Teacher profiles

CalSTRS is sharing profiles of some of our educators, active and retired.

Tell your story! How are you making a difference as a teacher? How are you spending your retirement? Email Communications@CalSTRS.com with the subject line "Teacher profiles."

David Brown and his wife sitting at a wooden table outdoors with tropical plants and tiki umbrellas, enjoying a meal near the ocean.

Teacher Talk: David Brown

David Brown seemed destined to become a teacher. With a family full of former and current educators, it was obvious where his career path would lead.

Jeannine Kato at a table with books, a lamp, and colorful vases in the background.

Teacher video: Jeannine Kato

Retired teacher Jeannine Kato spent part of her career in special education and the rest in elementary school bilingual education.

A smiling woman in a sun hat and sunglasses holding a framed appreciation certificate.

Teacher Talk: Kristen Thompson, music teacher, Los Gatos

Kristen Thompson discovered her love of teaching at the age of 5 and hopes to inspire others to keep the torch of music alive in education.

Anselmo Marin and Julie Law-Marin stand outdoors with a blurred background.

Teacher video: Anselmo Marin and Julie Law-Marin

Anselmo is a science teacher at Elkhorn Village School in West Sacramento. Julie Law-Marin is a social science teacher at Antelope High School in Antelope.

Deborah wears a white shirt while holding her arms out and smiling in her backyard.

Teacher Talk: Deborah LeFalle, retired 2011, Mission College, Santa Clara

During her time as a Mission College faculty member, Deborah LeFalle made it her mission to uplift students.

Two smiling men wear aloha shirts. One man has light gray hair and a mustache and holds a ukulele. Bill Dempsey has dark gray hair, a mustache and a bright shirt.

Teacher Talk: Bill Dempsey, retired 2016, Heninger Elementary School, Santa Ana Unified

Bill Dempsey has been a musician in one form or another since childhood.

Rick and Janet Sitts are smiling, taking a selfie with a scenic waterfall and canyon in the background. Rick has gray hair and a gray jacket. Janet has brown hair and wears a light blue jacket.

Teacher Talk: Janet Sitts, retired 2014, Valley Oak Elementary and Korematsu Elementary, Davis

Janet Sitts wore many hats before fulfilling her dream of becoming a teacher. Her eye for art started an early career path in print and design for University of California Davis. Her path shifted when she went to the Bay Area as an interior designer. From there, it was motherhood and a desire to start teaching.

An older woman wearing glasses, a blue sweater, and a pearl necklace, smiling against a black background.

Teacher video: Susan Garcia, Kaylah Ailman

Susan Garcia, a retired Yolo County teacher, talks about the legacy her brother Christopher Ailman has made at CalSTRS. "This is just astonishing my little brother has become this internationally recognized leader."

Lura Wilhelm smiles in front of a colorful mural.

Teacher video: Lura Wilhelm

Lura Wilhelm's art teaching career goes the distance, as she maintains relationships with teachers, administrators and students.

A person smiling at a laptop outside, with a bouquet of yellow roses and a colorful sun decoration on a wooden fence.

Teacher video: Teachers make a difference in the classroom, retirement

CalSTRS catches up with some of our active and retired teachers. "I love not having to worry about what to do when I retire as far as financially. I love that it's being taken care of."

Marielle Tsukamoto in a red blouse stands in front of a wall with plaques, a framed portrait, and flowers to the side.

Teacher video: Marielle Tsukamoto

Marielle Tsukamoto, a longtime teacher and administrator in Elk Grove, California, followed in the footsteps of her mother.

Kathy Cuevas has blond hair and wears a blue shirt and a straw hat. There is a city full of bright beige adobe houses and a body of water in the background.

Teacher Talk: Kathy Cuevas, retired 2021, Kaiser High School, Fontana

Kathy Cuevas taught everything from typing to special education and economics, but her real passion was teaching finance.

Josie Peavy next to text: "Teaching students by meeting them where they are."

Teacher video: Josie Peavy

Second grade teacher Josie Peavy of Two Rivers Elementary talks about her career. "It's really empowering to see students see their growth from the beginning to the end."

Mary Nelson has white hair and glasses and wears a blue and white floral shirt. Myron Nelson has white hair and glasses and wears a teal button up shirt.

Teacher Talk: Myron Nelson, retired 1985, Rosemead Elementary School District

Editor's update: Myron Nelson passed away October 8, 2023. We share our condolences with his family.

Eva Schmidler has short white curly hair and wears a white shirt. She is holding a children's book she wrote.

Teacher Talk: Eva Schmidler, retired 1991, Saddleback Unified School District

Eva Schmidler says she’s had three completely different careers. All of them in teaching. That doesn’t even count the 25 years she taught tai chi…

Laurence Frame is partly bald with white hair. He is wearing glasses and wears a blue sweater.

Teacher Talk: Laurence Frame, retired 2001, Gunderson High School, San Jose

Laurence Frame is a man of many talents and has a dream: One day they will come. Specifically, he would like a Major League pitcher to accept his challenge to get one hit in front of an audience as a fundraiser for his Field of Dreams project.

Sarah Kirby-Gonzalez with a pencil and a notebook, text reads "Bringing out student talent."

Teacher video: Sarah Kirby-Gonzalez

Mather Heights Elementary teacher Sarah Kirby-Gonzalez says she loves working with students. "I always think that the best place to make a difference with individual kids is up close to them in the classroom. This is where the hardest work will always happen."

Craig Rowe wears a black stocking cap and a black sweatshirt and blue jeans. He is smiling and stands in front of a digital display for La Fuerza Latina.

Teacher Talk: Craig Rowe, Truckee High School, 2022 Placer County Teacher of the Year

Craig Rowe never saw himself becoming a teacher. Growing up in the 70s and 80s in Hayward, he remembers school as a diverse yet factional place with racial tension and frequent fights.

Jessica Pagan wearing a red top, smiling against a plain gray background.

Teacher video: Jessica Pagan

Jessica Pagan, a first grade teacher at Bridgeway Island Elementary School in West Sacramento, started running about 15 years ago.

Samantha Nunes reading a book in a classroom setting, with papers and artwork on the bulletin board behind them.

Teacher video: Samantha Nunes

Samantha Nunes, first grade teacher at Anderson Elementary in Dixon, takes us into her classroom and discusses her experience in a retirement planning session with CalSTRS.

Mark Galipeau is bald and wears glasses. He has a long gray mustache. There are sails and water in the background.

Teacher Talk: Mark Galipeau, retired 2017, Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District

Retired elementary teacher Mark Galipeau took to the seas in retirement. He spends some of his time helping sail historic tall ships.

Francisco Laguna has short dark hair and is smiling. He crouches on sand at a beach with a cloudy sky behind him.

Teacher Talk: Francisco Laguna, Eastwood Elementary School, Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District

Francisco “Mr. Franco” Laguna became a teacher in 1997 after volunteering at a nearby after-school reading program.

Dolly Sandoval examining a green fruit on a tree, smiling outdoors.

Teacher video: Dolly Sandoval

Dolly Sandoval, a newly retired math teacher from Los Gatos High School, talks with CalSTRS about her CalSTRS pension and retirement.

David Salvaggio has short gray hair and is smiling. He wears a blue shirt.

Teacher Talk: David Salvaggio, retired 2013, Moreno Valley High School

Retired teacher David Salvaggio uses poetry to document his decades as a California educator in his book “Restless Gold: Musings About California’s Pupils and Other Verses.”

Lance Gunnersen operating a circular saw wearing safety glasses and a cap in a workshop environment.

Teacher video: Lance Gunnersen

El Dorado High School trades and industry teacher Lance Gunnersen sits down with CalSTRS to talk about his love of teaching, his CalSTRS pension and his plans for retirement.

Wayne Boudreau sits in front of a fireplace with his wife, Sherry. He has whit hair and a beard and mustache. Sherry has dark, shoulder-length hair.

Teacher Talk: Wayne Boudreau, retired 2020, Inspire Charter Schools

Wayne Boudreau has taught physical education off and on since 1969, but he has always kept his love of moving.

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