About

Board of Directors

2021-2023

Strong leadership is essential for any association, and our board members ensure California State PTA is delivering on our mission to positively impact the lives of children and families.

Head shot of Carol Green

Carol Green

President

Carol Green

President

California State PTA President, Carol Green, has been volunteering in various levels of PTA for more than 20 years. She has been a local unit president at both an elementary school PTA and a high school PTA, a council president and Ninth District President serving San Diego and Imperial Counties. Green has served on the California State PTA Board of Directors as the Vice President for Communications and Vice President for Membership Services. She works as a public health advocate and in community/media relations for a nonprofit in San Diego County. Green worked for more than 20 years as a radio and television news journalist. She is an active community volunteer including more than 12 years as a Girl Scout Leader and many positions supporting children and arts education. She has a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism from San Diego State University. Green and her husband have three children and a dog.

Head shot of Shereen Walter

Shereen Walter

President-Elect

Shereen Walter

President-Elect

California State PTA President-Elect, Shereen Walter, has been involved with PTA for over 20 years, becoming involved for the same reason many parents do, to make a difference at her own child’s school. She has found a passion for helping all children and families in California with her work as the Community Concerns Advocate and as the VP of Health & Community Concerns for CAPTA. She earned her BS in Geophysical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and her MBA from the University of California, Irvine. She and her husband, Steve, have been married 34 years and have three grown children, Stephanie, Lindsey and Dylan.

Head shot of Michael Morgan

Michael Morgan

Vice President for Leadership Services

Michael Morgan

Vice President for Leadership Services

Vice President for Leadership Services, Michael Morgan, went to his first PTA meeting over 15 years ago, and since then he has served in various positions at the unit, council, district, and state level, including serving as the California State PTA Vice President for Membership Services from July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2021. He is currently looking forward to serving as the California State PTA Vice President for Leadership Services for the 2021-2023 term. Michael continues his involvement with PTA because he believes it offers a great opportunity for families to be engaged in their student's education, and that every school deserves a PTA.

Head shot of Jeff Price

Jeff Price

Vice President for Membership Services

Jeff Price

Vice President for Membership Services

Vice President for Membership Services, Jeff Price, began his PTA work 10 years ago when his son entered Kindergarten at Longfellow Elementary in Long Beach. In those 10 years, Jeff has held several PTA leadership positions from the unit to National PTA levels. While president of Longfellow Elementary PTA, National PTA chose Longfellow as the “roll out unit” for the new “Family Reading Experience” program. Longfellow Elementary PTA was one of the inaugural units to receive the National PTA “School of Excellence” award and at Lakewood High School PTSA, Jeff unveiled the “Letter in PTSA” program whereby students can earn their high school letter for excellence in membership, leadership and advocacy. Jeff is dedicated to the mission of the organization and to further the great work it does for all children and families.

Head shot of Robin Klau

Robin Klau

Vice President for Communications

Robin Klau

Vice President for Communications

Vice President for Communications, Robin Klau, has been an active parent leader in her local community for over a decade; serving in a variety of capacities at her children's schools, at the school district and county levels. She and her husband are parents to three children; two in college and one in high school, and live in the San Francisco Bay area.

Robin is serving her third term as a member of the California State PTA Board of Managers. She has previously run communication teams for start-ups, corporations and non-profits. A Virginia native, Robin received a BS in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Head shot of Ellen Torres

Ellen Torres

Vice President for Convention

Ellen Torres

Vice President for Convention

Vice President for Convention, Ellen Torres, started her PTA journey when her oldest son was entering kindergarten. She has served in many PTA positions during her 30+ years of volunteering including president at the Elementary, Middle School, High School, Council and District levels. She has also served on the CAPTA Board of Managers on the Membership Service Commission, Convention Committee, Student Involvement Committee and chaired the Scholarship and Grants Committee. She is an active community volunteer in South Pasadena and is a passionate advocate for all children. Ellen has been married to Edward for 43 years and is the mother to four adult children.

Head shot of Derby Pattengill

Derby Pattengill

Vice President for Health & Community Concerns

Derby Pattengill

Vice President for Health & Community Concerns

Vice President for Health & Community Concerns, Derby Pattengill, is a husband and the parent of two children currently in college, both of whom previously attended schools in the San Diego Unified School District. A graduate of the University of San Diego with degrees in Marine Studies and Computer Science, Derby is also trained as a faux finisher and decorative painter. He likes to work on and race hot rods in the dry lakes of Southern California and Utah, and is a former professional cyclist who still rides his bike to stay fit. Derby has been involved with PTA for over 15 years and has served in multiple leadership positions at the unit, council, district level. He is currently pleased to serve on the California State Board of Directors as Vice President of Health and Community Concerns.

Head shot of Laura Mudge

Laura Mudge

Vice President for Education

Laura Mudge

Vice President for Education

Vice President for Education, Laura Mudge, has volunteered for PTA for over 20 years. She graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Neuroscience and holds three teaching credentials: Multiple Subject, Biological Sciences, and Chemistry. Laura has worked as a science teacher and an administrator in California public schools (both traditional and charter) over the past 20 years. She has three talented daughters: Anna is a science teacher; Isabella works for the non-profit WithMyOwn2Hands creating clean water independence in East Africa; and Juliette aspires to work with an animal rescue/conservation organization. Laura’s passions are inquiry-based learning, parent choice and engagement, and equitable educational opportunities with academic achievement for all students.

Head shot of Heather Ippolito

Heather Ippolito

Vice President for Family Engagement

Heather Ippolito

Vice President for Family Engagement

Vice President for Family Engagement, Heather Ippolito, is wife to her high-school sweetheart, Ron, and mother to Liliana. She has a teaching credential and a masters degree in curriculum development. She first began her PTA career while teaching at Valley View Community School in Santa Clarita, California. Heather has proudly served at the unit, council, district and state levels in a variety of positions including president, parliamentarian, secretary, historian, treasurer, vice president, and more chair positions than she can recall! She is so proud to serve on the PTA to benefit the lives of children and families across the state.

Head shot of Abby Fellman

Abby Fellman

Secretary

Abby Fellman

Secretary

Secretary, Abby Fellman, is a dedicated volunteer who has worked with various organizations to serve children, teenagers, and families for 18 years. She has been a PTA member and volunteer since 2012. She has had various PTA roles over the years including Fall Fun Fest Chairman, Membership Vice President, and President at her kid's school, District President for the 14th District PTA, and Chairman of the District Presidents for the California State PTA. She earned a B.A. in Ancient History and Languages from Northwestern College. Abby lives in Petaluma, California with her husband, 5 children, and 2 dogs.

Head shot of Laura Hawk-Loya

Laura Hawk-Loya

Treasurer

Laura Hawk-Loya

Treasurer

Treasurer, Laura Ann Hawk-Loya, has been involved in PTA for over 20 years. She started at her local elementary school when her oldest son was in kindergarten, although technically she has been attending PTA meetings since she herself was in kindergarten, as she would sometimes accompany her mother to meetings. She currently works with special education students in her local school district. She lives in Moorpark with her husband, two sons, two dogs, a cat, and the various critters they bring home.

Head shot of Brad Waller

Brad Waller

Parliamentarian

Brad Waller

Parliamentarian

Parliamentarian, Brad Waller, is a serial volunteer, Internet entrepreneur, and high technology business owner. Trained in Physics (MIT), Brad has worked in engineering and marketing for the last 29 years. Education is a passion, as Brad has served numerous positions at the unit, council, district, and state levels for the PTA; as well as a member of two school boards. Brad started his career in the Aerospace industry doing things he can't talk about - working in advanced Infrared technology, project management, and marketing. Brad lives in Redondo Beach with his wife of 28 years and has a daughter in college.

Head shot of Lea Darrah

Lea Darrah

Director of Legislation

Lea Darrah

Director of Legislation

Director of Legislation, Lea Darrah, has been a PTA member and volunteer since her oldest child, who is now a college graduate, started kindergarten. With her youngest child now in high school, she is personally connected to what happens in our public schools, experiencing distance learning, the return to campus and the ever-changing circumstances of parenting a student during the pandemic. In 2020 she was elected as a trustee in her local school district, which increases her insight into how education policy and its implementation impacts our children every day. Over the years she has been active as a leader at PTA units in her community, as well as serving on Site Councils and a wide range of district committees. In addition, Lea has served California State PTA as Third District President, as a Family Engagement Legislative Advocate, as Director of Legislation, and as the Vice President for Education. She is a passionate advocate for family engagement and equity and has worked on a statewide task force to teach community members how to advocate for their children, and serves on the California State PTA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She is also an active community volunteer. Lea and her husband Matt have four children, a dog, three cats and six chickens.

Head shot of Silvia Barba

Silvia Barba

Chair of District Presidents

Silvia Barba

Chair of District Presidents

Silvia Barba is the 10th District President and Chair of the District Presidents for California State PTA.