Mary Vixie Sandy, the executive director of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, is the fourth and final speaker for the College of Education’s 50th Anniversary Speaker Series at Cal State San Bernardino on Friday, May 20.
Sandy’s presentation, “Retooling the Future,” will take place at 3:30 p.m. at CSUSB’s Santos Manuel Student Union Events Center, and will be streamed live to CSUSB’s Palm Desert Campus.
The lecture, sponsored by SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union and part of CSUSB’s 50th Anniversary celebration, is open to the public and admission is free at both campuses; complimentary parking at CSUSB will be offered at Parking Structure East and Lot D, while parking at the Palm Desert Campus is $6. Online registration is requested to help with planning and can be done at the “Speaker Series Online Registration” website.
Sandy leads the nation's oldest independent standards board for teachers, and oversees public policy related to teacher preparation and licensing, awarding over 200,000 credentials per year, and accrediting more than 250 institutions and local education agencies offering educator preparation programs in California.
She began her career in education as a consultant with the California Department of Education, where she worked on implementation of the state’s Model Curriculum Standards. She then joined the professional staff of the California Postsecondary Education Commission, where she worked on a landmark study of teacher professional development, assisted with the administration of the Eisenhower Mathematics and Science State Grant Program, conducted policy research, and engaged in legislative analysis and advocacy.
In 1992, Sandy joined the professional staff of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. While at the commission she served as a grant manager, policy analyst and program evaluator. As a senior manager in policy and program development for the commission, she directed implementation of substantive reforms in teacher credentialing.
In 2004, Sandy joined the management team of the California State University system. As the associate director of Teacher Education and Public School Programs for the CSU Chancellor’s Office, she continued to work on policy issues in the realm of teacher development from the vantage point of postsecondary education, working with faculty, education deans and other administrators on program development and policy implementation.
From 2007 to 2011, Sandy served as the executive director of the UC Davis Cooperative Research and Extension Services for Schools Center. The CRESS Center provides professional development, research, and evaluation services for teachers, schools and community based organizations, and fosters collaboration between university faculty and K-12 educators designed to support teacher development and student success.
Sandy holds a doctorate in education from UC Berkeley, a master's degree in education from UC Davis, and a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Sonoma State University. Her professional focus is on building the capacity of teachers, leaders, public schools and communities to meet the needs of California's diverse student body.
For more information on the CSUSB College of Education 50th Anniversary Speaker Series, contact Mick Verdi, associate dean, at (909) 537-7530 or email mverdi@csusb.edu.
About California State University San Bernardino: Set in the foothills of the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains, Cal State San Bernardino is a preeminent center of intellectual and cultural activity in inland Southern California. Celebrating its 50thanniversary in 2015-2016, CSUSB serves more than 20,000 students each year and graduates about 4,000 students annually. For more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu. Follow CSUSB on Facebook and Twitter.