This project introduces middle school students to genetic engineering through a hands-on, interdisciplinary exploration of environmental challenges. Using CRISPR virtual simulation…
This project will support an after-school STEM program. Through engaging, hands-on challenges like building water bottle rockets, solar-powered cars, and stop-motion animations, st…
This innovative, student-led initiative enhances mathematical thinking and improves student outcomes through daily one-minute podcast episodes. The project will engage students in …
Many students, often disengaged in abstract mathematics courses, need real-world applications to make learning relevant. This project bridges the gap between the classroom and ever…
This grant supports the development of the KidWind World Challenge Club at Valley View Elementary School by providing tools, materials, and a wind tunnel to enhance student learnin…
An educator since 2005, CTA Secretary-Treasurer Erika Jones is an elementary school teacher at Los Angeles Unified School District and member of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA).
On the state level, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Jones to the California Charter Schools Task Force in 2019. The group’s work led to a series of CTA-sponsored bills to reform charter school law, bringing much-needed transparency, accountability and regulation to a previously unregulated California charter school industry.
Born in New York and raised in Kentucky, Jones has lived in California since 1991. She holds a Bachelor’s in International Business from Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles, and earned her teaching credential and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from California State University, Northridge. She also holds an Administrative Credential and has completed the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Program: Leadership, Organizing and Action.
Jones lives in Los Angeles with her husband Alex and daughter Josephine. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, painting and creating ceramics.
Kisha Borden, a veteran elementary educator in the San Diego Unified School District, is serving her second three-year term. As the CTA Director for District P, Borden represents the educators of San Diego and Imperial counties.
Borden grew up in San Diego, graduated from San Diego schools, and began teaching in her district in 1996. Her 25 years of teaching have all been at Zamorano Fine Arts Academy, near the neighborhood where she grew up.
Borden’s union activism runs deep. As a long-time union member, she served as her site’s union representative for 10 years, a board member, treasurer, vice president, and president of the San Diego Education Association. She also served on the bargaining team and member engagement committee. For her activism, SDEA honored her with a CTA “We Honor Ours” (WHO) Award.
She earned her bachelor’s in science from UC Berkeley and her teaching credential from the University of San Diego.
Borden lives in San Diego.
Eva Ruiz, a veteran bilingual teacher at Sunset Elementary in the Fresno Unified School District, is serving her second three-year term on the Board.
An educator for 23 years, Ruiz represents CTA members in Stanislaus, Merced, Mariposa, Fresno and Madera counties. She has deep activist roots with the Fresno Teachers Association, where she was president for two years.
The daughter of farm workers, and the mother of four children, Ruiz’s CTA work includes serving on the union’s Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee, chairing the Health Benefits Advisory Committee, and serving as a delegate on the CTA State Council of Education for seven years. For her dedication to union work, she received a CTA “We Honor Ours” (WHO) Award in 2017. Her national work includes serving for several years as a California delegate to the annual NEA Representative Assembly.
She is fluent in Spanish and a founding member of the California Latina Democrats of Fresno County group. Ruiz holds a bachelor’s in liberal arts from California State University, Fresno.
She lives in Fresno with her family.
Dr. Kyra R. Greene has been the Executive Director of the Center on Policy Initiatives since 2017, and a staff member since 2014.
Dr. Greene earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Stanford University. She also holds a B.A. in Social Sciences from Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Her past research has focused on social movement messaging/framing, legislative processes, and public policies affecting the lives of people of color and people with disabilities.
Before joining CPI, Dr. Greene was an Assistant Professor of Sociology at San Diego State University. She served as an instructor in sociological courses on public policy at both Rider University and Stanford University.
Presently, Dr. Greene serves on numerous boards. In addition to being an IFT Community Board Member, she is the Chair of the Engage San Diego Action Fund and Board Chair of PowerSwitch Action.
Glen Price’s commitment to California public education includes serving two terms as an elected board member of the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD).
Glen also served as a Chief Deputy Superintendent at the California Department of Education (CDE) where he was instrumental in the launch of California’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). The LCFF shifts over $10 billion annually to support improved services for low-income, English learner, and foster youth students.
Working with a company he founded, the Glen Price Group, Glen was the principal team leader for efforts that raised over $1 billion dollars for the capital and program initiatives of public and private agencies. He has worked extensively with foundations, non-profit organizations, local education agencies, and governmental entities, including the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, American Red Cross, CARE, World Wildlife Fund, First 5 California, CDE Foundation, S.D. Bechtel Jr., Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Stuart Foundation, and others.
Now retired, much of Glen’s professional work focused on the design, implementation, funding, and evaluation of multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary coalitions, alliances, and collaborative projects. Key examples include support for the development of the California Labor Management Initiative and several community schools initiatives.
Glen and his wife, a retired California public educator, love spending time with their two amazing daughters, sons-in-law, and three grandchildren. Glen also enjoys hiking, making music with friends and family, and working in his small organic herb and vegetable garden.
Chris Quirarte is a dedicated educator with many years of experience serving California's students and communities.
Currently, Chris works as a Community Schools Coordinator in the Whittier City School District, a TK-8 district serving approximately 6,300 students in Los Angeles County.
Through his role as Community Schools Coordinator, Chris works to strengthen the partnerships between schools, families, and community organizations, helping to ensure that students have access to the comprehensive support and resources they need to thrive both academically and personally.
Francisco Ortiz is an experienced educator, organizer, and union leader committed to strengthening California’s public schools through equity-centered policy and member-driven power. He serves as President of the United Teachers of Richmond (UTR), representing more than 1,500 educators in the West Contra Costa Unified School District, and brings a deep belief that student success depends on stable, well-resourced schools where educators are supported to thrive.
A proud alumnus of WCCUSD, Francisco remains deeply rooted in the community he serves—both as a union leader and as a public advocate for transformative investments in public education. He previously served as a liaison for the California Teachers Association and as a board member of Californians Together, where he championed multilingual education, culturally sustaining instruction, and equitable opportunities for English learners and immigrant communities.
Francisco is widely recognized for helping lead UTR through a historic strike that marked a turning point for educator organizing in West Contra Costa. Under his leadership, UTR helped launch the “We Can’t Wait” campaign—centering fully staffed schools, fair pay, and stability for students—and helped spark a new wave of collective action across the region grounded in solidarity with families, students, and community partners.
Francisco’s leadership is also deeply personal. He is a father of a special needs transitional kindergarten student in West Contra Costa, and he brings that lived experience into his advocacy for inclusive schools, strong special education services, and the belief that every child deserves a safe, joyful learning environment with the support they need to flourish.
Jess Sanchez is a dedicated classroom teacher in the Moreno Valley Unified School District. Through his active involvement with the Moreno Valley Educators Association, he champions educational equity and the rights of disenfranchised communities.
Angela Stegall is a dedicated high school teacher in the Marysville Joint Unified School District. She is also an active member of her local chapter, the Marysville Unified Teachers Association where she currently serves as the Vice President.
