality and advance achievement for all students, especially our most vulnerable students.
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Mindy Fattig
Senior Advisor of System of Support
Mindy Fattig is a Senior Advisor for the Statewide System of Support with an expertise in Special Education for the Transformative Systems for Equity in Education Center of CCEE. Fattig brings over 25 years of experience in education which includes being a paraprofessional for a student with disabilities, a general education and special education teacher, created a co-teaching inclusion program which earned national and state wide recognition, a site principal, director of special education for two county office of educations and for the past ten years she was the Executive Director for the Humboldt Del-Norte Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA).
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Steven Sterling Mitchell
Assistant Director, Community Engagement & System of Support
Steven Sterling Mitchell is the Assistant Director of Community Engagement and System of Support for the CCEE. In this role, he co-leads the Community Engagement Initiative (CEI) within the CA System of Support. The CEI is focused on building the capacity of communities, school districts, and county offices of education (COEs) statewide to engage each other more meaningfully in the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) development process.
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Julie Boesch
Assistant Director, State System of Support
Dr. Julie Boesch serves as the Assistant Director of the State System of Support for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE). Under the direction of the Deputy Executive Director, Dr. Chris Hartley, Julie leads the planning, facilitation, implementation management, and refinement for California’s Statewide System of Support by working with CCEE staff, partner organizations, and other educational partners to facilitate and manage various initiatives comprising the System of Support.
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Kashani Daniels
Program Specialist, Community Engagement & System of Support
Kashani Daniels serves as a Program Specialist for the CCEE. A California native, she has dedicated her career to service to families and children for nearly 20 years. Her career includes a unique combination of vocation in schools, in government agencies, and social service organizations. In her former role at the Sacramento Children’s Home, her focus was to provide education, advocacy and supports to reduce the number of childhood deaths in Sacramento County. Now, she is looking forward to continuing her work in equity through her new role as a Program Specialist with the CCEE
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Nicole LoBese
Program Specialist, Community Engagement
Nicole LoBese is the Program Specialist for California’s Community Engagement Initiative (CEI). In this role, she supports the Community Engagement Initiative within the CA System of Support. The CEI is focused on building the capacity of communities, school districts, and county offices of education (COEs) statewide to engage each other more meaningfully in the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) development process. LoBese comes to the CCEE with 12 years of experience in education directly supporting students, families, and educators.
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Andrew Lawton
Program Specialist, Community and Strategic Engagement
Andrew Lawton serves as a Program Specialist for CCEE’s Community Engagement Initiative (CEI). Drew comes to the CCEE with almost 10 years of statewide educational experience in California. Through his previous employment at the El Dorado County Office of Education, he produced work for SELPAs, SELPA Lead Agencies, CDE funded grant projects, CDE, and the California Transition Alliance. He brings with him to CCEE skills in content strategy, visual design, and a passion for learning.
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Jasmine Hennessy
Program Specialist, System of Support
Jasmine Hennessy is a Program Specialist for CCEE’s Center for Transformative Systems for Equitable Educational Outcomes. In this role, she provides project management, conducts research, and develops resources for initiatives related to the Statewide System of Support. She supports initiatives ranging from special education, to literacy grants, professional learning, and community engagement.
Jasmine has previously worked in a variety of sectors, and brings to CCEE her skills in project management, research and analysis, and a passion for making education more equitable for students in California and beyond.
Jasmine holds a Master of Public Policy from University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with a Minor in Public Policy from University of California, Berkeley. In her free time, she enjoys spending time in the mountains and reading novels.
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Melissa Hodgson
Program Specialist, System of Support
Melissa serves as a Program Specialist for the Center for Transformative Systems for Equitable Educational Outcomes (TSEE). In this role, she provides project management and coordination, and administrative support to the team. She works directly alongside Deputy Executive Director Dr. Chris Hartley and brings with her almost a decade of experience working in education.
Melissa earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geology from Cal Poly Humboldt. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors with her two boys, her husband and dog.
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Emma Oh
Fiscal Analyst
Emma Oh serves as a Fiscal Analyst for the CCEE. In this role, Oh helps to manage the agency’s fiscal operations including budgeting, bookkeeping, contracting and invoicing. Prior to joining the CCEE, Oh was a Financial Analyst at San Mateo-Foster City School District. Oh worked collaboratively between the Facilities Department and the Business Department where her work was primarily focused on financial analysis related to multi-year facilities construction projects funded by Measure L and Measure X Bonds.
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Mayra Mendoza-Flores
Administrative Assistant II
Mayra Mendoza-Flores serves as an Administrative Assistant II for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE). In this role, Mayra provides administrative and program support within the Community Engagement and System of Support with the Center for Transformative Systems for Equitable Educational Outcomes.
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