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Kevin Gordon President	Widely viewed as among the top education advocates in California, Mr. Gordon is President of School Innovations and Advocacy. Along with CEO Jeff Williams, Gordon leads our company's efforts to provide the very best services available to school agencies across budget and finance, curriculum and instruction, categorical programs, human resource management, school facilities construction and education technology. The longtime Executive Director of the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO), Mr. Gordon previously served as the Chief Lobbyist and Assistant Executive Director of the California School Boards Association (CSBA). He has also served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Robert T. Matsui and as a legislative advocate for the California Building Industry Association. He holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco. Prior to that, while completing his undergraduate degree in communication studies at University of California, Davis, he was recruited by the IBM Corporation and served three years in its national marketing division for large systems.
Peter Birdsall Executive Director -- Advocacy and Association Management	With over 30 years experience in state level education policy, Mr. Birdsall is a widely respected analyst and speaker on K-12 issues ranging from school finance to curriculum, assessment and accountability. For 25 years, he owned and operated Birdsall and Associates, a California lobbying firm specializing in K-12 education policy. Prior to that Mr. Birdsall served as chief of the California Department of Education's Legislative Office and chief of staff of the Department's education program branch. Mr. Birdsall began his career in public service as a budget analyst with the California Department of Finance. He has a B.A. in Political Science and Economics and a M.A. in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.
Scott Hill Vice President, Education Policy	Scott Hill is known at both state and national levels for his experience in establishing and implementing standards-based reforms in K-12 schools. He has worked with SI&A since 2004, with the exception of 2007-08, when he served in a public role as California's Undersecretary for the Office of Education. Prior to SI&A, Mr. Hill was a partner at Camelot Consulting LLC, providing strategic planning, business-to-government, and advocacy services. In other service as the Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, he directed daily operations of the California Department of Education, including school Districts and school finance. He directed the statewide revision and implementation of School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) called for in California Senate Bill No.1400. Also the former Executive Director of the California Academic Standards Commission and Curriculum Commission, Mr. Hill worked as Communications Director for the George Lucas Educational Foundation and as a Senior Policy Analyst for the California School Boards Association. He earned his undergraduate degree in political science from George Washington University, and holds an M.A. in government from the University of Virginia.
Abe Hajela Chief Counsel	Mr. Hajela served as the Lead Counsel for the California School Boards Association in the precedent-setting Williams v. State of California legislative settlement. He brings more than a decade of experience in the field of education law, including stints as Special Counsel to the California School Boards Association, Legal Counsel for the San Francisco Unified School District, and as a litigation attorney for the Sacramento firm of Olson, Hagel & Fishburn. He earned his juris doctorate in 1994 at the Hastings College of Law in San Francisco.
Teri Burns Chief Advocate	For six years, Ms. Burns served as the Deputy Superintendent for Governmental Affairs for the California Department of Education (CDE), managing the Department's legislative program at both the state and federal levels. In that capacity, she worked on virtually every major K-12 education issue - including the state budget, implementation of NCLB, and the Williams court case legislation. She has also served for 21 years as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Natomas Unified School District. Prior to her work at CDE, Teri was a staff member in the State Legislature for 16 years. She received her B.A. degree in Political Science/Public Service from University of California, Davis.
Barrett Snider Advocate	Previously, Mr. Snider served as a Legislative Advocate at Birdsall & Associates, where he represented a wide range of K-12 education clients. He also served as Managing Editor of the Comprehensive Legislative Update on Education (CLUE) from 2004 to 2006. Additionally, Mr. Snider has worked on a number of legislative and statewide political campaigns under political consultant Gale Kaufman. Most recently, he was a consultant to the Yes on Prop 1D campaign, the $10.4 billion statewide school facilities bond passed by voters in November 2006. He is a graduate in Political Science and Communication from the University of California, Davis.