Katie Tucciarone was selected by fellow staff members for the 2020 Gevirtz Graduate School of Education Staff Citation of Excellence Award on Feb. 18.
As credential analyst, Tucciarone serves as the liaison between the state of California and UC Santa Barbara, ensuring that the teacher preparation program is in compliance with state requirements and advising students applying for their credentials. She has taken on additional responsibilities, including recruitment for GGSE and the Teacher Education Program (TEP) and grant writing with the Santa Barbara County Office of Education. She also participates in leadership discussions about programming and structural changes (e.g. creating new classes). As a member of Credential Counselors and Analysts of California (CCAC), she also does work in Sacramento, which allows her to be “a part of learning what’s on the horizon from the state in regard to teacher preparation changes and education as a whole,” she says.
Tucciarone says what’s fulfilling about her job is that it offers a variety of avenues to get involved with—she has the opportunity to work with students, GGSE leadership, local Santa Barbara community members, and the greater Sacramento community. “It doesn’t feel like Groundhog Day,” she says.
Earning this award “is a heartfelt recognition of the dedication that I have to my job,” says Tucciarone. “It’s nice to be acknowledged and supported by peers. It was really neat and touching to read what people had said when they made a nomination [for me].”
She has been heavily involved in the Gevirtz School’s recent credential re-accreditation, which was approved Friday, February 21st. The seven-year process requires submitting detailed documents about GGSE programs to the state and culminates in a three-day site visit wherein a team from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing interviews faculty, staff, supervisors, program coordinators, alumni, principals, current candidates, and more.
Tucciarone likened her role in the process to that of an orchestra conductor. “My hands are in all of it,” she says, “from the document writing to the execution of the site visit.” To ensure that everything was in order for the accreditation of the credentials that the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology (CSSP) and the (TEP) offers, she collaborated closely with leadership and staff from both departments.
Tucciarone has a long history at the Gevirtz School: When she moved to Santa Barbara in 2003, she took a job as a program assistant in the Department of Education after graduating from University of California Davis and receiving her teaching credential at California State University Sacramento. Next, she worked as a program coordinator in the Department of Counseling, Clinical and School Psychology. Then she moved to the Student Affairs Office, where she was a graduate student advisor until 2012, when she became the credential analyst. Additionally, in 2005, she received a master’s in educational leadership and organizations from UCSB.
Also nominated for the award were Aaron Ballett (Executive Assistant to the Dean), Samantha Cole (Program Administrator for the Teacher Education Program), Terri Hille (Financial Assistant), Brenda Lavin (Program Coordinator for the Education Department), Amy Meredith (Student and Academic Affairs Manager), and Tracey Velasquez (Employment Analyst).
The inaugural winner of the Staff Citation of Excellence Award was Kelly Hayton (Manager, Finance and Administration) in 2019.