Julie Anna Manley, PSWA Employee of the Year 
Psychologist

Julia Anna Manley was recently recognized for her 25 years of service as a school psychologist in EGUSD. As a school psychologist, she has served various schools, programs, students, families, and staff within EGUSD. In addition to being a well-respected and knowledgeable psychologist, Julie Anna has served in positions of leadership during her years with EGUSD. She served as past PSWA President and member of the PSWA Executive Board. She also takes the lead and initiative with new assessment technology and volunteers her time to train and mentor others. Julie Anna is an exceptional school psychologist and EGUSD is lucky to have her!

Edith Hernandez, AFSCME Employee of the Year
Library Technician

Monterey Trail High School is so excited to celebrate and congratulate Edith for being honored as the Classified Employee of the Year. She is so deserving as one of the kindest people around who works tirelessly to do what is best for our students. Her hard work never goes unnoticed and she makes everyone feel special with her welcoming smile. Her attention to detail ensures the library is running smoothly day in and day out. Edith has made a positive impact encouraging reading to improve literacy while helping all to feel they are part of our school community. And, side note she loves life and helps others enjoy it as well. We are grateful to have had so many years with her as a Mustang!

Theresa Hoang, ATU Employee of the Year
Scheduling Technician

Theresa was hired as a school bus driver in 2017. She was recognized as a truly excellent school bus driver right away. She would perform her daily driving assignments and had excellent customer service. She has exceptionally good school bus driving skills and has good defensive driving skills as well. She was always willing to assist dispatch and transport additional students before or after finishing her own route assignments in the times we did not have enough drivers. Theresa showed interest in learning new skills and started helping in the office whenever she had time available. Theresa quickly learned several tasks helping different schedulers with multiple projects. Theresa is often praised for paying attention to details and finishing projects with accuracy. She became a scheduling technician in 2022 and advanced her skills in other areas of the office as well. In addition to her scheduling job duties, she also drives different routes every day to minimize the impact of the continuous driver shortage. She has a good sense of humor and will make you laugh telling stories.

Belinda Vierra, CSEA Employee of the Year
Paraeducator

Belinda Vierra is an amazing human - she makes every place on campus better, just by being there. There isn’t a person on the Albani Middle School campus that doesn’t get greeted by her warm and positive smile – she is absolute sunshine! Belinda has a way of making everyone feel important. She cares about ALL students, not just those on her caseload. Her positivity is infectious. She is so giving and will do anything to help kids. Belinda always goes above and beyond in all that she does, but especially in helping our overall school culture to be a more welcoming, inclusive place for everyone. She is sweet and caring in every situation. Students that work with her know that they will be expected to work hard, but that they will be accepted and respected as they collaborate and achieve. We are so lucky that Belinda has chosen to be a Falcon!

Tina Rees, EGTEAMS Employees of the Year
Manager

Tina is an essential part of our Maintenance & Operations team, and she is so deserving of this special recognition. Tina has worked diligently on improving staff morale during these challenging times with labor shortages coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic. She has a creative, unique, friendly style and she is very giving person. Tina works extremely well with the sites and making sure their needs are being addressed and taken care of. Tina builds positive working relationships with all whom she meets. She can be counted on when the stakes are high, and we are very fortunate to have her on the Maintenance & Operations Leadership team.

Don Ross, EGTEAMS Employees of the Year 
Director

Don Ross is a man that leads with integrity, kindness, and a focus on student outcomes. He is a lifelong learner that has dedicated his educational career to supporting students and families that often go on unnoticed. Working for and with Don means you are heard, empowered, and will laugh often. Don Ross is a consummate professional and goes above and beyond expectations to support his team and colleagues. Throughout his time as Director of Student Support and Health Services he has led the district with implementing PBIS, Social Emotional Learning, and is currently establishing the MTSS Framework as a way of thinking and a structure for supporting students.

Julian Livingston, EGTEAMS Employees of the Year
Computer Training & Support Specialist III

Julian Livingston has been a dedicated employee of Elk Grove Unified School District since 2001. He started his career as a Technician with Technology Services and since 2016, Julian’s primary role has been technology project management. With his outward mindset and through the spirit of collaboration, Julian has become the primary liaison between the Technology Services and Food & Nutrition Services departments. He plays an integral role in supporting the point-of-sale hardware and software used by district staff to serve tens of thousands of meals to students at every school site, each and every day of the school year. Julian not only supports these solutions but he also serves as a resource to the entire Tech Services team helping them learn the nuances of supporting these systems.

Susannah Fox, NUHW Employee of the Year
Behavior Support Specialist

Susannah is a true professional who brings much compassion, kindness, and positive energy to the work she does. Susannah serves as the PBIS Coach and Behavior Support Specialist for Cosumnes River, Dillard, McGarvey, Pleasant Grove, and Sunrise Elementary Schools. She is also one of the NUHW Union Representatives for her working group. As a leader, Susannah provides support to her peers and colleagues in a variety of ways. She keeps up with current research methods in both PBIS and ABA and openly collaborates with others; working on projects, providing trainings, supporting students, and planning/modeling implementations. Susannah acts as a liaison between SSHS management and NUHW too, bringing both groups together in a common vision to support every student, in every subject, every day to be college and career learners. She is a leader on our team and is well respected by peers, school staff, and Admin alike. As a support provider, Susannah is student centered and works to provide safe, respectful, and responsible learning environments for all students. Susannah is an integral part of the PBIS & MTSS Teams at all of her school sites and works closely with intervention teams, identifying student needs and putting appropriate supports in place to accommodate the whole student. We are extremely grateful to have Susannah on our team and are incredibly proud of her accomplishments.

Kristi Chavez, EGEA Teachers of the Year
9-12th Grade Music Teacher

All of her students, their families, and any staff member who has been fortunate enough to work with her would tell you that she is deserving of any and all recognition that denotes her fabulousness. She not only gives tirelessly to her school community year in and year out, but she does so with an open heart, warm smile, and welcoming demeanor that puts everyone around her at ease. No teacher works harder than Kristi Chavez. I’m not sure how she has sustained such levels of excellence for so many years, having never taken a break, asked for anything special, or expected anything in return. She is a hero and champion to her students and their families. They all continue to remain in contact with her long after they move on because Kristi builds authentic relationships and connections with everyone she serves. It has been my pleasure and honor to work with her, and I can safely say that no teacher is more deserving of this award.

Jamie Davis, EGEA Teachers of the Year
4th Grade Teacher

Jamie is the type of teacher we all wish to be, yet few have the necessary daily energy, knowledge, and passion for teaching and children that Jamie exemplifies. She is a teacher leader who has high expectations for her students, herself, and her colleagues. Her beautiful classroom is a testament to her dedication to her students. There are personalized celebrations of writing, evidence of differentiated workshop, a leveled library, anchor charts, vocabulary, elements of AVID goal setting, and celebrations of different cultures. Ms. Davis seeks out special learning experiences for her students, whether that be fractions boot camp, making unique connections to the social studies curriculum, or participating in restorative practices such as morning circle. Ms. Davis exemplifies the type of teacher our students deserve. She loves our students and goes the extra mile to meet their needs, whether that means counseling students before school, tutoring after school, leading clubs, or running the talent show. She continually demonstrates leadership and has served as an induction/PAR consulting teacher, a CSUS Master teacher, our Media Club adviser, Illuminate TOT, grade-level leader, and all-around advocate for teacher excellence and high expectations.

Matthew Jacobson, EGEA Educator of the Year
Counselor

Mr. Jacobson is an empathetic, honest, and considerate counselor. He provides a non-judgmental and safe space for students to discuss personal concerns, academics, and conflicts. While he advocates for all students, he is passionate about advocating for our LGBTQ+ students. The students at Jackman Middle School trust Mr. Jacobson and often request his support in times of need. Mr. Jacobson not only supports students, but also provides leadership in the counseling department as department chair/head counselor. He facilitates department meetings and provides guidance to his team as they collaborate and discuss student and school needs. He mentors counseling interns yearly providing a model of how to address various counseling tasks in a middle school setting. He frequently connects with our feeder sites to prepare for incoming and outgoing students as they transition from elementary to middle and high school. He collaborates with the school social worker, teachers, administrator, and various district departments to gather resources to support students. Mr. Jacobson is an essential part of our school community and works daily and diligently to ensure students safety, growth, and happiness at Jackman.