Widely recognized as one of the California State Legislature's foremost advocates of public education, Dede Alpert represented the 39th Senate District in San Diego County for two terms after having served three terms as an assemblywoman. Dede received numerous awards and citations for her efforts, including recognition as Legislator of the Year by the California State University system and Senator of the Year by the California School Boards Association in 1998.

Dede is the author of numerous pieces of landmark legislation, some of which established new educational standards nationwide. She authored legislation that allows parents to choose the public schools their children will attend; the California Assessment of Academic Achievement Act in 1995, which established a state-wide standardized test through which students, schools, and school districts in the state can be compared; and the Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999, which developed criteria linking evaluations of California schools to student performance on standardized tests, rewarded high-performing or improving schools, and assisted under-performing schools. Dede was also a principal author of the "ABC" education reform package of 1995, which required the integration of phonics, basic spelling, and fundamental computational skills into school curricula.

Dede is currently the chair of the Sharp Healthcare Board, a system of five hospitals in San Diego; she is a member of the boards of the Girard Foundation and Price Charities; and she serves on the board of Gompers Preparatory Academy, a charter school in San Diego.

Since earning a degree from Princeton University in Moral and Political Philosophy, Stephen Blake has been an active force in California public education for more than 20 years, having served in multiple roles as a policy analyst and legislative advocate.

Stephen began his career in education with the California Department of Education’s Governmental Affairs Office. While there he was responsible for such issues as school restructuring, student assessment, programs for at-risk youth and low performing schools, and programs related to health and safety. He also staffed the Superintendents’ Ethnic Advisory Councils. Stephen then spent six years as the associate director of the California State University system’s Office of Governmental Affairs, where he was responsible for a wide array of issues including teacher preparation and K-12 partnerships, facilities and new CSU campuses, and Bagley-Keene Act reform.

In 1994, Stephen was a member of policy staff for Assembly Speaker Willie L. Brown, Jr.’s California Education Summit, and in 2006 he was appointed executive director of the Governor's Committee on Education Excellence. He advised on policy and led all operations of the committee.

Stephen is currently the principal of Stephen Blake and Associates, a firm that provides fiscal and policy consultation services for education enterprises and others, as well as financial development services to non-profit, government, and private entities.

Marilyn Brewer, a respected civic leader in Orange County, has worked hard to achieve success in both the public and private sectors. In 1965 Marilyn co-founded the C. Brewer Company with her husband. The company manufactures plastic molds and plastic-injected mold parts for medical equipment. Now a successful enterprise, C. Brewer Co. is run by two of Marilyn’s four sons.

In 1994 Marilyn followed a path into politics and was elected to represent California’s 70th Assembly District. Despite her upbringing by Democratic parents, she ran as a moderate Republican and was elected to three terms. While in the State Assembly Marilyn was vice chair of the Appropriations and Insurance committees. Following her time in office, Marilyn served as a commissioner on the Orange County Transportation Authority, and in 2006 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed her to the Little Hoover Commission, an independent state oversight agency. While in public office Marilyn developed a reputation for fairness and equality, at times going against party line to do what she believed was right.

Marilyn is the founding chair of both the Orange County Coalition of Comprehensive Mental Health Services and Women in Leadership. She has been involved in education issues as a longtime donor to the Marilyn C. Brewer Scholarship in Cal State Fullerton’s College of Education.

In 1994 Delaine Eastin was elected to the first of her two terms as California’s state superintendent of public instruction. Delaine is the first and only woman to be elected to this nonpartisan state constitutional office, in which she was the highest-ranking official in California's elementary and secondary public school system.

While superintendent Delaine spearheaded a major effort to reduce class sizes in grades K-3. As a result, class sizes in 98% of all school districts (nearly 86,000 classrooms) have been reduced from 30 to 20 students. In 1995 she launched the Challenge Initiative, a reform effort to implement higher statewide standards and assessments, as well as a new system of accountability for schools. Delaine also advocated for safe and healthy school environments, up-to-date facilities, twenty-first century technology, family-school partnerships, expanded teacher training and professional development, higher graduation requirements (including the arts in the core curriculum), and increased resources for schools.

Delaine also fiercely advocated for strengthening school nutrition, and she enlisted California as the first state in the nation to embrace the federal Team Nutrition program to improve the nutritional value of school lunches. She has carried out a campaign to bring the arts back into schools at all levels, and she was an enthusiastic supporter of civic engagement and community service for students.

Prior to her election as state superintendent of public instruction, Delaine was elected twice to the Union City Council. While serving on the City Council, she worked in the private sector as a corporate planner and accounting manager, gaining valuable skills that supported her efforts to modernize the California Department of Education. Delaine then served four terms in the state assembly beginning in November 1986 and was chair of the Assembly Committee on Education.

Dr. Sandy Gilbert, Ed.D. recently retired from the Desert Sands Unified School District (DSUSD) with 39 years of experience as an education professional. She was an elementary school principal for the Anaheim City School District in Orange County and was also a member and president of the Orange Unified School District board for one term. She moved to DSUSD where she also served as an elementary school principal. For the past 10 years Sandy has been a program specialist in special education for DSUSD.

In addition to her work at the district level, Sandy has served as a commissioner on the California State Commission on Special Education. She continues to teach as an adjunct professor in several subjects, including special education, at the University of California, Riverside and was an adjunct professor at Chapman University in California.

A Native of Chicago, Illinois, Sandy holds a B.A. in English Literature and Spanish from the University of Illinois, Chicago, an M.A. in Education Administration from California State University, Northridge, an M.S. in Special Education from California Lutheran College, and an Ed.D. in Institutional Management from Pepperdine University.

Aleita J. Huguenin worked for over 10 years as a classroom teacher at Mt. Diablo Unified School District, which included four years as president of the Mt. Diablo Education Association. She then left the classroom to work with the California Teachers Association (CTA), and in 1987 she became the governmental relations manager for the CTA and spent more than 20 years working in contract bargaining/enforcement for school districts and CTA’s 325,000 members.

As a part of the California Teachers Association, Aleita was involved in a number of major campaigns aimed at changing the political and educational landscape. Among these campaigns were 1998’s Proposition 1A, which increased funding to reduce class sizes and to upgrade community college classrooms in California; and Proposition 49, which was successful in securing funding for after school programs for children.

Aleita has been politically active in the Democratic Party for over 40 years. She has worked with the Contra Costa County Central Committee, the State Democratic Party, and the Senate District Chair as well as on every presidential campaign since Jimmy Carter’s successful run in 1976. Aleita has served as Finance Committee co-chair, Labor Caucus Secretary (1992-2002), and Labor Caucus Vice-Chair (2002-2008). She is currently the Western States Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee and was a super delegate in the 2004 and 2008 presidential primaries.

Richard Ieyoub, an attorney with the Baton Rouge firm Hymel, Davis and Petersen, was Louisiana Attorney General for three terms beginning in 1992. He earned a law degree from Louisiana State University in 1972, and prior to his run for AG served seven years as district attorney of Calcasieu Parish.

Ieyoub was elected to his first term as attorney general with the highest vote total ever won by a statewide candidate in Louisiana up to that period. During his tenure, he spearheaded a multimillion dollar tobacco settlement for Louisiana that recovered the costs of health care on behalf of smokers.In that case, Ieyoub played a leading role in the development of a legal theory, parens patriae, that allowed the state to sue on behalf of its citizens.

Ieyoub also was involved in the fight against narcotics abuse through the Louisiana Coordinating Council on the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Abuse, and his office has been nationally recognized for combating underage drinking and drunk driving. Ieyoub has said that his goal was to create "initiatives that protect our children and help our children lead a better quality of life.” He established a nationally recognized statewide school safety program that coordinated efforts between law enforcement and school administrators. He also established a specialized unit to target sexual predators on the internet.

Dr. Sandee Kludt is the former Assistant Superintendent of Special Education/SELPA Director for San Joaquin County. Sandee dedicated her 40-year career to improving education for special needs children, and has received a number of state and national awards for her leadership activities, particularly in the field of autism. Since retiring in 2008, Sandee has served as a consultant in special education for the SJCOE, and has continued her involvement with the Special Education Information System (SEIS), mediations, due process and ADR activities.

Sandee currently serves on the Oversight Committee for the Department of Developmental Services, and is actively involved with a number of educational associations, such as the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) and the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC). Additionally, she has held leadership roles with the Special Education Local Planning Area Association; The Statewide Coalition for Adequate Funding for Special Education; and the Special Education Administrators of County Offices (SEACO).

Kerry Mazzoni knows how to take on issues at the local, state, and national levels and win. The former California education secretary has spent most of her adult life fighting for high quality public schools in California, and she knows that good schools are the center of healthy and safe communities. Kerry has advocated for her community for over 30 years in both the non-profit sector and in elected office. In 1994 she was elected to the California State Assembly for the first of three terms, during which time she chaired the Assembly Education Committee for four years. While in the legislature Kerry served as chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus and as chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures Education Committee.

Kerry has served as a member of the board of directors for numerous local non-profit organizations including the California Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA); the Marin Dance Theater; the Marin Education Fund; the Novato Human Needs Center; the Novato Youth Center; and the Conservation Corps North Bay (formerly the Marin Conservation Corps) where she was President during its recent expansion to Sonoma County. She is currently a local business owner providing government relations services.

Jeff Modisett, a highly respected leader in the legal community both in California and nationally, specializes in resolving complex legal problems prior to litigation. Jeff advises high profile clients including GlaxoSmithKline, Oracle, Bacardi USA, Publishers Clearing House, and Starwood Hotels on corporate compliance and best practices, and recently he guided Facebook to a successful resolution with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo over security and privacy issues.

After obtaining degrees from UCLA, Oxford, and Yale Law School, Jeff, a native of Indiana, worked on Evan Bayh’s successful 1988 campaign for Indiana governor. In 1996 Jeff was elected as Indiana’s attorney general after a stint as the county prosecuting attorney in Indianapolis. As attorney general he became actively involved in the landmark legal battle between 37 states and the country’s top cigarette manufacturers, ultimately negotiating a preliminary settlement with the tobacco industry calling for changes in the marketing of cigarettes.

Jeff is currently a partner at the legal firm Bryan Cave, LLP. He has been named one of Southern California’s “Superlawyers” by Los Angeles Magazine and Law & Politics from 2006-2010. In 2009 he was named one of the top 100 lawyers in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal.

State Representative Sandra L. Murman completed eight years as a member of the Florida House of Representatives in 2004. Representative Murman was the first Republican Woman to hold the position of Speaker Pro-Tempore in the Florida House of Representatives. She hit the ground running in Tallahassee and through her hard work and knowledge of the legislative process she personally sponsored and passed 64 bills and brought home over $ 900 million dollars that benefited the Tampa Bay area and her constituency during her tenure.

Sandy represented the citizens of District 56, which covers Harbour Island, Davis Island, Gibsonton, Riverview, Brandon and downtown Tampa. Before deciding to seek election, Representative Murman had a successful career in business as a manager and sales representative for Top 500 Companies.

Sandy has lived in the Tampa Bay area for over 35 years and has spent many hours volunteering her time as an active community advocate as well as a public policy leader in making children and families safer, smarter, healthier, and financially secure for the future. She has been directly involved in more than 20 organizations that support our community and enhances the lives of our children and hard working families. Her hands on approach in addition to her knowledge and leadership in the legislature in helping others has earned her recognition and numerous awards for her unequaled support, such as the Lifetime Achievement Award for the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Peter Bernal Award of Distinction for the Florida Association of Health Care Plans, Community Advocate for Education award for the Hillsborough Education Foundation, Sun Coast Girl Scout Council 2004 Woman of Distinction, Sheriff’s Association, Legislative Leadership; Florida Medical Association, Legislator of the Year; Florida Assisted Living Association, Legislator of the Year; Florida Association of Community Health Centers, Legislator of the Year and American Cancer Society, Legislative Leadership.

Her commitment to Florida’s children is well noted and is evident by her selection to the Prepaid College Foundation Board, Florida Taxwatch Commission on Education Performance and Accountability and the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County. She serves as a civic leader on many other Boards and Commissions that help children such as Chair of the board of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, Chair of Brandon Regional Hospital Board, Brandon Community Foundation, Hillsborough Kids, Inc., PACE Center for Girls, The Children’s Home, Healthy Start Coalition, Communities In Schools, founding director of LLT Charter School, The Children’s Museum, Dream Givers, to name a few. Representative Murman is also active in the community as a member of the American Business Women’s Association, USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy, Kiwanis Club of Tampa and Exchange Club of Tampa. She is an active member of the Brandon, Tampa and Riverview Chambers of Commerce and served as past chair of the capital campaign committee for the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, present chair for the Children’s Museum Capital Campaign, as well as, Chair of the American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Walk, Honorary Chair for the Brandon YMCA Capital Campaign, and chair of the American Heart Association Board for Hillsborough County.

As a former vice-chair of House Appropriations Committee and chair of the Health & Human Services Appropriations and Health Policy Council, Sandy secured major funding for local institutions such as the University of South Florida Health Sciences Center and Tampa General Hospital. She worked on critical issues such as Nursing Shortage, long term care reform for elderly services, Nursing Home Litigation reform, HMO and Medical malpractice legislation to protect physicians, men and women health strategies, and critical reform of child protective services and foster care. She continued to take on tough issues and with healthcare as her top priority. Sandy spearheaded growth management legislation to address school facility issues, financial practice reviews of our school districts, and keeping adult entertainment establishments from being located near our schools and children.

A native of Indiana and a graduate of Indiana University with a Bachelors of Science degree in Marketing, former State Representative Murman is presently a business consultant for Barr, Murman, Tonelli, P.A. She is married to local attorney Jim Murman and they have a daughter, Michele who graduated from Florida State University and is currently in graduate school to be a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.

Richard Phillips has spent 45 years in a variety of capacities in public education in Missouri and has been involved in a number of community activities at the local and state level.

In 1979, Phillips was selected by the Commissioner of Education to direct the state’s Classification and Accreditation Program. He spent the next fourteen years with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, where he recommended the approval of educational programs and services and developed the approval process for the educational programs of school age youth in the Missouri Division of Youth Services Programs. Phillips also was instrumental in establishing "The Show Me Curriculum Administrators Association" in 1997 that developed a statewide focus on improving student performance through curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation. He served as president of that organization for two years.

After retiring from the public school system in 2000, Phillips founded an educational consulting company, Phillips Keynote Consultants, that develops strategic plans to enhance student performance. He served on a State University Board of Governors ( of which he was president for two years) and was Interim Deputy Commissioner for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2010.

Currently Phillips is the executive director of the Missouri Student Success Network (MSSN). The leadership of MSSN comprises representatives from state agencies and institutions that have responsibility for providing services to students at risk of school failure or in crisis.

Dr. Stewart has joined Accelify as a Member of its National Board of Advisors. Terry is currently a professor in the Education Administration Doctoral Program at Lindenwood University. Prior to Lindenwood, he served eleven years as Superintendent of Schools for the School District of Jennings, and nineteen years overall as a Superintendent of Schools. While in Jennings, Dr. Stewart also served as an adjunct professor for Lindenwood University. Prior to going to Jennings he served five years as Assistant Commissioner, Division of Administration, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary education (DESE). He continues to serve as a consultant to numerous groups and organizations and speaks on educational topics around the country. He has an Ed. D. from the University of Missouri, Columbia. Dr. Stewart is also a member of Accelify's National Board of Advisors."

David Tokofsky was first elected to the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Board of Education in June 1995. As the Board Member for District Five, he represented a population of over 600,000 stretching from Northeast Los Angeles through East Los Angeles to the Southeast Cities for more than 12 years.

During his tenure, David served as chairperson of the Committee of the Whole of the Board of Education, the Ad Hoc Committee on After School Program, and the Ad Hoc Committee on Parent Community Advisory Councils. In addition, he was a member of the Curriculum & Instruction Committee, the Human Resources Committee, and the School Safety, Health and Human Services committee. He also represented the local School Board on the Board of the California State Board Association and the County Committee for School District Reorganization. Additionally, he served on the Boards of Project Restore, Junior Statesmen, Arts Net, and the Los Angeles County Art Museum’s Art Initiative. David taught Social Studies and English as a Second Language courses at John Marshall High School for 12 years. He coached the Los Angeles Unified School District’s first National Academic Decathlon Championship Team in 1987. He was active in drafting John Marshall’s School-Based Management plan and served on various governance committees during his tenure there. As a grant writer, he secured significant funding for his high school to develop a Next Century School. David also served on two working groups that helped to shape L.E.A.R.N., which is Los Angeles’ major educational reform effort.

While in the classroom, David received several honors for leadership and excellence in teaching, including the United States Department of Education’s Christa McAuliffe Fellowship. He has received three National Endowment for Humanities study grants and was a Fulbright-Hayes Scholar in Mexico and Central America. U.C. Berkeley’s Law School awarded him a Clio Fellowship for the study of the U.S. Constitution. Stanford University twice gave him COE Fellowship to study 20th century United States History.

Edward M. (Ted) Tracy has over 45 years of experience in the field of financial management as it relates to state and local governments, school districts, and not-for-profit organizations. He is considered an expert in the areas of financial, cost, and administrative policy and in the review, analysis, and negotiation of cost allocation plans and indirect cost proposals.

During nine years as Director of the Division of Cost Policy and Oversight at the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Ted was instrumental in the generation of the complete revision of OMB Circular A-87 in 1995. He was also responsible for developing cost and reimbursement policies on a department-wide basis while at DHHS. He developed policy on the formulation and implementation of various time studies, including random moment time studies and has generated numerous random moment time sampling plans on behalf of various state, local, and non-profit clients. Ted also reviewed and negotiated hundreds of cost allocation plans and indirect cost proposals on behalf of the federal government as well as state, local, and non-profit clients.

Ted also has experience with the Army Audit Agency and the Defense Contract Audit Agency as well as in the financial management area with a large state agency. Ted earned a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bryant College and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Boston College.