Western Regional Office Names Interim Leader

Aug. 2012

Western News

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Dgupta
David Gupta

David Gupta, the College Board’s executive director in Florida, has been named interim vice president for the Western Regional Office, stepping in for Al Mijares, who has become the superintendent of Orange County Public Schools in California.

During his five years at the College Board, Mijares increased engagement among K–12 and higher education communities in the region and expanded the reach of programs such as the SAT®, AP® and SpringBoard®. Under his leadership and vision, a new office was opened in Los Angeles to more effectively support the institutions and students in the southern portion of the state, and additional staff members were added to focus on the higher education needs in California. He also provided instrumental leadership at the national level with the Superintendent’s Advisory Council and in diversity initiatives.

Mijares returns to a superintendent’s role in one of the nation’s largest school systems, bringing his expertise and energy closer to the day-to-day needs of students.

During the search for a new regional vice president, Gupta will guide the office. He has been with the College Board for eight years and has served as educational manager in the South, K–12 leader in the Midwestern Regional Office and most recently as executive director in Florida.

In addition to these changes, the Western Regional Office has participated in a number of programs and initiatives during the summer to support educators and students:

  • The WACAC/College Board “District Directions,” a partnership program between the Western Association for College Admission Counseling (WACAC) and the College Board Western Regional Office, has been recognized by the National Association for College Admission Counseling with its prestigious and competitive 2012 Rising Star Award. The Rising Star Award honors programs that exemplify excellence and dedication to serving the needs of students in the transition from high school to college. The District Directions program provided intensive and unique professional development experiences for all counselors and college advisers in the Sequoia Union High School District. With the support of WACAC, the College Board, local colleges and universities, counselor mentors and Sequoia district leadership, the 14-month program helped counselors build a data-driven college-going culture in their schools.
  • Higher education staff members represented the College Board at a number of summer conferences hosted by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, and the State Higher Education Executive Officers. Educational managers also participated in the College Board’s ACCUPLACER® User Conference and PowerFAIDS® User Group.
  • Fifteen participants from Arizona, California and Washington joined the second Enrollment Leadership Academy.
  • The Los Angeles Unified School District continues to move forward in supporting its AP and SpringBoard teachers by offering an array of outstanding professional development training. This training started at the end of June, with more than 50 teachers and administrators participating in Initial SpringBoard Training, and continued in early August with more than 110 AP STEM teachers.
  • Two of the top 20 largest school districts in California will be implementing ReadiStep™ across all middle schools in October for the first time. San Diego Unified School District, the second-largest school district in California and 19th in the country, will reintroduce the PSAT/NMSQT® for all 10th-grade students and implement ReadiStep for eighth-graders. Sweetwater Union High School District, the 16th-largest school district in California, will again administer the PSAT/NMSQT in the 10th grade and introduce ReadiStep to all seventh-grade students. In the coming months, more than 30,000 students in these two districts will have access to rigorous, national college readiness assessments, resources to prepare for future exams, and tools to explore careers and colleges.

This fall, the Western Regional Office will offer its annual Fall Counselor Workshop series. These three-hour professional development workshops provide counselors with valuable resources and updates. This year’s expanded offerings include specialized financial aid workshops at select sites.

For additional information, please visit http://counselorworkshops.collegeboard.org.



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