The Gevirtz School at UC Santa Barbara presents its 2008 Distinguished Education Alumni Awards to Sally Kingston, Juan Necochea, and George Petersen

UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School will present its Distinguished Education Alumni Awards at a ceremony and reception open to the public on Wednesday, April 23, 5:30 pm at the UCSB Mosher Alumni House. This year’s honorees are Harding Elementary School Principal Sally Kingston, Provost of the National Hispanic University Juan Necochea, and Professor of Educational Leadership, Cal Poly SLO George Petersen. The annual awards are given to alumni who have made outstanding contributions through research, teaching, and leadership to their fields of education or psychology.

Sally A. Kingston (M.A. Education ’94, Ph.D. Education ’04) has been Principal of Harding Elementary School since August 2005. Her experience includes work as a bilingual second-grade teacher at Peabody Charter School, GATE math teacher and homework center tutor at La Cumbre Junior High School, and English as a Second Language department chair at La Cumbre. On an administrative level, she has been an assistant principal of La Colina Junior High, followed by one year as principal of Franklin Primary Elementary School, then three years as principal at Roosevelt Elementary School. In 2002, Kingston served as the assistant superintendent of human resources at the Santa Barbara County Education Office. The following year, she was the director of UC Santa Barbara’s California Center for Effective Schools.

Juan Necochea (B.A. Psychology/Spanish ’77, M.A. Bilingual Education ’80, M.A. Education ’83, Ph.D. Education ’87) was named Provost of the National Hispanic University in January 2008. Necochea was a professor at California State University, San Marcos for 11 years in the College of Education and was the recipient of the 2008 Brakebill Distinguished Professor Award. He also served as the Director of the Center for the Study of Border Pedagogy and Principal Investigator for the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). Necochea entered the professoriate with ample experiences as a K-12 educator, with 10 years as a classroom teacher, six as an elementary school principal, and two years as a high school principal.

George J. Petersen (B.A. Cultural Anthropology ’86, M.A. Education ’91, Ph.D. Education ’93) is Professor and Co-Director of the UC Santa Barbara/Cal Poly Joint Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership. Prior to coming to Cal Poly, Petersen was an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also held the position of Associate Director of the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA), a consortium of major research universities focused on improving the preparation of educational leaders and promoting the development of professional knowledge in school improvement and administration. Petersen has written and published books, articles, and book chapters examining the executive leadership of the superintendent. This work has primarily focused on superintendent beliefs, roles, and work in the area of instructional leadership, policy decision-making, and social influence in addition to the organizational mission and academic success of the district.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Lauren Linn at the UCSB Alumni Association at 805-893-4775. The evening will include the awards presentation, appetizers, and a no-host bar. Tickets are $15 and $20 at the door. Cost includes complimentary parking in lot #12.

Photo caption: The 2008 Gevirtz School Alumni Award Recipients: George Petersen, Sally Kingston, and Juan Necochea.
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The Gevirtz School at UC Santa Barbara presents its 2008 Distinguished Education Alumni Awards to Sally Kingston, Juan Necochea, and George Petersen