5821 East Rancho Drive, Fresno, CA 93727 kmagdaleno@clearvoz.com 559.346.8728

Board of Directors & Staff

Kenneth Magdaleno, Ed.D- Founder/CEO

kmagdaleno@clearvoz.com

Dr. Kenneth Magdaleno is the Founder/Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Leadership, Equity, and Research (CLEAR). CLEAR’s primary goal is the development of social justice educational leaders through mentoring using Paulo Freire’s Praxis, or “Intentional Activism.” Other goals include addressing discipline and equity issues throughout the educational system while researching the impact of positive leadership models on underrepresented groups. Dr. Magdaleno earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UCLA and also holds a master’s degree in counseling and guidance and a bachelor’s degree in Social Science from California Lutheran University. His primary research interests are areas of equity, critical race theory, social justice, leadership mentoring and developing educational leaders of color.

Mahmoud Suleiman, Ph.D.

msuleiman@csub.edu

Dr. Mahmoud Suleiman is a professor of teacher education at California State University, Bakersfield. He earned his Ph.D. from Arizona State University in 1993. He previously taught at the Maricopa Community College District, AZ; Arizona State University, Tempe; and Fort Hays State University, KS. He joined CSUB in 1999 and has taught a variety of credential and graduate courses in the areas of multiculturalism, reading/literacy, action research, instructional leadership, second language acquisition, standard-based education reform, among others. He also published extensively in some of these areas. His current research foci include equityand social justice, cultural proficiency and multicutrual literacy, and global education inititatives among others. During his tenure at CSUB, he served as Director of the Multiple Subject Credential Program and as Chair of the Teacher Education Department as well as Chair of the Advanced Educational Studies. He is a Fulbright Scholar (2009/2010) and completed his residency at the Bahrain Teachers College, University of Bahrain, Bahrain, as well as Fulbright Scholar (2016/2017) at the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Teachers’ Training, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.

Gilberto Conchas

gqconchas@psu.edu

Gilberto Q. Conchas obtained a Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley.  He is currently the Inaugural Wayne K. and Anita Woolfolk Hoy Endowed Professor of Education at the Pennsylvania State University. Prior to Penn State, Dr. Conchas was Professor of Educational Policy and Social Context at the University of California, Irvine, Assistant Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Senior Program Officer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Conchas is an expert on qualitative research methods, with a particular focus on case study methodology. Conchas’ research focuses on inequality with an emphasis on urban communities and schools.  Numerous scholarly journals have published his work.  He is the author of nine books, including The Color of Success: Race and High-Achieving Urban YouthSmall Schools and Urban Youth: Using the Power of School Culture to Engage YouthStreetSmart SchoolSmart: Urban Poverty and the Education of Boys of Color, and Cracks in the Schoolyard—Confronting Latino Educational Inequality. His current coauthored book, The Chicana/o/x Dream: Hope, Resistance, and Educational Success, was conferred the 2021 Book-of-the-Year Award from the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE).

Noni Reis, Ed.D.

Nonireis445@gmail.com

Noni Mendoza Reis is a first-generation college graduate from a farmworker family.   She is Professor Emerita in the Department of Educational Leadership at San Jose State University where she served as the first Latina department chair. Her scholarship is focused on justice-centered approaches to leadership preparation, effective education for marginalized students, and women of color in education leadership.  Prior to her role in academia, Dr. Reis was a bilingual mentor teacher, elementary school principal and principal coach. She is an editor for the CAPEA Journal of Administration and Supervision; Guest Editor-Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Special Issue Journal Winter 2024 and Guest Editor, Curriculum, Pedagogy and Inquiry, Winter 2025. She is a member of the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) and Mentoring Mosaic committees for the International Council of Professors of Education Leadership (ICPEL). She serves on the board of the California Association of Professors of Educational Leadership (CAPEA) Board. Dr. Reis most recent scholarship includes Co-Editor of the book,  Baila Conmigo: Mentoring Latinas as School Leaders (Forthcoming August 2023).

Craig Greenwood

mcgreenwd@gmail.com

Craig Greenwood, Former Vice President of Partnerships and Alliances for Illuminate Education, is a senior sales & business development leader with over 30 years experience working with organizations that serve educators and students.  His work experience includes executive level positions at Apple, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Panasonic, and most recently, Illuminate Education. He has been recognized for excellence in building alliances with key school districts and supporting associations through team collaboration and leadership. Craig currently serves as an advisor to Horizon Education.

Shankar Rao

shankar@clearvoz.com

Shankar Rao is an entrepreneurial executive with 20+ years of combined experience in executing strategic business initiatives, increasing margins and maximizing sustainable competitive advantage for both startups and industry leaders, with a strong record of success of driving business to profitability. He earned his Executive MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management in 1990, and has served as President & COO of Thrively and as a Management Consultant for Goldman Sachs in addition to his work with CLEAR.

”Information and knowledge is the only currency that does not devalue” – a mantra that got coded into my genes early in my life. As parents, my wife Anu and I have tried to provide our two daughters, Aarti and Anisha, a whole child learning experience by augmenting the curriculum at school. It was over a decade long struggle of juggling schedules to ensure that their minds were full of inquiry and grit to pursue their passion. That education is a continuum – an edict that stayed with me as I successfully grew and turned around businesses. My passion now has come a full circle as I work with CLEAR to empower educational leaders and center social justice and equity in schools.