CSBA taps Drexel fellows’post-doctoral expertise
Published: July 1, 2013
CSBA’s newest strategic partnership is a win-win collaboration that pairs mentors from the association’s Policy and Programs Department with post-doctoral scholars from Drexel University, who bring their valuable research on pertinent educational topics to inform CSBA’s work with governance teams.
The result of more than a year of careful planning, the CSBA/Drexel post-doctoral fellowship program was launched earlier this year. Each of the four scholars in this inaugural class of fellows earned a doctorate in education from Drexel University while working in real-world public school settings, specializing in critical issues like homeless youth, blended learning and teacher burnout (and how to avoid it). Policy and Program mentors will work with the fellows to shape dissertation research into governance briefs and conference sessions that will provide compelling and practical information to CSBA and its members.
“Dr. Addie Ellis, for example, completed her dissertation on contemporary homelessness, exposing new data related to homeless youth and students,” said CSBA Assistant Executive Director for Policy and Programs Angelo Williams, Ed.D. “The research brief she will be producing during the fellowship will focus on the nexus between recent research on homeless youth and governance considerations, specifically what do board members need to know and do to create the best possible environment for academic success for this group of students.”
The fellows program is the result of CSBA’s effort to establish partnerships with universities and other organizations. These partnerships help advance the policy leadership and priorities of CSBA by adding to CSBA’s human capital, expanding the high-quality information we provide to the members, and building understanding of governance issues and the needs of governance teams.
The post-doctoral fellows bring impressive academic credentials and real-world educational experience to their work at CSBA:
- Dr. Michael Agnostini is a former teacher and school administrator who worked for an educational consulting firm in New York that helped with the evaluation and strategic planning of K-12 and university programs. He earned his B.A. from Yale University, and Ed.M. from Harvard University and an Ed.D. from Drexel.
- Dr. Addie Ellis is the director of the Youth Policy Initiative for Sacramento Steps Forward and teaches at St. Mary’s College of California. Her doctoral dissertation focused on the impact of homelessness on transition-age youth. She earned her B.A. at the University of California, Riverside, holds an M.S. in counseling from National University and received her doctorate from Drexel.
- Dr. Robert A. Martinez is the director of human resources for the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District in Solano County and has served for 26 years in various district capacities. His research is in the area of human resources, studying resiliency in the district’s classified and certificated employees. He aims to help district employees advance their professional skills, knowledge and expertise and instill the belief that all children are unique individuals with unlimited capacities. He holds a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in education, both from the University of California, Davis, and a doctorate from Drexel.
- Dr. Mohammad Warrad is the vice principal at Valley High School in Sacramento and has been a secondary school site administrator in the Elk Grove Unified School District for five years. He also taught in the Natomas Unified School District. He earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees and his teaching credential from California State University, Sacramento, and as an undergraduate played NCAA-level basketball on the Sacramento State team for four years. He holds an Ed.D. degree from Drexel, where his research focused on alleviating teacher burnout.