SMMUSD Announces Administrative Appointments

At its meeting on November 20, 2014, the Board of Education approved the appointment Dr. Mark Kelly as the new Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Student Services and Ms. Bertha Roman as the new Director of Educational Technology for 2014-15. Ms. Debra Moore Washington, the district's current Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, will be retiring at the end of January 2015. The Director of Educational Technology is a new position that will cultivate and steer the vision of classroom technology for our district.

Dr. Mark Kelly

Dr. Kelly was appointed the Executive Director of Student and Professional Services this past spring. Prior to that, Dr. Kelly served as the Director of Student Services for two years. He has also served as the Principal of Malibu High School as well as the Assistant Principal and Co-Principal at santa monica high school. He taught educational leadership courses at UCLA and Cal State Northridge, facilitated curriculum workshops at the Los Angeles Systemic Initiative, and taught math at North Hollywood High School, Richard E. Byrd Junior High School, and Francisco Sepulveda Junior High School. As Executive Director, he oversaw oversight the Director of Student Services and served as the liaison among the department/district, cities, and other agencies; was involved in coaching, developing, supporting, and evaluating principals; supported the BTSA program; and trained in negotiations, serving on the district's negotiations team.

Bertha Roman

Ms. Roman has been a valuable part of SMMUSD's Educational Services team as a Teacher on Special Assignment for Education Technology for the past six years. Prior to that, she taught chemistry at santa monica high school, served as a graduate teaching assistant at San Diego State University, and taught science classes in Calexico, CA. As Teacher on Special Assignment for Education Technology, Ms. Roman served on our District Technology Team (DTT) Committee, collaborating with Measure BB staff to integrate classroom technologies into new construction projects; coordinated SMMUSD'sSMARTBoard Educator's Academy Conferences as well as assisted with the maintenance and support of SMARTBoards and A/V classroom technologies; oversaw and coordinated teacher professional development regarding middle school science curriculum and secondary formative assessment tools; and collaborated and networked with education technology directors from local districts as well as LACOE staff. Most recently, she has facilitated the development of Measure ES Phase I technology priorities, including assisting with the budget, timeline, and project development.

Ms. Roman is well-versed in best practices regarding both the technical infrastructure and instructional applications of education technology initiatives. She understands the needs of schools and can facilitate the development of programs that improve the instructional program for all students. She keeps up-to-date on current education technology trends by networking with district, county, state, and national technology leaders. In fact, Ms. Roman serves on the Executive Board of the Computer Using Educators (CUE and CUE-LA) organizations and has presented at the county's Technology Leader's Panel, Cal State LA's 21st Century Leaner's Symposium, and Tech Ed 2010. Ms. Roman is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education in Learning Technologies at Pepperdine University.