Board of Directors
Heather Ippolito
President
Heather Ippolito
President
Heather Ippolito, is the wife of her high-school sweetheart, Ron, and the mother of Liliana. She holds a teaching credential, an administrative credential, and two masters degrees - one in curriculum development and the other in educational administration. Heather began her teaching career in Santa Clarita, California, where she taught fifth, sixth, and first grade, and also served as a district music teacher for two years. She has served at the unit, council, district and state levels in PTA and remains deeply proud to uphold the mission to benefit the lives of children and families across the state.
Will Sanford
President-Elect
Will Sanford
President-Elect
Will Sanford is a proud PTA member, with a long history of serving at the unit, council, district and state levels. Will is committed to promoting and supporting our evolution as a PTA to continue to be the positive impact for all children and families. Will aspires to be an inclusive and positive leader in the PTA.
Erin Jenks
Vice President for Leadership Services
Erin Jenks
Vice President for Leadership Services
Erin Jenks is a mother to five children and previous school employee that has served various positions on every level of PTA from unit, council, district and state. She is excited to work with parents, school, and community leaders to make sure every child in California can achieve success and reach their potential.
Leslie Powell
Vice President for Membership Services
Leslie Powell
Vice President for Membership Services
Leslie Powell brings over twenty years of PTA experience at the unit, council, district and state levels. Her volunteer journey began when her daughter was in elementary school and continued throughout the school careers of all four of her children. Deeply committed to the future of the PTA, Leslie is passionate about developing strong leaders who will carry forward the organization’s mission. She has dedicated much of her time to fostering leadership and providing support to volunteers. Leslie and her husband, Dave, are proud parents of Jenna, Noah, Camden, and Quinn.
Eric Thompson
Vice President for Communications
Eric Thompson
Vice President for Communications
Eric Thompson has served at every level of PTA leadership which began in 8th grade as his middle school’s Family Fun Chair. He first joined California State PTA as a Student Board member and has continued supporting PTA’s mission with dedication and enthusiasm. Inspired by his mother’s commitment to PTA, Eric’s passion for community engagement and advocacy drives his work to empower families and elevate student voices. With extensive experience and a lifelong dedication to advancing PTA’s impact, Eric looks forward to building a strong future for California education for the family he and his future husband plan to raise.
Vandana Kaushal
Vice President for Convention
Vandana Kaushal
Vice President for Convention
Vandana Kaushal has been a PTA member since 1991. She took her first leadership role in 2002 when her youngest son was in Kindergarten. Since then, she has served in almost every PTA position at the unit, council, and district levels, including President, Executive Vice President, VP Membership, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Auditor, and Parliamentarian. For 8 years, she served on the California State PTA Board of Managers as Scholarship and Grants Chair and Exhibitor Hall Chair. She is currently a California State Champion for National PTA and a court-appointed special advocate for foster children in Santa Clara County.
Melanie Lucas
Vice President for Education
Melanie Lucas
Vice President for Education
Melanie Lucas became involved in PTA leadership when her youngest child started kindergarten. She has served in various capacities at the unit, council and state levels. Melanie believes that access to high quality public education is a right, not a privilege for all of our children. She is also focused on developing our pipeline of leaders to ensure that our organization lasts far into the future. She wants all leaders to feel prepared, supported, respected and heard. Melanie resides in Lawndale with her husband, two kids and three cats.
Anita Avrick
Vice President for Health & Community Concerns
Anita Avrick
Vice President for Health & Community Concerns
Anita Avrick has been part of PTA for 30 years and has served in almost every position within PTA. Her past PTA leadership experiences span from President and Executive Vice President at an elementary, middle, and high school in both the council and district levels. She has had the privilege of serving on the State Board of Managers for the last 10 years and currently serves as the Vice President for Family Engagement. Anita proudly served on her local school board.
Houri Khatchadorian
Vice President for Family Engagement
Houri Khatchadorian
Vice President for Family Engagement
Houri Khatchadorian is a passionate advocate for the importance of family engagement in the upbringing and education of children. She has immersed herself in volunteer work both within and outside of her community. Houri has held various leadership positions in different executive bodies.
Maria Steck
Secretary
Maria Steck
Secretary
Maria Steck turned a brief holiday from corporate America into an over twenty-year passion for helping children in California. Maria has held various positions at the state, district, council and unit levels, always finding ways to have fun while doing the work. Her first reasons for getting involved in PTA have scattered to other states, Minnesota and Oregon, but hopefully will continue the PTA tradition with their own children. Maria resides in her version of paradise, Ventura County, with her husband of 36 years and their four-legged child, Blue.
Ray Kinyon
Treasurer
Ray Kinyon
Treasurer
Ray Kinyon is a veteran and has been a PTA volunteer for the last 19 years. He strives for transparency and knowledge sharing. His motto is “My job is to make you successful!” He has served at all levels of PTA in various positions. These include president, vice-president, treasurer, financial reviewer, secretary, and communications. He has a master’s degree in information technology, and a federal project/program management certification. He is a senior IT analyst working with data driven websites, dashboards, and reports. He is married with one daughter.
Barbara Smith
Parliamentarian
Barbara Smith
Parliamentarian
Barbara Smith, took on leadership roles in the PTA twenty years ago when her son Nicholas entered kindergarten. She has a wonderful sense of humor and enjoys working closely with other people. She takes tasks to a new level – be it personalized biographical journals for an entire 2nd grade or working with units in her District to get them all active on Totem. In her personal opinion, there are no impossible tasks, just opportunities to learn new skills in order to accomplish goals.
Robin Klau
Director of Legislation
Robin Klau
Director of Legislation
Director of Legislation, Robin Klau, is a passionate advocate for all children and families with over 15 years of PTA leadership experience at the unit, council, district, and state levels. Her commitment to civic engagement began in high school as a congressional intern in Washington, D.C., and has continued through volunteer work on local and state campaigns nationwide. Robin has been an active community leader in the San Francisco East Bay, bringing her professional communications expertise from leading teams at start-ups, corporations, and non-profits to advance PTA's mission. She and her husband are proud parents to three children and a golden retriever.
Ujjwala Gadgil
Chair of District Presidents
Ujjwala Gadgil
Chair of District Presidents
The Chair of District Presidents is passionate about community service and finds volunteering with the PTA to be incredibly fulfilling. She has years of IT industry expertise in software development and project management. In PTA, she has held a number of leadership positions at the unit, council and district levels. She is driven by a strong belief in teamwork, transparency and trust. She is committed to providing resources and support to the district presidents by creating a collaborative environment where they can thrive and succeed.
Josiah Kitonga
Executive Director
Josiah Kitonga
Executive Director
With a strong background in non-profit management, Josiah Kitonga brings a wealth of experience and a passion for creating positive change in the lives of children and families. He oversees the organization's day-to-day functions, leads the organization's staff, and collaborates with volunteers and partners to advance California State PTA's mission.