Advisors

Jorge A. Aguilar is the superintendent of Wonderful College Prep Academy and is an advisor to Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). He was previously superintendent of the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD), with responsibility for over forty thousand students and seventy-five schools, and was associate superintendent in the Fresno Unified School District (FUSD), as well as associate vice chancellor for educational and community partnerships and special assistant to the chancellor at the University...

Carl A. Cohn is a senior research fellow and professor emeritus in the School of Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University, and an advisor to Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). He was formerly the director of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE), a state agency established by California Governor Jerry Brown and the State Legislature to assist and advise school districts on academic performance. Cohn previously led the San Diego Unified School District...

Sophie Fanelli is president of the Stuart Foundation and an advisor to Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). She leads the foundation’s work to build more equitable education systems where adolescents can thrive. Before becoming president in 2019, she served as the foundation’s chief of programs, program director for education, and senior program officer for education. Fanelli previously directed research and policy at the Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access at the University of California...

Michael W. Kirst is professor emeritus of education and business administration at Stanford University as well as co-founder and current advisor to Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). He has been the chief education advisor to former California Governor Jerry Brown, who four times appointed Kirst president of the California State Board of Education. In this position, Kirst was instrumental in reshaping education policy and finance in California, overseeing the new academic standards and assessments...

Ted Lempert is the president of Children Now, where he has overseen numerous policy victories for children, including school equity finance reform, expanded health coverage for undocumented children, and significant changes to the child welfare system. He also serves as an advisor to Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). He led the development of Children Now’s whole child, power-building model and founded The Children’s Movement of California, an advocacy network aimed at removing barriers for...