Director, SMCOE Teacher Residency at Alder GSE
cfrench@smcoe.org

Pronouns: she/her/ella

Carmen has a breadth of administrative and teaching experience in both independent charter school organizations and school districts, most recently having served as a coordinator for English learner support services at San Mateo County Office of Education and, prior to this, as Superintendent of a school district in Santa Rosa, California. In her previous position as Executive Director and Founder of Hawking Charter Schools in Chula Vista, California, Carmen focused on implementing one of the first project-based programs, integrating English Language Arts and Mathematics with the hands-on facets of the Sciences, the Arts, and Engineering in response to grassroots efforts with the local community that demanded students on the west side of Chula Vista receive educational excellence in mathematics and science from TK-12. Carmen has been a bilingual educator since she became a teacher in 1998, and she has participated in various roles in charter schools since 2005. In 2009, she became Principal of King-Chavez Primary Academy in the Barrio Logan community in San Diego. Carmen holds servant leadership as the core: serving communities through empathy, courage, and integrity to provide social justice and joy in education. In her personal time, Carmen enjoys hiking with her husband Brian and their dog Max, hot yoga, and laughing with family and friends.