Stephanie Ceminsky is programs director of Early Learning within the San Diego Unified School District. She has led initiatives for the passing of universal Transitional Kindergarten at the state level. Her professional background includes teaching positions as an elementary and special education teacher within preK–5 settings. She has also served as a principal/vice-principal at elementary, middle, and secondary schools, including schools that earned recognition as a California Distinguished School, earned honors for WASC accreditation, and a California School to Watch. She continues to publish research and build leadership capacity with doctoral candidates, and she shares guidance on inquiry, organizational change, and policy development, and serves as adjunct faculty and dissertation committee member at the University of La Verne. She graduated from the University of Saint Catherine in Saint Paul, Minnesota, earned her Master’s degree in educational leadership at Saint Mary’s College of California, and her EdD in organizational leadership from the University of La Verne.

Laura Hill is a policy director and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. Her areas of expertise are K–12 education and immigration. She is currently researching English Learners in California schools, special education, and ESL students in community colleges. Her recent publications examine student achievement on the state’s K–12 assessments and the link between language reclassification policies and student success. Prior to joining PPIC, she was a research associate at the SPHERE Institute and a National Institute of Aging postdoctoral fellow. She holds a PhD in demography and an MA in economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Patricia Lozano is executive director of Early Edge California. She leads the organization’s work in advocating for strengthening California’s early learning and care system. This includes implementing universal preschool to all 4-year-olds in California through the expansion of Transitional Kindergarten; developing robust supports for Dual Language Learners in their learning experiences; and advocating for ongoing investment in the state’s Early Learning workforce. As a former preschool teacher and associate director at a child development center, she is passionate about supporting the needs of Early Learning teachers and improving quality for young children. She holds a BA from Los Andes University in Colombia and a masters in psychology with a concentration in child development from California State University, San Bernardino.

Stephen Propheter is director of the Early Education Division (EED) at the California Department of Education (CDE), appointed by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond in 2019. The EED provides leadership and support to California’s early education community, providers, and contractors. In this role, he oversees investments for universal prekindergarten programs including California State Preschool and Transitional Kindergarten. He is responsible for providing oversight and leadership to approximately 700 early education contractors as well as administration of the Desired Results Developmental Profile, Preschool Learning Foundations, and Preschool Framework. Prior to joining the EED, he served in a variety of capacities in the Child Development and Nutrition Fiscal Services unit in the Fiscal and Administrative Services Division, including budget and fiscal policy. He has also operated a family child care home with his wife.

Emmanuel Prunty is a research associate at the Public Policy Institute of California, where he focuses on K–12 education policy. Since joining PPIC, he has worked on topics such as distance learning, transitional kindergarten, and declining enrollment during the pandemic. Previously, he interned at the Hutchins Center at the Brookings Institution and served as a graduate student instructor at the University of California, Berkeley, where he majored in economics and ethnic studies, and minored in demography.