By Khalida Sarwari
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed Oakland Charter Academy Executive Director Jorge Lopez to the State Board of Education, the governor’s office announced on Tuesday.
The 38-year-old Moraga resident will be one of 11 members of the governing and policy-making body of the California Department of Education.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell called Lopez “a dedicated educator whom I know and respect.”
“He has focused on helping some of our most underserved student populations and has been successful in closing the achievement gap at the Oakland Charter Academy,” O’Connell said.
During his five-year tenure at Oakland Charter Academy, Lopez was responsible for major improvements at the school helping it to garner the Title I Academic Achievement Award and become a No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School in 2008.
Prior to his stint at the Oakland Charter Academy, Lopez served as the program director for Sacramento Youth Project/MAAP 2004 and the Migrant Education Region XXVI in 2003. Other positions he has held include principal, teacher and tutor.
He serves as an advisory board member for Latino Families for School Reform and is a member of the Oakland Charter School Consortium as well as a member of the Friends of American Indian Education board of directors.
“I welcome the perspective that Jorge will bring to the State Board of Education and look forward to working with him on initiatives to improve student achievement and close the achievement gap,” O’Connell said.