Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District Announces New Administrators

The Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District (LVJUSD) is pleased to announce the following administrative appointments, all of whom begin their official duties July 1, 2015.

Jennie Lee Kordes, Assistant Director, Special Education: Jennie Lee Kordes comes to Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District with 25 years of experience in special education. Jennie grew up on the Peninsula and moved to Pleasanton in 1993. Jennie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Speech Pathology and Audiology from San Jose State University, and her Master of Arts in Communication Disorders from the University of the Pacific. She holds a Clinical Rehabilitative Services Credential with Special Day Class Authorization, Certificate of Clinical Competency in Speech-Language Pathology and a California State license.

The majority of Jennie’s professional career has been in the public school system. She has worked not only as a Speech-Language Pathologist (preschool through middle school), but also as a Kindergarten Special Day Class teacher. Jennie has spent the last 16 years working as a Program Specialist, which provided opportunities to work with a broad range of special education specialists, students and programs. Jennie has vast experience working with non-public schools, private schools and county mental health. She has been instrumental in the development of Response to Intervention procedures for Speech and Language Departments, standardizing assessment forms and procedures, and providing ongoing support and supervision of Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) seeking their State licensure and national certification. She has been a lead SLP for the past 16 years, and an integral part in staffing, support and supervision.

Jennie’s philosophy of education is to ensure all students access an appropriate education, both in general education and special education. Her years of dedication and commitment have focused on helping special education students successfully participate in the general education programs, as much as possible. She was a member of her District’s Student Study Team (SST), which developed uniform referral and SST procedures. Jennie prides herself on her strong communication skills with staff, administration, and parents.

Jennie lives in Pleasanton with her two children, Kellie and Walker, who attend or graduated from the Pleasanton Unified School District. She enjoys spending time with her children, whether it be with Girl Scouts, gardening, or hiking and fly fishing in the High Sierras. She is actively involved in PEO, a philanthropic educational organization for women, and has held a variety of positions within her local organization in the Tri Valley area.

Vicki Scudder, Livermore High School Principal: Mrs. Vicki Scudder transitions to LHS from within the District where she has been Principal at Leo Croce Elementary for the past three years. Prior, she held administrative positions at East Avenue, Junction, and Christensen Middle schools, as well as a counselor and teacher at Junction. Vicki is a highly skilled leader, whose breadth of experience and outstanding communication skills foster connections with and for all members of the learning community. Her educational and counseling background, coupled with her sincere passion to enhance learning for all students, while always supporting staff, make her highly respected by her peers, staff, students, and parents, and within the community. Additionally, Vicki has mentored many upcoming leaders and is eager and always willing to be a trailblazer to expand educational opportunities for students and staff. Her commitment to education is unwavering.

Mrs. Scudder is excited about the new opportunity and says, “I have always seen change as yet another opportunity.  Thus far in my career in Livermore, each job, each school site, each opportunity has challenged and invigorated me. I have truly enjoyed my last three years at Croce and the wonderful students, staff and parent community. I look forward with the same anticipation I had three years ago when I arrived to work with the Cheetahs, to my pending move to Livermore High School.  I am fortunate to join another great school.  Cowboy up!”

Alberto Solorzano, Marylin Avenue Elementary School Principal: Mr. Solorzano graduated from New Haven’s James Logan High School (Union City) and completed his undergraduate studies at San Francisco State University. He earned his masters degree in Educational Leadership from California State University East Bay and recently completed four years through the Stanford Principal Fellows Program. Before coming to Livermore, he faithfully served 17 years as a teacher, soccer coach, house principal and eventually middle school principal at Cesar Chavez Middle School.

Mr. Solorzano brought new energy to LHS and under his leadership new courses in Latin, Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science, AP Music Theory, Sociology, Agriculture Chemistry, and The Write Team were implemented. The agriculture program grew to more than 200 Future Farmers of America members; the Green Engineering Academy doubled in enrollment; enrollment of Latino students into honors and AP courses increased; and a new Independent Living Skills Center for moderate to severe special education students was created. Principal Solorzano enhanced culture and climate, and coined the phrase: “Don’t forget to tell someone you love them.”

“I am excited about the many possibilities that this new position will bring to me. The staff at Marylin Elementary has exemplary structures in place to ensure students are meeting and exceeding State standards. They have a strong commitment to their students and are ready to engage in creating new opportunities for their students and families. I am eager to begin a new chapter in my career with what I hear is a great staff and a supportive community,” Principal Solorzano stated.

Helen Gladden, East Avenue Middle School Principal: Helen Gladden is an East Bay native who came to work for the District in 2005 after working for the federal government for 20 years. She was an English teacher at Livermore High School from 2005–2011, during which time she served as department chairperson, wrote the school’s successful Distinguished School Application, and was the school’s Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Coordinator. For the past four years, Helen has been a vice principal at LHS. She was recently named as the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) 2015 Co-Administrator of the Year for the region comprised of Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Her nomination was then forwarded to the State level, where she was selected as the California Co-Administrator of the Year. Helen is excited about her new role as principal of East Avenue Middle School. In Helen’s own words, “This is such an exciting opportunity. I look forward to establishing new relationships with students, staff, and parents and to working as a school community to build on East Avenue’s many strengths.”

Kendra Helsley, Leo Croce Elementary School Principal: Kendra Helsley has spent 28 years in public education, earning her B.A. degree from California State University, Hayward (CSUH) in Liberal Studies with a minor in Early Childhood Education. She continued at CSUH to earn her multiple subject teaching credential. As an elementary teacher in the Newark Unified School District, Kendra routinely included students with special needs into her classroom. A firm believer in encouraging creativity, Kendra developed original fine arts programs for her students annually. Committed to serving the community, she partnered with the local American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) group to launch the “Seniors in Schools” program which paired retired persons with classrooms and students, among other projects. Throughout her years in the classroom, Kendra served on numerous site committees and led several instructional initiatives. When assuming the Literacy and Reform Coach position, Kendra worked directly with Mosaic of Thought author Ellin Keene to implement critical thinking and comprehension strategies in all subject areas. Kendra worked with the Bay Area Schools Reform Collaborative (BASRC), and was a member of a teacher-researcher group at her site. During this time, Kendra presented at several regional and State conferences highlighting the reform efforts and accomplishments of her school, as well as demonstrating effective instructional methodologies. During her tenure in Newark, Kendra Helsley was selected as the District’s Teacher of the Year.

In 2004, Kendra earned her M.S. in Educational Leadership from California State University East Bay and assumed her first Principal position at Dent Elementary in the Escalon Unified School District where she served over the next 10 years. Dent initiated the Response to Intervention model for reading instruction at grades 1—3, then expanded that program to grades 1—5 for reading and math. The program has since been replicated at all elementary sites in the district. Kendra is fully trained in the Guided Language Acquisition and Design (GLAD) instructional strategies, specifically targeting the needs of English Learners. Under her leadership, Dent Elementary hit the coveted “800” score on the API. She successfully bid for a 21st Century Grant, bringing an After School Program to her site. Kendra worked with fellow administrators and teacher-leaders to develop Professional Learning Communities, focused on improving outcomes for all students.

During the 2014-2015 school year, Kendra served as Director of Student Services, overseeing Special Education, English Learner, and Intervention programs for the District. She was instrumental in bringing the California Seal of Biliteracy program into the district, as well as restoring English Language classes for adults. While it was a tremendous learning experience, Kendra found herself missing the day-to-day interactions and energy of an elementary campus.  “I am honored and delighted to join the team in Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District, and am so excited to be joining the staff at Croce Elementary School,” Kendra explained.  “I have already felt the sense of community pride, and love the emphasis on providing the best for our students.” When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband of 28 years, Bob, and their two grown daughters, Katie and Lauren. She is a devoted Disney fan, loves to travel, putter in her garden, and play word and trivia games.

With the addition of new administrators, also comes the transition of others who have well served the District. We would like to extend gratitude and appreciation to the administrators who will be moving on from Livermore. We are sending our appreciation and congratulations to Ms. Sheryl Howser, who will be entering retirement;  Josh Swerdlow who has accepted a new job working in Redwood City; and we wish Jill Bradford the best as she moves to Los Angeles to be closer to family when she and her husband welcome their first baby this fall. We wish the best for Ms. Howser, Mr. Swerdlow, and Ms. Bradford and thank them for their dedication and service.

AdditionalContacts:

School Board President Kate Runyon, krunyon@comcast.net (925) 454-1339

Assistant Superintendent Administrative Services Chris Van Schaack,cvanschaack@lvjusd.k12.ca.us(925)606-3284

Communications and Community Engagement Consultant Sam Tobis, stobis@lvjusd.k12.ca.us (925) 724-9078