OUSD Honors End of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with Tribute To Asian American Leaders Who Have Helped Lead District.
Oakland – Memorial Day is the final day of May, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. And while OUSD has been honoring API students, staff and families since the beginning of the month, now is a good time to celebrate the Asian American people who have helped lead and transform the District. Here is a snapshot of some of the leaders who have supported the students of Oakland in the past and will continue to work on their behalf into the future. Two of them are no longer with us.
Carole Quan, First Asian American OUSD Superintendent, and First Asian American Woman to Lead one of Nation’s Largest School Districts. Quan passed away in January.
Jean Wing, former OUSD Executive Director of Research, Assessment and Data. Wing passed away in March.
Shanthi Gonzales, Current School Board President, First woman of South Asian descent to serve on the Board of Education.
Gary Yee, First Asian American man to serve as OUSD Superintendent, now serving as School Board Director, Former Board President.
Aimee Sueko Eng, Current School Board Director, Former Board President, One of Two First Japanese American Women to be Elected to the Board of Education (2014).
Cliff Hong, Current OUSD Middle School Network Superintendent, Former Principal of Roosevelt Middle School.
Wilma Chan, Former OUSD School Board Director, Current Member of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors (First Asian American Elected to the Board), Former Member of California State Assembly where she was the first woman and first Asian American to be Majority Leader.
Jean Quan, First Asian American woman to serve in elected office in Oakland, starting as OUSD School Board Director. Later was elected to the Oakland City Council and then as the city’s first female Mayor and first Asian American Mayor.
Nina Senn, Former School Board Vice President, One of Two First Japanese American Women to be Elected to the Board of Education (2014).
David Kakishiba, First Japanese American man to serve on the OUSD School Board. Now serves as Executive Director of EBAYC, the East Bay Asian Youth Center.
Bruce Kariya, Former OUSD School Board Director.
OUSD also has numerous Asian-American leaders across the organization including Controller Ryan Nguyen; Senior Director of Strategic Projects, Sailaja Suresh; Juan Du, Executive Director of Research, Assessment and Data; Sonali Murarka, Executive Director of Enrollment and the Charter School Office; Lailan Huen, Program Manager for Asian Pacific Islander Achievement in the Office of Equity; Vinh Trinh, Manager of Master Scheduling and Comprehensive Student Supports and former Principal of Skyline High School; and Director of Communications, John Sasaki.
Of course, there are numerous principals who are Asian American including Pamela Moy at Oakland High School, Alykhan Boolani at Life Academy, Neha Ummat at West Oakland Middle School, Joao Solomon at Roosevelt Middle School, Shirley Clem at Peralta Elementary School, Minh-Tram Nguyen at EnCompass Academy, Lusa Lai at Franklin Elementary School, Mukta Sambrani at Lincoln Elementary School, and Faris Jabbar at La Escuelita.
OUSD celebrates all these Asian-American leaders and thanks them for their dedication to the students of Oakland.