Yvonne is the Principal of the Vaughn Next Century Learning Center which serves 2,300 students in Los Angeles.  She has pushed the limits of education and social reform including class size reduction, universal preschool, accelerated English learning, special education full inclusion, longer school day and longer school year, school-based clinic, on-site museum, family center/business co-op, interagency services, adult education, university professional development center, teacher peer-review and performance pay system.  High school students study global issues, take 4-year Mandarin Chinese and complete 60 community college credits.  She turned crack houses to school houses, gang territories to college prep laboratories, provided construction jobs and stimulated economic growth in a high-poverty neighborhood.  Student achievement soars and attendance is near perfect.  Through her shrewd management skills, the school leverages millions of dollars for programs related to education, youth development, family and community strengthening.  Vaughn is now a full-service Pk-14^th learning village under Dr. Chan's most capable leadership.

Vaughn was named the 1995 California Distinguished School and the 1996 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.  It was visited by the Mrs. Hillary Clinton, U.S. legislators and dignitaries from all over the world.  Dr. Chan has delivered keynote addresses in 41 states on school reform, given testimonials to the legislature in 37 states on charter school policies.  Dr. Chan gained international recognition by providing training to school leaders in China, Thailand, Australia, Turkey, Argentina, and Chile.  In 2001, Dr. Chan and her 84 staff members took over the instruction of three schools in Beijing and Shanghai through a US-China collaborative program.  She was invited to many town hall meetings with President Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, President George W. Bush, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and other public officials.  Dr. Chan was profiled by Time Magazine, Prime Time Life, Good Morning America, National PBS, Education Week and various local and national publications.

Armed with a doctoral degree from UCLA in Education, a MA degree from California State University, Northridge in Special Education, a BA degree from UCLA in French/Spanish, post-doctoral studies in computer science at UCLA, eight teaching credentials and the ability to communicate in four world languages, she is determined to turn risks into opportunities for children and families who live in poverty through her tenacity and dedication, forward-thinking skills, energy and enthusiasm to do the impossible.

In addition to being a school principal, she is also an adjunct professor at UCLA.  Dr. Chan is a member of the California State Board of Education, and a Commissioner of the Los Angeles City Commission for Children Youth and Families. She assumes leadership role in policies related to the assessment of English learners and students with disabilities, adoption of instructional materials, teacher preparation and credentialing, school construction as well as authorization of statewide charter schools.  In addition, she serves on the Board of Public/Private Venture in Philadelphia, Longview Family Foundation in Washington, D.C., Teacher Advancement Program Foundation in Los Angeles, California State University Enrollment Advisory, and Los Angeles Community College Facilities Bond Oversight Committee. 

She was awarded the Milken Educator Award in 1991, the McGraw Hills Distinguished Educator in 1997, the Gleitsman Community Activist Award in 2004 and the Irvine Foundation Leadership Award in 2007.  Her donation of these cash awards to her school leveraged more than $50 millions in grants and bond funds for the school and community.

She received numerous awards including Woman Making History, Educator of the Year by the National Council of Negro Women, the Asia Chamber of commerce, the Optimist Club, the National Chinese-American Banker Association, San Fernando Valley of the Stars, the Y.W.C.A., USC, UCLA and California State University Alumni Associations, New Horizon Association for the Disabled Persons, and many others. 

Dr. Chan’s work is widely replicated across the nation. Her passion for education has spanned nearly 40 years, since her humble beginning as an elementary school teacher in 1968. Arriving in the U.S. alone at age 17 with just $100, Dr. Chan set out to pursue the American Dream – a dream she realized and a dream to which she now teaches countless others to aspire.

Gwen Desselle, a social studies teacher at Colquitt County High School, teaches in the same county where she was born and reared. A veteran of 32 years in the classroom, Gwen received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in history from Valdosta State University. She earned a T-5 teaching certificate and taught for four years at Valdosta High School beforereturning to teach in her hometown. In 2004, she earned her Education Specialist degree in Secondary Education. She is a graduate of the Taft Institute for Government from the University of Georgia and has Advanced Placement certification in European History.

"We can't prepare students for tomorrow
using yesterday's strategies."

Gwen has taught many of the social sciences in her long career, but most of her classes have been World History and US History. She has taught advanced level classes, but the last few years she has concentrated on teaching inclusion classes that combine regular and special education instruction. Her determination to ensure that all students graduate led her to accept a position with the local night school program, teaching students challenged by socioeconomic or behavioral issues. She uses research-based methods and teaching strategies that differentiate instruction so no student is left behind.

Dr. Zollie Stevenson, Jr. is the Director of Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs (SASA), formerly Compensatory Education Programs, in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education. The SASA programs office is responsible for the administration of over $29 billion annually in Title I and Title III formula grants to promote improved achievement in schools that serve low-income children and English language learners.

The Title I, Part A program administers over $28 billion annually in formula grants to State education agencies and eligible school districts to promote improved achievement in schools that serve low-income children.

The Title III State Formula Grant Program (over $700 million) provides two types of subgrants to LEAs: subgrants based on a formula reflecting the number of LEP students in the LEA, and subgrants based on significant increases in the percentage or number of immigrant children and youth in the LEA. 

In addition to the Title I, Part A and Title III State consolidated grant programs, as director of SASA, Zollie is responsible for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program, Enhanced Assessment Grants, and Programs for Children and Youth Who are Neglected and Delinquent, or At-Risk.

Before his current appointment, Zollie served as Deputy Director of SASA and has also served as SASA’s group leader for standards, assessment and accountability. Before joining SASA, he was the director of research, assessment and evaluation in the Baltimore City (MD) Public Schools. Prior to Baltimore, he served as the research director for the District of Columbia (DCPS) and Charlotte/Mecklenburg public school systems as well as an evaluation research officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He began his career as a regional coordinator for research, testing and accreditation for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

In addition to serving as research director in DCPS, Zollie served as chief of staff for the Center for Systemic Educational Change, which focused on student efficacy, curriculum and instruction, school reform initiatives and professional development and training. For three years he was the District of Columbia’s (DC’s) co-state team leader for Title I with the U.S. Department of Education and held an additional role as deputy director for operations for the National Science Foundation Urban Systemic Initiative grant awarded to DC. His final role in DC was as executive director for educational support services which included managing the school district’s research and planning, school attendance, homeless education, athletics, homebound education program, home schooling liaison, HIV/AIDS education, and comprehensive school health services.

He has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, East Carolina University, the George Washington University, the University of Maryland and Bowie State University where he has taught applied research methods, tests and measurements, development of theoretical frameworks and supervised the writing of doctoral dissertations.

He has published several articles in refereed journals, has authored over 50 evaluation studies and has been active in educational and research focused professional organizations. Zollie earned the BA degree from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, a MS Ed. degree from North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro), and the Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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