Meet Krista
Krista moved to Southern California from Iowa after completing her Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from the University of Northern Iowa. Upon moving to Orange County, Krista decided to pursue a career in Education. She obtained her Teaching Credential and CLAD (Crosscultural, Language, and Academic Development) Certificate at California State University, Long Beach. Krista began her career teaching elementary school in Santa Ana in 1998. After finding her passion in teaching, she obtained her Master of Science in Education from California State University, Fullerton. Krista loves teaching and education!
Krista and her husband met in Long Beach and have lived in Aliso for over 20 years. She has three daughters. Her oldest graduated from Aliso Niguel High School (ANHS) in 2018 and attends Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Krista’s middle daughter is a sophomore at ANHS and her youngest is in 8th grade at Don Juan Avila Middle School (DJAMS).
Teaching and PTA
While teaching, Krista wanted to become more involved at her daughters’ schools. When the girls were younger, Krista joined the PTA and became an active parent at their school. It was through the mentorship from principals and community members that Krista found her passion for helping all children.
Krista was the PTA President at Don Juan Avila Elementary School (DJAES). While at DJAES, she wanted to engage the community and expand the PTA’s outreach. Family engagement is important to Krista and she became committed to engaging all stakeholders. After implementing new programs at DJAES, Krista continued those philosophies at Don Juan Middle School (DJAMS).
While President at DJAMS, Krista worked with community partners, school officials, and parent groups to fundraise and renovate the library into a brand new Innovation Lab. This center encourages students to learn through technology and provides them with flexible learning spaces. As we look to the future, we want all of our CUSD schools to have access to flexible learning spaces. Krista believes in advocating for our students. She traveled with the PTA to Sacramento to speak with our state legislators on the importance of funding our schools.
Appointment to the CUSD Board of Trustees
After many years of volunteering at our local schools, Krista was appointed to the CUSD Board of Trustees in September 2019 to fill an immediate vacancy. She has worked daily for a safe plan for our district reopening.
Krista believes in our schools and knows the value of good leadership. Krista is committed to working for our AV and Laguna Niguel families. She understands this community and wants to continue working together to build stronger schools and supporting all of our children.
