Administration and Faculty

Board of Education

Soo Yoo
Trustee Area 2
President of the Board

Leticia Mendoza
Trustee Area 1
Vice President of the Board

Dr. Olga Rios
Trustee Area 6
Clerk of the Board

Christopher Apodaca
Trustee Area 7
Member of the Board

Maynard Law
Trustee Area 5
Member of the Board

Ernie Nishii
Trustee Area 3
Member of the Board

Sophie Tse
Trustee Area 5
Member of the Board

Dr. Mary Sieu
Superintendent

Administrative Staff

Dr. Pao-Ling Guo – Principal
Mr. Chuck Minear – Assistant Principal
Mrs. Nancy Amara – Assistant Principal

Management Staff

Natalie Maddox – Counselor
Winnie Wong – Financial Aid Coordinator
Caroline Fortuno – Job Developer, Apprenticeship Coordinator

Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSA)

Academics: Janet Aasness
Career & Technical Education: Rachelle Schulz
English as a Second Language: Velia Paredes
Health & Safety, Home Economics and Older Adults: Diane Jhun

Career Technical Education Center Faculty

Full Time

Part Time

ESL Department Instructors

Vicki Johnson has a Master’s Degree in Linguistics and a TESL certificate along with a teaching credential. She has taught all areas of ESL at the adult school and community college, and she has also trained teachers throughout the state. She has written curriculum for the adult school and helped to develop a pronunciation module for the ESL Teacher’s Institute. She especially likes teaching grammar, writing, and pronunciation.

Laurie Judy studied at the University of Heidelberg, Germany and graduated from CSULB. She has a teaching credential in German and English and a TESOL Certificate. Before coming to ABC Adult School in 1995, Laurie taught ESL and German in Anaheim Unified High School District. She especially enjoys teaching the Movie and Idioms class.

Jody Kirkwood earned her teaching credential at West Virginia University and has been teaching ESL at ABC Adult School since 1983. She was a teacher trainer with the ESL Institute and served as a Resource Teacher at ABC for many years. As a resource teacher, she helped teachers develop lessons and learn teaching strategies. She also ran the Language Media Center and enjoys working one-on-one with the ESL students.

Joyce Kucera earned her Bachelor of Science in Education from Ohio State University and holds a teaching credential. She also studied Linguistics at CSULB and has taken numerous courses in ESL instruction content and technique. Before coming to ABC 21 years ago, she taught at the elementary and high school levels. Joyce loves teaching ESL to adults, especially helping students one-on-one in the Distance Learning office.

Joanne Locknikar began teaching at the elementary level in Long Beach, CA and then in Papua New Guinea. After receiving her Master’s Degree in Linguistics she returned to Papua New Guinea as a literacy consultant. Joanne has experience as a teacher, trainer, consultant, and curriculum developer in literacy and ESL for children and adults. She has taught at ABC Adult School for 8 years.

Christine Oliviera has a Designated Subjects Credential and an MA in TESL from CSULB. Before coming to ABC Adult School in 2002, she taught in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and at CSU Fullerton’s American Language Program. She really enjoys teaching the Advanced level because she always learns a lot from her students.

Velia Paredes has taught ESL at ABC Adult School since 1980. She has a degree in English-Linguistics and Composition with a minor in Spanish from CSULB. Besides teaching language and life skills, she also helps her students build their confidence in the new American culture. Velia enjoys teaching pronunciation and grammar. She also likes engaging students with technology in the Language Media Center.

Jane Quest has been teaching at ABC Adult School since 1986. She has a Masters in German and two teaching credentials. She loves learning languages as well as teaching them, and has spent 18 summers in Cuernavaca, Mexico studying Spanish and 6 summers in Germany at the Goethe Institute. Jane particularly enjoys incorporating grammar skills into life skills, and she likes seeing students at different levels working together.

Jean Rose has taught ESL at ABC Adult School for 32 years and has trained teachers throughout the state with the ESL Institute. She has a M. Ed and an MA in Linguistics. Jean has served as a resource instructor at ABC, helping the teachers meet the many and varied needs of their adult students. Her favorite class to teach is Current Events. She has been teaching Daily News and Weekly News classes for many years.

David Saavedra has a BA in Philosophy from Cal State Fullerton, a teaching credential, and a graduate TESOL Certificate from CSULB. He has taught at ABC Adult School for 11 years. He loves teaching because he feels that he learns just as much from the students as they do from him. He particularly enjoys teaching the grammar skill classes.

Mona Suero has a teaching credential and has taught ESL at ABC Adult School since 1990. Before coming to ABC, she taught in Compostela, Spain and at Bellflower Adult School. Mona has lived in Sweden, Spain and England. She is interested in learning about different cultures and speaks several languages. She particularly enjoys teaching English grammar.

Parent Education Department Instructors

Jill Cohen-Doron participated as a parent in the program with her 2 children over a span of 8 years. She enjoyed it so much she went back and earned her Parent Education Teaching credential from Cal State Long Beach, where she had also earned her Liberal Arts Degree. She feels strongly that the Parent Education program provides a positive experience for both parent and child.

Nancy Cham received an M.A. in Library Science from SUNY in Albany. She has 33 years experience as a Parent Education Instructor at ABC Adult School. Languages spoken: English, Mandarin, Tagalog.

Nancy Hom has been involved in the Parent Education Program at ABC Adult School since 1986. She attended the program for nine years as a parent. Believing strongly that parents, as well as children, gain so much from the program, she has been a Parent Education teacher since 1994. She teaches classes for parents with siblings and also for parents with pre-kindergarten children. She received her Bachelor’s degree from UCLA and her Teaching Credential from CSU Northridge.

Megan Suarez began her career teaching elementary education in Arizona after receiving her BA in Education from Arizona State University. After 7 years in the classroom and the birth of twins… Mrs Suarez began participating as a parent in the program with her twins when they were only 6 months old! She has enjoyed the welcoming community this program provides and the wonderful relationships she has gained and learned from. Mrs. Suarez feels extremely honored to now be a part of such an important time in many children’s lives as she shares her love of learning!