Board of Directors

Vice President, Jobs for the Future. Dr. Vargas leads the work of JFF’s High School Through College team. He also researches and advises on state policies to promote improved high school and postsecondary success for underserved students. Since joining JFF in 2002, Dr. Vargas has designed and implemented a research and state policy agenda for implementing Early College Designs; created policy frameworks, tools, and model legislation; written and edited white papers, research, and national publications; provided technical assistance to state task forces and policy working groups and served on a number of national advisory groups.  He is president of the board.

Michael Bolden

San Francisco, CA

Director of Culture and Operations, The San Francisco Chronicle. Previously, Michael Bolden was managing director of the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford University, editorial director of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and an editor in various roles at The Washington Post. He earned a BA from the University of Alabama, was a Maynard Media Academy Fellow at Harvard University and is pursuing an MLA at Stanford. He also serves on the board of directors of the Society of Professional Journalists Foundation.

Superintendent, Compton Unified School District.  Earned a Ph.D in Educational Leadership at the University of Southern California, and an MA in Educational Leadership from California State University, San Bernardino, and a BA degree from the University of Redlands. Has also served as a principal of middle school and elementary school and as a high school teacher. Currently in his fifth year as Compton Unified superintendent. He is chair of the Audit Committee.

California’s representative to the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education and founding partner, Capitol Impact. As Mayor of West Sacramento for two decades, he implemented universal preschool, college savings accounts, digital badges, free community college, and automatic admission to college, and served as education/workforce chair for the US Conference of Mayors. Previously vice chancellor of the California Community Colleges system, Hazel Cramer endowed chair and professor of public policy and administration at CSU Sacramento, president of EdVoice, president of the Linked Learning Alliance, and chief at the California Assembly’s higher education committee.

Managing Director, Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research and Senior Fellow, Stuart Foundation. Formerly senior education policy advisor to Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg. Previously a visiting journalism fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California and writer, editor and editorial board member at the Sacramento Bee.

Executive Director and CEO, Institute for Nonprofit News. Formerly senior vice president for The Associated Press for business development and partnerships; vice president of The Associated Press for the Western U.S. and Los Angeles bureau chief, where she established one of AP’s first multimedia desks. Served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa and The California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships at the University of Southern California. She chairs EdSource’s Fund Development Committee.

Director, Public Affairs at Aurora Innovation. Previously worked in policy and government affairs at Waymo and Google, after serving as policy staff for Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg, where he managed higher education, business, and technology issues. Played a key role in advancing Steinberg’s efforts to make California’s middle and high school experiences more hands-on and connected to the economy. Prior to that, helped lead Torlakson’s education policy agenda and write Senate Bill 638, which implemented $550 million in funding for afterschool programs made available by Prop 49.

Carol Green, president-elect of the California State PTA, began volunteering with PTA when her daughter started kindergarten and has volunteered at various levels since, including president for Ninth District PTA serving San Diego and Imperial Counties. She works in community/media relations for community coalitions focused on preventing drug use among youth. Green spent more than 20 years in radio and television news. She is an active community volunteer including past president for San Diego Junior Theatre. She has a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism from San Diego State University. Green and her husband have three children. The California State PTA is a founding organization of EdSource. The bylaws state that the board may invite a representative of the organization, which has typically been the president-elect, to join the EdSource board for a two-year term.

President of the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund.  She has been the Government Director and then as the Second Vice President for Advocacy and Program in 2008. While serving the state League, she has been active in strategic planning, initiative and referendum reform, human resources, training, legislation, ballot measures, and redistricting.  She has been a member of the League of Women Voters since 1969.

As a consultant, speaker and author, Molly works with educational organizations and provides strategic consulting services, trainings and governance assistance. In 2020, she retired as the CEO & executive director for the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO). In that role, she oversaw all of CASBO’s leadership, membership, advocacy, professional development and business efforts. Prior to her appointment as executive director, she served as CASBO’s assistant executive director for professional development. Molly has a B.S. in organizational development, an M.S. in school business leadership, and a Ph.D. in adult and community education and training. She is also a credentialed certified association executive. She chairs EdSource’s Finance Committee.

Director of the PPIC Higher Education Center and a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, where he holds the Thomas and Marilyn Sutton Chair in Higher Education Policy. His research focus includes identifying policies that can make higher education policy more successful and improving college access and completion. He serves as a technical advisor to many organizations seeking to improve college graduation rates and engage in long-term capacity planning. Other areas of expertise include international and domestic migration, housing in California, and population projections.

Chief Administrative Officer, WestEd. Previously directed the California Comprehensive Center, a federally funded technical assistance center charged with building the capacity of California to implement ESSA and close the student academic achievement gap. Also served as fiscal and policy advisor on school finance issues to the California Legislature while at the California Legislative Analyst’s Office and has worked with federal, state, and local education agencies providing support in the areas of school finance, management, strategic planning, special education, and technology planning.  She is chair of EdSource’s Nominating Committee and its Leadership Transition Committee.

Orange County Superintendent of Schools since 2012. Prior to that served for six years as the Vice President of the College Board where he worked to expand the high school-to-university pipeline. While working in the San Francisco Bay Area as a project specialist for physically handicapped children in public schools, Mijares earned his master’s in social welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. He holds several school credentials, including school psychology and school administration.

Superintendent/CEO, Gateway Community Charters. Has worked in charter schools in a variety of roles, including teacher, principal and program director.  Past-president Region 3, and State Board Director, Association of California School Administrators (ACSA).