Leadership

It is the privilege of the Leadership Team to motivate, inspire, and empower the members to advocate for the culturally and linguistically diverse students by curating resources and supporting higher education faculty from various bilingual teacher preparation programs throughout the state of CA.

Officers

OFFICERS

Clara Amador-Lankster
President

Adam Sawyer
President-Elect

Kris Nicholls
Treasurer

Danna Morena
Secretary

Nirmla Griarte Flores
Communications Director

Clara Amador-Lankster Biography:

As a first-generation immigrant from Madrid, Spain, Dr. Amador-Lankster is a Professor of Education and Program Director for the Master of Bilingual Education with Multiple and Single Subject and Bilingual Authorization (Spanish/English) and Post-Credential Bilingual Authorization for public school teachers in California. Dr. Amador-Lankster earned her doctorate at the University of Southern California on Educational Policy and Organizational Change. She also earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from CSU Dominguez Hills, a Certificado de Aptitud Pedagogica from Universidad de la Laguna, Canary Islands, and a Licenciatura in Sociology and Political Sciences from the Universidad Complutense, Madrid. In California, she has worked as a Bilingual/Dual Language teacher, Bilingual Coordinator and School site administrator in Los Angeles Unified School District and Los Angeles County of Education for over 10 years. Nationally, she authored and designed long term professional development for teachers of English Language Learners and Dual Language Learners in public schools across 26 states. At National University, Dr. Amador-Lankster was named Co-Director State Internship Grant, Teacher Education, Department 2007 – 2014. In this role, she was responsible for the Teacher Education Department programmatic oversight and implementation of Clinical Practice state funded grant of over 2.5M annually to provide support services to interns. Internationally, she has presented her work in Colombia, China, Lithuania, Singapore, South Africa and has published in Colombia, Costa Rica and United States. Her latest research is centered on Bilingual/Dual Language Education, Equity Pedagogy and Raciolinguistics, Critical Consciousness, Early Childhood Education Literacy, and Equity for Non-White Women Faculty Advancement in Higher Education.

Adam Sawyer Biography:

Adam Sawyer is Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at California State University, Bakersfield where he also directs the Liberal Studies and Bilingual Authorization programs. His research explores the nexus of migration and education with a focus on Latinx children, youth, and families. He is also a specialist in the design and study of bilingual education programs and models for place-based and culturally sustaining pedagogies for English Learners and other historically minoritized populations, especially in rural California. His recent work has been published by International Multilingual Research Journal, Journal of Latinos and Education, and Teacher Education Quarterly, and he is co-editor of the 2013 Teachers College Press Volume Regarding Educación: Mexican American Schooling, Immigration, and Binational Solutions. Previous to his academic career, Adam served as a 2nd and 3rd grade Spanish bilingual teacher in East Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Los Angeles California and as an academic consultant to the Mexican National Ministry of Education. He also recently served on the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing's Expert Panel for refreshing the Bilingual Authorization Program Standards. In his spare time, he loves to hike, cook, and run unicorn races with his six-year-old daughter.

Kris Nicholls Biography:

Dra. Kris Nicholls has extensive experience in all areas of English Learner and Dual Language Immersion education. Fluent in English and Spanish, she was a bilingual teacher and a mentor teacher in Riverside Unified, an English Learner and Dual Immersion coordinator at the Riverside County Office of Education, and an Assistant Professor at CSU San Bernardino. Dr. Nicholls has worked in pre-service teacher education for more than 25 years. Dra. Nicholls is the Bilingual Program Coordinator for the Teacher Education Program at the UC Riverside. Over the past two years, the BILA program has grown to over 40 this year. She is also the CEO of Nicholls Educational Consulting, which specializes in English Learner and Dual Language Immersion education, serving districts and schools across the United States. Previously, as the Director of Professional Development Services (PDS) for the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE), Dra. Nicholls and team collaborated with the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington, D.C., and faculty at San Diego State University to create tools for teachers and administrators based on the Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education, 3rd Edition to support strong, successful, and sustainable dual language programs across the US.

Nirmla Griarte Flores Biography:

As a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines, Dr. Nirmla Flores is privileged to serve as an Assistant Professor at California State Polytechnic University Pomona. As a former bilingual elementary school teacher for 12 years, she also performed the duties of a site technology coordinator. Her doctorate degree in Educational Leadership for Social Justice with a certificate in Reading Literacy and a master’s degree in Education with a Multicultural emphasis paved the way to her teaching of various graduate and undergraduate courses such as Foundations in Literacies, Language and Literacy, STEM, and Rhetoric and Writing. She has also co-edited and co-authored a book, written book chapters/journal articles, and received internal/ external grants that address the cultural and linguistic needs of K-12 students. She is currently taking the lead for an international research project with a team of American and Costa Rican University professors on a comparative analysis of literacy instruction. As a current CABTE & CAAPAE Webmaster/Board Member, and an active member of CCTE, Dr. Flores has gained much appreciation for biliteracy/multiculturalism and a relentless desire to bring diverse groups together around a common vision.

Danna Moreno's Biography:

Danna Baldwin Moreno, Supervisor of Teacher Education at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), has been a lecturer and supervisor since 2014. She observes, coaches, and evaluates bilingual and non-bilingual student teachers in kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms. She has also administered the Central California Writing Project at UCSC in 2022-23. She earned a Masters of Public Administration from Golden Gate University in 2006, a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with Bilingual-Cross Cultural Emphasis from the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, California, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science/Ciencias Sociales from the University of the Pacific, Elbert Covell College’s dual-immersion program in Stockton, California. Ms. Moreno has been a dedicated Bilingual (Spanish-English) Educator in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties since 1978.

BOARD MEMBERS

Board Members

Laura Alvarez
Board Member

Jongyeon Joy Ee
Board Member

Ivan Montes
Board Member

Catherine Walter
Board Member

Elsie Solis
Board Member

Jordi Solsona-Puig
Board Member

Diane Sharken Taboada
Board Member

Eduardo Muñoz-Muñoz
Board Member

Diane Sharken Taboada's Biography:

Diane is a Spanish bilingual educator and former Fulbright Scholar with experience teaching and coaching from pre-school through university. Her interests center on Spanish and English language and literacy instruction in K-12 schools and improvement of professional practice. Working with CABTE allows her to learn from others and share the experience of creating strong, knowledgeable educators to add to our strength as professionals. A graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Education a former member of the UCB History Social Science Project Teachers’ Research Group, Diane has over 35 years experience as a bilingual teacher K-4, bilingual Reading Specialist (Reading Recovery/Descubriendo La Lectura) and instructional coach for Reading, ELD and Dual Language programs, most recently in Mt. Diablo Unified School District. She has spent extensive time in México, both as a researcher and instructor at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro. Retired from K-12 education, she has continued in the field as a supervisor and Field Seminar instructor for the past 4 years in teacher credential programs at Holy Names University, Cal State East Bay and Sonoma State University

Elsie Solis Biography:

Elsie Solis, Ed.D., Assistant Professor at California State University San Marcos, serves graduate students pursuing their single subject or multiple subjects credentials and Masters of Education degree. She collaborates with local districts and provides professional learning concentrating on best practices for Dual Language Learners, English/Multilingual Learners, and World Language education. Prior to higher education, she served as a World Language Department Chair at Temecula Valley High School and taught Spanish I-IV & Spanish for Native Speakers in grade levels 6th-12th. She later moved to Bakersfield and worked at the Alternative Education community and court schools as an English and multiple subjects educator to a large population of English Learners and At-Promise students in grades 4th-12th. She continues to dedicate her work to advocating for equality, equity, and social justice for English Learners. She has presented her work at major conferences such as NABE, NAME, CABE, CCTE, CLTA, and CATESOL. Dr. Solis-Chang was an emerging English Learner in the primary grades and therefore knows the struggles faced by culturally and linguistically diverse students. Her passion is to instill knowledge to others and bring awareness of the importance of supporting English Learners as well as speakers of other languages. She fervently believes that all students deserve an equal opportunity to learn and academically succeed in school and beyond.

Laura Alvarez' Biography:

Laura Alvarez is an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education and Director of the Bilingual Authorization in Spanish Program at Saint Mary’s College of California. She has over 20 years’ experience as an elementary and middle school teacher, researcher, and teacher educator focused on improving the educational experiences of multilingual and immigrant youth. Alvarez’s research focuses on multilingual students’ language and literacy development and how teachers conceptualize language in their pedagogical practice. Most recently, she managed a research and curriculum development project funded by the National Science Foundation focused on creating opportunities for language development through inquiry-based science. Her work as a researcher and teacher educator is informed by her experience as a teacher in Oakland, where she taught all subjects in grades 4-8 in bilingual, dual-immersion, and sheltered English programs and served as an instructional coach for a TK-8 dual-immersion school. Alvarez earned a Ph.D. in Educational Linguistics from Stanford University and an M.A. in Education from Mills College. She has published and presented her work in a variety of journals, books, and conferences and is co-author (with Samway and Pease-Alvarez) of Supporting Newcomer Students: Advocacy and Instruction for English Learners and (with Valdés and Capitelli) of Latino Children Learning English: Steps in the Journey.

Jordi Solsona-Puig Biography:

Dr. Jordi Solsona-Puig is an Assistant Professor at the Watson College of Education, Department of Teacher Education & Foundations. He serves as the Bilingual Authorization co-coordinator at the WCOE, where he also acts as the Dual Immersion Symposium Chair, Principal Investigator for the IBAP grant. With over two decades of dedicated teaching experience and research, Dr. Solsona-Puig initially ventured to California in 2012 as a visiting teacher, immersing himself in a Spanish dual immersion program while also instructing Social Studies and Digital Literacy in English at the Middle School level. Prior to his journey in bilingual education in the U.S., Dr. Solsona-Puig developed his skills in Spain, where he served as an Elementary and Secondary teacher and counselor, in addition to being a University Instructor at the Open University of Catalonia. As multicultural and multilingual scholar himself, he navigates teaching and researching in three languages: Catalan, Spanish, and English. Driven by his extensive experience and unwavering commitment to bilingualism, he eagerly looks forward to leveraging his expertise and research for the betterment of all students.

Jongyeon Joy Ee Biography:

Dr. Jongyeon Joy Ee is an Associate Professor in the School of Education and holds the position of Bilingual Education Program Director at Loyola Marymount University. Her research centers around dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs and equity issues with a particular focus on the educational rights of immigrant students. She is also a passionate advocate for less commonly taught DLBE programs and has worked with Korean dual language program (KDLP) educators and administrators to support the programs, students, and families of the students. Dr. Ee’s research has been published in several prestigious journals, including the American Education Research Journal, Teachers College Record, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, Bilingual Research Journal, and Korean Language in America. Additionally, she co-edited a book with Dr. Patricia Gandara titled “Schools Under Siege: The Impact of Immigration Enforcement on Educational Equity,” published by Harvard Education Press in 2021. Dr. Ee earned her Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she also worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the UCLA Civil Rights Project.

Ivan Montes Biography:

Dr. Montes was born and raised in California's Bay Area. He began his career in education as a teacher serving students identified as English learners at a traditional public school district. Driven by his passion for cross-cultural exchanges, he spent time in classrooms abroad as a U.S. Fullbright Fellow under the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Since then, he has served in a variety of capacities in his home community of Santa Clara County to advance educational equity across PK-adult: as school principal, district office administrator, and school district board trustee. In addition to his work in PK-adult education, Dr. Rosales Montes serves as the Multilingual Education Faculty and the Lead for the Bilingual Authorization in Spanish at Alder Graduate School of Education. Dr. Rosales Montes completed his formal schooling at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education, where his research focused on language policy at the intersection of special education and language learning. His research interests include the intersections of disability/language/race, culturally sustaining pedagogies, and advancing practitioner research. In addition to advancing educational equity, Dr. Rosales Montes enjoys time with family, gardening, yoga, and exploring the outdoors.

Catherine Walter's Biography:

Dr. Catherine Walter is Program Director for Curriculum and Instruction and the CTEL/Bilingual programs at Point Loma Nazarene University. She brings over 10 years of experience in K–12 education, where she taught in a variety of program models serving multilingual learners. She also supported the implementation of a dual language program at her school site. For the past 8 years, she has worked in higher education, focusing on preparing teachers to support multilingual students. Her doctoral research examined bilingual policy and dual language program implementation, deepening her commitment to advancing equity and access for bilingual educators and multilingual learners through sustainable program pathways. In her current role, she leads curriculum development, faculty support, and candidate advising with a focus on asset-based and culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy. Her research interests include the role of AI in supporting multilingual students in the classroom and expanding access to high-quality bilingual preparation. She is passionate about uplifting the languages, cultures, and identities of California’s multilingual student population.

Eduardo Muñoz-Muñoz' Biography:

Eduardo R. Muñoz-Muñoz, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor and the Coordinator of the Critical Bilingual Authorization program “Bilingüismo y Justicia”, and a core faculty member in the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program at the Lurie College of Education at San José State University. Dr. Muñoz-Muñoz earned his doctorate at Stanford University in 2018. He also holds a Masters Degree in Sociology (Stanford University, 2016), a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership (UC Berkeley, 2010), and a Licenciatura in English Philology (Universidad de Córdoba, España, 2000). A former teacher and administrator, his research, teaching, and practice engage with issues of linguistic access, educational opportunities, and teacher preparation from a critical policy ethnography stance. Additionally, he regularly supports and advises districts and dual immersion programs on design and implementational issues pertaining to multilingualism.

EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS

Alan Jones
Ex-Officio Board Member

Magaly Lavadenz
Ex-Officio Board Member

Alan Jones Biography:

Alan H. Jones LMU Center for Equity for English Learners (CEEL) has served since 1998 as the Executive Secretary of the California Council on Teacher Education and is also the owner and publisher at Caddo Gap Press, a small educational publishing company specializing in scholarly journals in the fields of teacher education, multicultural education, and the social foundations of education. He holds B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan in history, comparative education, and the social foundations of education.

Magaly Lavadenz Biography:

Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D. is Leavey Presidential Endowed Chair in Moral and Ethical Leadership and founding Executive Director of the Center for Equity for English Learners in the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University. Her research addresses the intersections and impact of policies and practices for culturally and linguistically diverse students, their teachers and school leaders. Her work is published in numerous articles, chapters, and books, including Latino Civil Rights in Education: La Lucha Sigue, with Anaida Colón Muñiz and Questioning our Practices: Bilingual Teacher-Researchers and Transformative Inquiry. She began her teaching career as a bilingual paraprofessional and has served in a variety of roles in K-12 settings, including as a bilingual teacher and English as a Second Language Specialist. Magaly has also served in statewide leadership positions, including as past president of the California Council on Teacher Education, Californians Together, the California Association for Bilingual Education, and as founding president of the California Association for Bilingual Teacher Education, and serves on local, state and national education advisory boards.

Ex-officio Board Members

LEADERSHIP

OFFICERS

Clara Amador-Lankster
President

Adam Sawyer
President-Elect

Kris Nicholls
Treasurer

Danna Morena
Secretary

Nirmla Griarte Flores
Communications Director

BOARD MEMBERS

Laura Alvarez
Board Member

Jongyeon Joy Ee
Board Member

Ivan Montes
Board Member

Catherine Walter
Board Member

Elsie Solis
Board Member

Jordi Solsona-Puig
Board Member

Diane Sharken Taboada
Board Member

Eduardo Muñoz-Muñoz
Board Member

EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS

Alan Jones
Ex-Officio Board Member

Magaly Lavadenz
Ex-Officio Board Member

Contact Us

Quick Links

LEADERSHIP

OFFICERS

Clara Amador-Lankster President

Adam Sawyer President-Elect

Kris Nicholls Treasurer

Danna Morena Secretary

Nirmla Griarte Flores Communications Director

BOARD MEMBERS

Laura Alvarez Board Member

Jongyeon Joy Ee Board Member

Ivan Montes Board Member

Catherine Walter Board Member

Elsie Solis Board Member

Jordi Solsona-Puig Board Member

Diane Sharken Taboada Board Member

Eduardo Muñoz-Muñoz Board Member

EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS

Alan Jones Ex-Officio Board Member

Magaly Lavadenz Ex-Officio Board Member

Contact Us

Quick Links

Clara Amador-Lankster
President

Adam Sawyer
President-Elect

Kris Nicholls
Treasurer

Danna Morena
Secretary

Nirmla Griarte Flores
Communications Director

Laura Alvarez
Board Member

Jongyeon Joy Ee
Board Member

Ivan Montes
Board Member

Catherine Walter
Board Member

Elsie Solis
Board Member

Jordi Solsona-Puig
Board Member

Diane Sharken Taboada
Board Member

Eduardo Muñoz-Muñoz
Board Member

Alan Jones
Ex-Officio Board Member

Magaly Lavadenz
Ex-Officio Board Member