ACCBE Leadership
Our Leadership
The Association of California County Boards of Education (ACCBE) is guided by a dedicated Board of Directors committed to advancing educational opportunities for all students across California. These leaders bring diverse experience, deep knowledge, and a shared passion for supporting County Boards of Education in their vital governance role. Through their leadership, the Board drives ACCBE’s mission and four core pillars:
- Advocate & Amplify: Developing and advocating on legislative and policy issues for County Boards of Education, ensuring a unified and strong voice on matters impacting County Offices of Education.
- Partnerships for Success: Building strong partnerships with the California Superintendent’s Association and coalitions with allied groups to leverage resources and expertise in support of student success.
- Engage, Elevate, & Empower: Strengthening leadership capacity within County Boards, fostering collaboration and peer support.
- Forward-Looking: Focusing on innovative solutions to address the evolving challenges and changes in education.
Together, their work not only strengthens governance but also creates lasting impact for students, families, and communities across California.
Below, you’ll find the members of our Board of Directors who make this work possible.
Our Board Members
- Bina Lefkovitz, ACCBE President, Sacramento
- Dr. David Patterson, ACCBE Secretary, Placer
- Dr. Yvonne Chan, ACCBE Treasurer, Los Angeles
- Deborah K. Maus, Chief Executive Officer
- Jamie Azpeitia-Sachs, Riverside
- Louise Bennicoff Johnson, Nevada
- Ken Berrick, Alameda
- Bryan Burton, Fresno
- Aqeela El-Amin Bakheit Markowski, Lake
- Beverly Gerard, San Mateo
- Guadalupe Gonzalez, San Diego
- Shelton Yip, Yolo (Co-Chair of ABBCE Advocacy Committee)
- Cassidy Morgan Fiel, Intern
Bina Lefkovitz, President
Sacramento County
Bina Lefkovitz, has created community school partnerships, developed innovative programs around civic engagement, career pathway development, and youth leadership. She mentors at promise students and guides them to paths of success. She has facilitated and led advocacy and system change efforts around mental health, social emotional learning in schools, increasing diversity in the public sector workforce, expansion of teacher pipeline programs, and bringing youth voice into public policy decision making. Ms Lefkovitz worked a decade in local government, founded, and led a local youth development non-profit, served as part time faculty at CSUS and for the California School Boards Association and helped launch Innovative Pathways to Public Service. She currently serves as a Trustee on the Sacramento County Board of Education, President of the new Association of California County Boards of Education, past member of the State’s Youth Apprenticeship Advisory Committee, active member in Sacramento Area Congregations Together.
Dr. David Patterson, Secretary
Placer County
Dr. Patterson has more than three decades of experience creating, managing, and supporting the development of high-performing public schools in California and nationally. His service includes more than twenty years on local boards of education, including the Placer County Board of Education (where he currently serves), the Rocklin Unified School District Board of Education, and the Del Paso Heights Elementary School District Board of Education.
Dr. Patterson is a founding member and current Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Association of California County Boards of Education (ACCBE), the only statewide organization representing California county boards of education. Prior to helping establish ACCBE, he held leadership roles within the California County Boards of Education (CCBE) and continues to serve as a member of the California School Boards Association (CSBA) Delegate Assembly. He also served as Chair and co-author of the 2022 Trustee Handbook: A Guide for Shared Governance for County Boards of Education.
Dr. Patterson is also a founder and currently serves as President of California Charter Authorizing Professionals (CCAP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving charter school oversight by supporting school districts and county offices of education. CCAP provides statewide training for district and county authorizing staff and develops a wide range of high-quality authorizer tools and resources. Dr. Patterson is a co-author of two major CCAP reform studies: CCBE Charter Schools Task Force: Blueprint for Better Charter Schools through Better Charter Authorizing (2025) and Protecting California Public Schools Against Fraud: The Charter Sector and Beyond (2024). He is a recognized expert in charter school law, charter school authorizing, and school reform, and he also serves as an adjunct professor at the Fortune School of Education.
Previously, Dr. Patterson served as Director of CARSNet (Charter Authorizers Regional Support Network), a statewide federally funded program administered through the Alameda County Office of Education that focused on building the capacity of charter authorizing agencies to conduct rigorous application reviews and provide high-quality oversight. He also served as Director of the Charter Schools Office for the Alameda County Office of Education. Earlier in his career, Dr. Patterson served as Special Projects Director for Gateway Community Charters in Sacramento and as Superintendent of Athlos Academies, which operates innovative, classroom-based public schools in multiple states.
Dr. Patterson is the founder of the Rocklin Academy Family of Schools and serves as Executive Director Emeritus. Rocklin Academy includes three high-performing Core Knowledge elementary charter schools and a college-preparatory middle-high school. Prior to founding Rocklin Academy, Dr. Patterson served as Director of Governmental Relations for the California Network of Educational Charters, the predecessor organization to the California Charter School Association, representing charter schools before the Legislature, the State Board of Education, the California Department of Education, and the Governor’s Office. Earlier, he spent ten years at the California Department of Education, where he became the department’s principal point of contact for charter schools.
Dr. Patterson earned a Doctorate in Education and Policy from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from The George Washington University, and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. His wife, Kathleen, is a retired Rocklin High School mathematics teacher, and their three adult sons are graduates of Rocklin Unified School District schools.
Dr. Yvonne Chan, Treasurer
Los Angeles County
Yvonne Chan, Ed.D., is the founding Principal of the Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in Los Angeles. She has pushed the limits of education and social innovation for more than 50 years as a school leader, policymaker, and the founder of the first conversion charter school in the nation that now serves 3,300 low-income students (PK-12).
Throughout her trajectory, Dr. Chan:
- changed “crack houses” into schoolhouses,
- established a family center with onsite health services and a community theater,
- transformed gang territories into college prep laboratories,
- instituted an extended school year and a longer school day,
- integrated global studies and career-tech pathways into the daily curriculum,
- provided performance pay for teachers,
- and maximized untapped human and fiscal resources.
Her efforts turned the once failing public school into a community-based learning center and the high-poverty neighborhood into an educational and economic corridor. As a result, the school received the California Distinguish School and the National Blue Ribbon School Award recognitions. She is determined to turn risks into opportunities through her tenacity and forward-thinking skills to do the impossible.
Dr. Chan earned a doctorate in education from UCLA, a Master of Arts in Special Education from California State University, Northridge, a Bachelor of Arts in World Languages from UCLA, and a post-doctoral in Computer Science from UCLA. In addition, she has eight teaching and service credentials and the ability to communicate in four world languages.
Dr. Chan served as a teacher and an administrator at the Los Angeles Unified School District for 20 years. While serving as the Principal of Vaughn, she was also an adjunct professor at California State University, Northridge, and UCLA. In addition, Dr. Chan was a member of the California State Board of Education, a Commissioner of the City of Los Angeles, and is a current LA County Commissioner for Public Social Services.
She has received many awards, including the Milken Educator Award, McGraw Hills Prize in Education Award, James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award, the Gleitsman Citizen Activist Award, Valley of the Stars, Woman of the Year, Distinguished Alumni Award from UCLA and CSUN, and the Rose Award from USC.
Arriving in the U.S. alone at age 17 with just $100, Dr. Chan set out to pursue the American Dream – a dream she realized and a dream in which she now teaches countless others to aspire.
Deborah K. Maus, Chief Executive Officer
Deborah Maus is an association management professional with more than 35 years of experience driving strategic growth, equity initiatives, and sustainable mobility solutions across nonprofit, public, and private sectors. As a Certified Association Executive, she specializes in governance, board development, and operational leadership, helping organizations build inclusive systems and deliver impactful programs that serve diverse communities.
Previously, Deborah served as President & CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors Northern California, where she revitalized strategic planning, expanded training facilities, and strengthened apprenticeship programs. As Executive Vice President of Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors of California, she secured major grants, grew training infrastructure, and led statewide advocacy efforts. Earlier in her career, she managed multimillion-dollar transportation demand programs for WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, including the 511 Regional Ridesharing Program and IE Commuter, and directed sustainability initiatives such as SunLine Transit’s Vanpool Program for agricultural workers.
Deborah holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Rhetoric & Communications from the University of California, Davis, along with certifications in marketing and leadership. She is recognized for her ability to foster collaboration, mentor emerging leaders, and implement innovative solutions that advance workforce development and climate resilience.
Jamie Azpeitia-Sachs, Board Member
Riverside County
Jamie Azpeitia-Sachs is a graduate of Diamond Bar High School, small business owner and Nonprofit leader. She attended UCLA before transferring to Chaminade University of Honolulu to study Dance, Physical Therapy & Kinesiology. Before retiring from dance, she performed with various professional ballet companies including California Riverside Ballet, Inland Empire Contemporary Ballet and the Crystal Cathedral’s “The Glory of Easter.”
Since 2007, Jamie has run the Ballet Program for the Inland Empire Contemporary Ballet where 70+ low-income students from various Inland Empire communities went on to receive higher education degrees within the arts. She is the founder of the Inland Empire Dance Festival and has taught dance for the Riverside Unified School District’s Enrichment Program, the Riverside Arts Council and many more.
In addition to choreographing, and dancing, she helped to implement and create the CAVAPA standards for the state of California and VAPA for the state of Hawaii. Her passion for the arts education of children from underserved communities and children with special needs, she created “Ballet Buddies” and dance scholarships for the underserved communities throughout the Inland Empire. In addition to the arts, Jamie has received numerous VIP invitations to appear at the Breast Cancer Research Foundations’ charity events, for outstanding efforts in helping to find a cure with the fundraising event “Dancing for a Cure”. She was nominated in 2008 as one of San Bernardino County’s Distinguished Women of the Year & honored by the City of Grand Terrace for her dance scholarship program, fundraising, and contributions to the performing arts.
Jamie is a recipient of Assemblyman Mike Morrell, and the Inland Empire Magazine “Unforgettable Hearts” award, Legislative Chair for the Riverside Woman’s Club and a panelist with the NAACP ACT-SO Program.
In addition to studying Physical Therapy, Kinesiology, and Sports & Holistic Medicine for over 30 years, as well as her theatre & dance training, she is an Executive Director for the Miss America Organization.
Jamie currently sits on the board of 2 non-profits Creative Habitat & the Inland Empire Contemporary Ballet, Inc. She is the owner of the Inland Empire Dance Center and In 2021, she was elected to the 61st Assembly as a Delegate. Daughter of a public-school educator, wife of a Director for public school safety & security, she understands the need for children's safety and a quality education.
Jamie and her husband John are long time Riverside residents and the proud parents of 5.
Louise Bennicoff Johnson, Board Member
Nevada County
Louise Bennicoff Johnson was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Penn State University, a Master’s degree in School Administration from Fresno Pacific University and a Doctorate in School Leadership from William Taft University.
A lifelong learner, teacher and coach, Louise retired from our local public schools in 2018. She taught high school biology, geology, chemistry and physics. She was an elementary school principal, a District Director of Curriculum and Instruction, an Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and a California school district Superintendent for 15 years. Her most recent assignment was that of Superintendent of the Nevada Joint Union High School District where she oversaw 7 high schools in Nevada County, CA. Her personal life mission statement is, “To bring the gift of school to the children who need it most.”
Louise has returned to her love of education with a commitment to serve as a representative of Trustee Area 1 on the Nevada County Board of Education. Louise lives with her husband in Nevada City, CA and is delighted to be able to serve our beautiful community in this role.
Ken Berrick, Board Member
Alameda County
Ken Berrick is an elected member and President of the Alameda County Board of Education, and a Past-President of the California County Boards of Education. His education leadership reflects a commitment to strengthening public systems so they can more effectively serve children, youth, and families – particularly those with complex needs. Ken has also served as a Governor’s Appointee on both California’s Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission and the California Child Welfare Council. He is actively involved with California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM), an initiative with the express purpose of improving access to and delivery of Medi-Cal healthcare services. Ken is a two-time former President of the California Alliance of Child and Family Services and serves on numerous policy planning groups in California at both the county and state level.
Ken is the founder of Seneca Family of Agencies, a nonprofit agency dedicated to providing Unconditional Care to children and families through comprehensive education, mental health, juvenile justice, foster care, and permanency services. Since its founding in 1985, Seneca has developed innovative programs ranging from Wraparound and Intensive Treatment Foster Care, to integrated mental health services in schools, and a crisis continuum of care for youth and their families. Ken currently provides consulting services through his company, Rising Social Strategies, including strategic guidance, executive coaching, and systems design for nonprofit organizations and government entities. In 2021, Ken founded a new nonprofit, Just Advocates, an organization that provides individualized advocacy for children and families, in addition to developing systemic solutions at local, state, and national levels.
In 2014, Ken was recognized by California Mental Health Advocates for Children and Youth as Advocate of the Year. In 2017, he was a recipient of the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award, in 2021, a recipient of the Jefferson Bronze Award, and in 2022, a recipient of the Jefferson Silver Award. He is co-author of the books, Unconditional Care: Relationship-Based, Behavioral Intervention with Vulnerable Children and Families (Oxford University Press, 2010); Unconditional Education: Supporting Schools to Serve All Students (Oxford University Press, 2019); and Unconditional Care in Context: Engaging with Ecological Adversity (Oxford University Press, 2022).
Bryan W. Burton, Board Member
Fresno County
Bryan Burton serves as a trustee for the Fresno County Board of Education, where he is currently in his second term and has previously served in leadership roles including Board President and Vice President. He is an active member of the Association of California County Boards of Education (ACCBE), contributing to both the Conference Committee and Policy Platform Committee, and has been engaged in the organization since its inception.
Bryan brings more than two decades of public sector leadership experience, including executive-level roles with the County of Fresno overseeing large-scale operations, budgets, and organizational management. His background includes work in real property management, capital improvement planning, workforce development, and public service delivery, where he has led teams, managed complex systems, and supported strategic initiatives that impact communities across the region.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from California State University, Fresno, where he earned academic distinction, and has built a career grounded in service—beginning in social services supporting individuals experiencing homelessness and later advancing into leadership roles that support organizational effectiveness and community outcomes.
Bryan is deeply committed to education and student success. His involvement in schools began as a parent and community volunteer, leading to elected service on the county board, where he focuses on strengthening governance, supporting core academic achievement, and advancing opportunities for all students. He brings a unique perspective shaped by both urban and rural communities and remains dedicated to fostering collaboration among county boards to improve outcomes for the students they serve.
Aqeela El-Amin Bakheit Markowski, Board Member
Lake County
Aqeela El-Amin Bakheit Markowski is a dedicated community leader, advocate, and educator serving as a Board Member for the Lake County Office of Education, Trustee Area 1, and an active member of the Association of California County Boards of Education (ACCBE).
Aqeela holds a Doctor of Criminal Justice degree from Keiser University Graduate School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (2025), where her research focused on juvenile justice and intervention strategies. She previously earned her Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Keiser University in 2010. Her passion for this field was sparked by a desire to better understand and address the experiences of youth—particularly young men of color—within the justice system.
Since 2015, Aqeela has served as a sworn commissioner on the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission, where she has demonstrated sustained leadership and commitment to improving outcomes for court-involved youth. She is also a long-standing member of the NAACP, where she has held multiple leadership roles since 2002, and has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) since 2015, supporting vulnerable youth in the foster care system.
In addition to her public service, Aqeela is actively engaged in community leadership and outreach. She currently serves as President of the Lake County Chapter of the Retired Public Employees Association (since 2024), is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success, and hosts the weekly radio program “Women’s Voices” on KPFZ, amplifying community perspectives and dialogue. She is also a frequent public speaker at local events.
Aqeela’s work is grounded in a strong belief in elevating youth voice and ensuring that policies and systems reflect the lived experiences of those they serve. Through her role with ACCBE, she is committed to advancing effective governance practices and strengthening support for all students—especially those most impacted by systemic inequities.
Beverly Gerard, Board Member
San Mateo County
Beverly Gerard is a veteran education leader whose decades of service reflect a deep commitment to strong governance, equitable student outcomes, and collaborative leadership across California’s public education system. A Board Member and Past President of the San Mateo County Board of Education, Ms. Gerard has long championed initiatives that strengthen instructional quality, fiscal stewardship, and student support services across the county.
She has held prominent statewide leadership roles, including Past President of the California County Boards of Education (CCBE) and Past President of the San Mateo County School Boards Association (SMCSBA). Her service extends across numerous CCBE committees, including the Policy & Bylaws Committee, Professional Development Committee, and Commission Committee, as well as the CCBE and CSBA Nominating Committees.
Ms. Gerard has contributed extensively to statewide education policy development through her work on the Charter School Task Force, the SMCSBA Kent Awards, and the CSBA Transition Group, along with serving on the CSBA County Board Member Services Conference Committee and Handbook Committee. She also previously served on the CCBE Conference Planning Committee.
Her commitment to inclusive education is further reflected in her service as Board Representative to the SELPA Policy Board, as well as her participation on the Special Education Parent Planning Committee. A founding board member of the Association of California County Boards of Education (ACCBE), Ms. Gerard helped establish the organization to ensure that the issues most critical to county offices of education and school districts receive strong, coordinated advocacy at the state level.
Guadalupe Gonzalez, Board Member
San Diego County
Guadalupe (Lupe) González was appointed to the board in August 2015, to represent District 2. In June 2016, she was elected by the South Bay community to continue representing the areas of National City, Chula Vista, Bonita, Imperial Beach, Nestor, and San Ysidro.
González is a faculty member of the San Diego Community College District, having worked at San Diego Mesa College for 20 years. Previously, she worked for Southwestern College for 14 years. She worked as a counseling practicum supervisor at San Diego State University (SDSU) and has taught at Mesa College and MiraCosta College.
She has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from CSU San Marcos and a master’s degree from SDSU. González also attended Universidad de las Américas in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico.
In addition to serving as president of the San Diego County Board of Education, González is the Region 17 delegate to the statewide California County Boards of Education organization and a delegate to the California School Boards Association. She is a member of the California Latino School Board Association, the California Association of Bilingual Educators, and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials.
Shelton Yip, Board Member
Yolo County
Shelton Yip is in his fourth term as a Trustee, representing Area 4, for the Yolo County Office of Education.
Yip is a retired educator, having served over four decades as a classroom teacher, counselor, vice principal, principal and positions in the district office including Interim Superintendent. For ten years, he was the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) Administrator for the Sacramento City Unified School District and the last six years of his career as the SELPA Administrator for Napa County. He was also an Adjunct Professor in Education for the California State University, Sacramento.
Throughout his professional career, he has been an advocate for marginalized students, students with disabilities and Mental Health services. Yip also served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for foster youth. He can be found “walking the halls” of the State Capitol promoting legislation that would benefit all students. In his spare time, he is currently serving on a National Task Force to protect Social Security and Health Insurance for all. At the local level, he also represents the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) as a liaison to CalSTRS and PERS.He has been very involved with Breaking Barriers, an organization that is committed to creating California’s Child , Youth and Family Ecosystem of Care. We are striving for ONE VOICE: One State, One County, One Vision that leads to One system, One Community, One Leadership team focusing on One service plan for One whole Family and One Whole Child.
Cassidy Morgan Fiel, Intern
Cassi Fiel is a college student at Sacramento State University, majoring in Political Science and International Relations. She has mentored incoming political science students, supporting them through the early stages of their college careers. Cassi is a three-time Dean’s List recipient and will be graduating this spring magna cum laude.
Recognized as a strong collaborator, creative thinker, and lifelong learner, Cassi is dedicated to making education accessible for all students through community-led grassroots activism, institutional advocacy, and volunteer work with at-risk youth.
She currently serves as an intern with the Association of California County Boards of Education (ACCBE), where she supports organizational leadership in their efforts to assist County Boards in strengthening governance and sustainability.