Our Team
Meet our professional staff and teacher leaders
Professional Staff
Sarah Peterson
Regional Director, CRLP at UC San Diego
sgpeterson@ucsd.edu
Sarah Peterson (she/her/hers) is the Regional Director of the California Reading & Literature Project (CRLP) at UC San Diego (UCSD) CREATE, a role she has held since July 2016. Before becoming the Director, Sarah spent over a decade as a classroom teacher in the National School District, located just 10 miles from the US-Mexico border in South San Diego, and also served as a long-time Support Provider for Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA). After earning her M.Ed. and Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with a Bilingual CLAD Emphasis (Spanish) from UC San Diego, Sarah honed her expertise in teaching early literacy and supporting English Learners across a variety of instructional settings (late-exit bilingual education, early-exit bilingual education, and structured English immersion) and grade levels.
Sarah’s journey with CRLP began in 2011 when she attended a Teacher Leadership Invitational. Shortly after, she completed the CRLP Results: Academic Language and Literacy Instruction (RALLI) training, which led to noticeable growth in her students’ oral, written, and reading abilities. As the Regional Director, Sarah exemplifies how the California Reading and Literature Project fosters sustained teacher leadership development. Her professional interests include collaborative lesson planning and co-teaching, as well as advocating for educational equity through student-led programs like.
Sarah lives in a 105-year-old Craftsman bungalow in the Kensington area of San Diego with her husband and is the proud mother of three energetic young children. In her free time, she enjoys training for and running half marathons, reading novellas and short stories, watching historical dramas (such as Victoria, The Crown, and Downton Abbey), and looks forward to future long family road trips.
Clarissa White
Program/Financial Manager, CRLP Regional Office & Statewide Office
c3white@ucsd.edu
Clarissa serves as the Program and Logistics Manager, overseeing the daily administrative operations for the California Reading and Literature Project (CRLP). She joined CRLP in November 2018 and has been with UC San Diego since 2005. With experience in both academic and student affairs, Clarissa has collaborated with faculty, staff, undergraduates, and graduate students. She finds great fulfillment in her career, particularly in working alongside K-14 educators. Being part of CRLP is a deeply meaningful experience for her, and she constantly finds herself appreciating the educators and partners she works with. CRLP has helped her realize her shared passion for advancing literacy, not just in her region but throughout the state. She is inspired by visiting classrooms and supporting her directors in professional development workshops. The stories from educators and parents about how their students have benefited from CRLP’s offerings are incredibly rewarding. Clarissa values her role within CRLP and the impact she can make.
Betsy Hall
Professional Learning Coordinator
eshall@ucsd.edu
I was fortunate to be introduced to CRLP early in my teaching career, which had a significant impact on me and my students. Through my experience and training as a RESULTS teacher leader, I gained valuable insights on teaching and assessing foundational skills. I also deepened my understanding of working with multilingual learners, applying that knowledge with my own students. Being part of a community of passionate, dedicated, research-driven, equity-focused, and literacy-loving teachers has been a continual source of inspiration and support throughout my long career. CRLP has greatly influenced my development as a teacher, and I will always be grateful for that.
Teacher Leaders
Devin Bakaly
San Diego Unified School District
Barbara Kukuchek
San Diego Unified School District
Christian DeMesa
SDUSD
Alejandra Gomez
SDUSD
Gigi Carrillo
SDUSD
Diana Moreno
Cajon Valley Unified School District
Susan Gutierrez
SDUSD
Geniese Jones
SDUSD
Nicole Neeb
SUHSD
Viridiana Wood
Gompers Prep Academy - SDUSD
Teacher Long
SDUSD
Silvia Miranda
SBUSD
Sonja Badu-Thompson
SDUSD
Christina Perez
SDUSD
Mandy Hermann-Hernandez
SDUSD
Megan Crim
AEACES
Shawn Powell
AEACES
Laura Anderson
AEACES
Jennifer Peterson
SDUSD
Kelly Gonzales
SDUSD
Kate Monko
SDUSD
Jayme Wynn
SDUSD
Jennifer Schafran
SUHSD
Teacher
George Porter
CUSD
Whitney Doucette
SDUSD
Instructional Coach
April Boyle
SDUSD
Sarah Murray
SDUSD
Kelly Johnson
SDUSD
Instructional Coach
Kim Barnes
SDUSD
Literacy Coach
Kelly Parker
SDUSD
English/Social Science Teacher
Katie McKinney
National School District
Classroom Teacher
Katie Crosbie
National School District
NBCT District Resource Teacher
Kristin Watts
San Diego Unified School District
English Language Instructional Resource Teacher
Liliann Patterson
Calipatria Unified School District
Assistant Superintendent CUSD
Vesta Namiranian Beltran
Chula Vista Elementary School District
Biliteracy Classroom Teacher
Carisa Barnes
San Diego Unified School District
Secondary Literacy Coach
Shannon Alberts
Carlsbad Unified School District
AP Language & Composition Teacher
Janice Anderson
San Diego Unified School District
Literacy Acceleration Coach
Evy Baca
Lakeside Union School District
Biliteracy Classroom Teacher
Janine Campos
National School District
Language Arts Specialist
Angela Censoplano-Holmes
National School District
District Resource Teacher
Celeste Flores
South Bay Union School District
Classroom Teacher
Martha Garcia Gallaga
National School District
Transitional Kindergarten Teacher
Dalilah Gil
National School District
District Resource Teacher Parent Engagement
Kara Holtzman
National School District
Classroom Teacher
Brooke Klein
Encinitas Unified School District
Classroom Teacher
Melissa Kruse
National School District
Classroom Teacher
Kathrina Mendez
UC San Diego EDS
Elementary Education Lecturer/Supervisor
Artemisa Perucho-Green
Poway Unified School District
NBCT Biliteracy Teacher
Marisa Plasencia-Contreras
Poway Unified School District
NBCT Biliteracy Teacher
Ashley Trzcinski Stewart
National School District
Classroom Teacher
Leadership Teams
CS for EL
Katie Crosbie
Evy Baca
Katherine McKinney
Artemisa Percucho-Green
Coding our Future (COF)
Katie Crosbie
Evy Baca
Katie McKinney
Artemisa Perucho-Green
Marisa Plascencia-Contreras
California Literacy State Development Grant (CLSD), Priority Area 3
Carisa Barnes
Dalilah Gil
Martha Garcia-Gallaga
Kristin Watts
Kathrina Mendez
ONWARD Book Club & Transformational Coaching
Martha Garcia-Gallaga
Dalilah Gil
Kathrina Mendez
Liliann Patterson
Results for Reading Comprehension (RRC)
Angela Censoplano
Celeste Flores
Kathrina Mendez
Artemisa Perucho-Green
Janine Campos
Results: Word Recognition & Fluency (RESULTS)
Kim Barnes
Angela Censoplano
Janice Anderson
Kathrina Mendez
Celeste Flores
Betsy Hall
Spanish English Biliteracy Transfer (SEBT)
Evy Baca
Dalilah Gil
Liliann Patterson
Vesta Namiranian-Beltran
California Dyslexia Guidelines
Betsy Hall
California Gear Up
Shannon Alberts
Kristin Watts
Carisa Barnes
Learning How English Works (LHEW)
Katie Crosbie
Carisa Barnes
Kelly Johnson
Whitney Doucette
Kelly Parker
Sarah Murray
Shannon Alberts
Become a teacher leader
If you are interested in becoming a Teacher Leader we want to hear from you! Fill out our contact form to learn more about this incredible opportunity.