Meet the Team

Dr. Ron Carruth has served as a superintendent for 15 years in the Whittier City and El Dorado Union High School Districts. Ron currently serves as the President of ACSA State Superintendents’ Council, the Executive Director of the California High School Coalition, and an active member of the Southern and Northern California Superintendent groups. Previously he served as President of California City Superintendents and was on the ACS WASC Commission. Ron is decorated with many awards and recognitions, including the 2023 ACSA State Ferd Kiesel Administrator of the Year, ACSA highest award.

After a successful career as a trial lawyer, Dr. David Cash switched his focus towards education. Working his way through the positions of teacher, administrator, and assistant superintendent, David then spent 15 years as a superintendent of schools in Claremont, Clovis and Santa Barbara. He is a past president of the Association of California School Administrators, the Southern California Superintendents Association, and the Suburban School Superintendents. David is currently the Assistant Dean of Leadership in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California, where he has taught for the past seven years.

Denice Cora spent 31 years in three Santa Barbara County school districts and the last twelve years at the Santa Barbara County Office of Education as the Administrator for School Business Advisory Services.  She’s also held the positions of Coordinator of Budget and Finance, Financial Services Manager, Vice President for a software company, and Assistant Vice President as a Commercial Loan Officer at a bank. Her honors include receiving the ACSA North Santa Barbara County Administrator of the Year, ACSA’s Business Services Administrator Award, a Commercial Banking School competitive writing scholarship, and ACSA’s Administrative Excellence Award.

Dr. Ed Cora served as a public educator for 38 years.  As a superintendent, he led the districts of Santa Paula Unified (TK through Adult Education) in Ventura County and Guadalupe Union School District (TK-8) in Santa Barbara County.  Additionally, he led students, staff, and parents as a district administrator and outreach coordinator, served as a principal for both junior high and elementary schools, and began his educational career as a teacher.  Dr. Cora also served as the facilitator of the Superintendents Leadership Academy for the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS).  He has received numerous awards from the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) including Superintendent of the Year, Principal of the Year, Leadership Matters Award, the Administrative Excellence Award, and the State Valuing Diversity Award. 

Rich has served as County Superintendent of Schools in both Lassen County and currently in Tehama County.  He is the current statewide president for the California County Superintendents organization. Rich has led and had oversight of over 20 plus school districts in his nearly 40 years as an educator.  He is an active member of ACSA and has served on the Executive Board for the Small School Districts Association (SSDA). Rich is a trained mediator through the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution through Pepperdine University.  

Jose Gonzalez is an experienced Superintendent of schools in Planada Elementary School District. He has served as the President and Executive Director of the California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators and sits on the Small School District Association Board of Directors, the FCMAT Board of Directors, and SEAC Board of Directors. Jose has vast experience in working with Boards of Education and mentoring superintendents and cabinet level executives. He brings a vast array of professional relationships across the State.

Dr. Clint Harwick is beginning his 20th year as superintendent and sixth year in the Huntington Beach Union High School District. Prior to HBUHSD, Dr. Harwick spent 14 years collectively as the Superintendent in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District, Charter Oak Unified School District, and Rim of the World Unified School District. In 2021, Dr. Harwick was named the ACSA Region 17 Superintendent of the Year, which follows his 2020 Maureen DiMarco Award as a Superintendent Collective. Additional honors include being named into the Azusa Pacific Academic Hall of Fame as an educational contributor and the University of Redlands Hall of Fame as a member of the 1985 baseball team.

After serving as superintendent of schools for ten years for Lake Elsinore Unified and three years for Santa Maria Joint Union High School District, Dr. Doug Kimberly retired in June of 2022. As superintendent, Doug was committed to Board member development through internal workshops, the California School Board Association (CSBA) masters in governance program and CSBA superintendents council. Doug served as an executive board member on two Joint Powers Authorities (JPA): Self Insured Schools of California (SISC) and Joint Educational Transit (JET). With 33 years in education, Doug also served as an assistant superintendent, high school principal, teacher and coach.

Heidi Matthies Dodd has been a member of  the Lake Elsinore Unified School District's Governing Board for 13 years, serving four terms as Board President. She is currently the CSBA Delegate representing Region 18. Trustee Dodd is a dedicated school volunteer, having served as a PTA Board Member for 18 years, two years as the Council President.  She has served her community as the President of the Elsinore Woman’s Club for four years and a member of the Board for 15 years. She has been an active Cops 4 Kids Board Member and works directly with the Police Department to provide support services to children and families in need. She has worked as a commercial designer, employee trainer and sales manager for over 30 years. 

Dr. Mary McNeil is a former Governing Board Member for the Needles Unified School District, where she also previously served as Superintendent. After 45 years in education, Dr. McNeil still teaches as an Adjunct Associate Professor with the USC Rossier School Leadership Academy, is actively involved in the USC Dean’s Superintendent Advisory Group Executive Board, and serves as the Director of the Equity Administrators Academy, Sacramento. A few of her many accolades include ACSA California State Superintendent of the Year, Widney Alumni House Award for her work with Women of DSAG, and the USC Rossier DSAG Hall of Fame award for her service to education as a superintendent.

Dr. Melissa Moore has dedicated 42 years to the field of education, serving as Superintendent of Schools in the El Segundo Unified School District for a decade. Throughout her career, she has received numerous prestigious awards, including Congressional Woman of Distinction, Business and Professional Women of Achievement, and ACSA Region 18 Superintendent of the Year. She was also recognized statewide as ACSA Human Resource Administrator of the Year. Beyond her role in public education, Dr. Moore has made significant contributions on the League of Innovative Schools Advisory Committee,  School Employer Association of California Board, ED SAFE AI Alliance and the DSAG Executive Committee for USC’s Rossier School of Education.

Ralph Porras has experience as a long term Superintendent in the Pacific Grove Unified School District. Dr. Porras has relationships across California through his service as the Director of the State ACSA Superintendent Academy and as a Board Member of SEAC (School Employer Association of California). Dr. Porras is a multiple award-winning superintendent, including the ACSA Leadership Matters Award for Administrative Excellence and others.

Dr. George Sziraki's career in education includes roles as a teacher, coach, principal, assistant superintendent, and 10 years as a superintendent.In addition he served as the Interim Executive Director for Small School Districts and also as an adjunct professor.  George is a well connected transformative leader. He was recognized as the ACSA Regional Assistant Superintendent of the Year and Superintendent of the Year, and served seven years as a superintendent advisor to CSBA, shaping educational policy in California.

Dr. Katherine Fundukian Thorossian’s career in education spans over 35 years. She began teaching in the Walnut Valley Unified School District and grew to assume greater responsibilities in notable districts across the San Gabriel Valley. Dr. Thorossian has held the positions of counselor, high school principal, assistant superintendent of educational services, and most recently, the Superintendent of the Monrovia Unified School District until her retirement in June of 2021. Katherine has been a member of the WASC Commission since 2018 and its representative to the Accrediting Commission for Community & Junior Colleges (ACCJC) since 2021.

After careers in medical research and skilled labor, Mitch Torina spent 20 years in education prior to retirement. His work beginning as an academic counselor in both junior hgih and high schools. He then moved to assistant superintendent of student services and human resources in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. He is an experienced, innovative and skilled facilitator for teachers and administrators. He has continued his equity work in his community by helping to open a teen center. MItch  continues to support districts in Santa Barbara County with leadership development and interim administrative work.

Dr. Rob Voors enjoyed 38 years in education in three different school districts: Temple City USD, Baldwin Park USD, and the Glendora Unified School District, where he served as superintendent. Rob has received many accolades, including Superintendent of the Year in Association of California School Administrators Region XV; semi-finalist for National Superintendent of the Year by National Association of School Superintendents; Congressional Leadership Award – Educator of the Year, and The Gene Beckwith Humanitarian Services Award. Dr. Voors maintains membership in Southern California Superintendents (California) and Suburban School Superintendents (National).