State PTA elects officers for new term (revised)

PRESS RELEASE
May 6, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS

Carol Kocivar
Vice President, Communications
(415) 577-1125

Alison apRoberts
Communications Manager
(916) 440-1985, ext. 106
aaproberts@capta.org

New officers elected at PTA convention

San Jose - The California State PTA installed new officers for the 2009-2011 term on the final morning of the organization's 110th annual convention.

About 2,000 PTA delegates and members at the convention voted on the officers to lead the organization of nearly 1 million volunteer members. The new term begins July 1.

Jo Loss was installed as president for the coming term. Her lengthy leadership resume includes having served the state PTA as the vice president of Leadership Services and Education, as well as serving as president of the Peralta District.

Additionally, she represents the PTA on the EdSource Board of Directors, and she represents parents on the P-16 Council of Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell.

She also has served on the Castro Valley Board of Education for 14 years. Loss and her husband have four children, ages 18 to 28.

Loss has set a goal of providing more services for more families for her presidency.

"We will provide more for more members," Loss told the convention on Sunday morning. "We will make PTA even more of the go-to organization for children and families and we will increase the visibility of the California State PTA so everyone knows about the important work you are doing for all of California's children and families.

"Most of all, we want and need to hear them say that they want to be a part of PTA because they are seeing, hearing, feeling and experiencing the amazing value that PTA adds to their community. And they want that for their children and all of the children," she added. "I believe that to maximize our potential and volunteer power, the California State PTA must adapt and change to serve the needs, concerns and interests of the current and future children and families within our state.

"For me, everything we do, as an organization, as a PTA representative or as a human being can be summed up in just one sentence. That sentence is, "Every parent wants the best for their child."

Others installed as new officers for the coming term follow. All have extensive PTA experience at all levels.

President-elect: Carol Kocivar, currently Vice President for Communications for the state PTA. She has also served as a legislative advocate and on many committees and commissions for the organization. She has worked particularly on efforts to support the arts and physical education in schools and to defeat vouchers. Carol has worked as a journalist and attorney. Currently, she serves as an ombudsperson for special education and hosts a radio show. She lives in San Francisco, where her children attended public schools.

Vice President for Leadership Services: Barbara Ledterman, currently Education Vice President, with varied experience in PTA at all levels. She lives in Los Alamitos.

Vice President for Member Services: Mary Galuska, currently Secretary of California State PTA. She has been involved in PTA for 20 years, and lives in the city of Orange.

Vice President for Communications: Linda Mayo, currently serving as a federal advocate on the California State PTA Legislation Team. She lives in Pleasant Hill.

Vice President for Convention: Kathy Stevenson, currently the Convention Exhibits chairman. She lives in Santa Clarita.

Vice President for Community Concerns: Brian Bonner, currently an education advocate on the Legislation Team of the state PTA. He also is a member of the National PTA Committee on Diversity. He lives in San Diego.

Vice President for Education: Suzan Solomon, currently an advocate for education for the state PTA. She is also serving her third term on the board of the Newhall School District. She lives in Santa Clarita.

Vice President for Health: Colleen You, currently the Vice President for Parent Involvement for the state PTA. She lives in Belmont.

Vice President for Parent Involvement: Becky Reece, currently Vice Chairman of the Finance Commission and Chairman of the Student Involvement Committee. She lives in Eureka.

Vice President for Membership: Carol-Ann Koch-Weser, currently a Leadership Services Advisor on the PTA Board of Managers. The Vice President for Membership is a new officer position, created at the convention through adoption of a new bylaw intended to "demonstrate the organization's strong commitment to membership as a priority with support to our units, councils and districts for strategic focus on all areas of membership, including recruitment, retention, and outreach."

Secretary: Anna Thompson, currently workshops chairperson on the Convention Commission and secretary of the Scholarship and Grant Committee. She lives in Sunnyvale.

Treasurer: Diane Foote, currently a Leadership Services Advisor on the PTA Board of Managers. She lives in Sunnyvale.

In addition, two Board of Directors appointees were named, as follows.

Director of Legislation: Debbie Look, currently serving as Community Concerns advocate for the state PTA. She lives in Pleasanton.

Parliamentarian: Sue King, currently a leadership advisor on the state PTA's Leadership Services Commission. She lives in San Diego.

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everychild.onevoice.

The California State PTA has nearly 1 million members throughout the state working on behalf of public schools, children and families, with the motto, "Every child, one voice." The PTA is the nation's oldest, largest and highest profile volunteer organization working to improve the education, health and welfare of all children and youth. The PTA also advocates at national, state and local levels for education and family issues. The PTA is nonprofit, nonsectarian and noncommercial.

For more information about the California State PTA, visit www.capta.org.