Our Leadership
CAPSES Board of Directors consists of current member agencies and organizations, who are committed to stewarding our work and support members statewide by advocating locally and in Sacramento. Our Board of Directors is active in statewide policy discussions and special education work groups that seek to increase the awareness, understanding and standards of practices in nonpublic and public schools and agencies.
Meet The Team
Board of Directors
Hillary Whiteside
President & Region Representative
Hillary is the Executive Director at The Institute for Effective Education in San Diego, California a not-for-profit organization with the mission to provide positive and effective learning environments for children, adolescents, and adults whose talents span the full range of ability.
Ryan Eisenberg
Chair of Government Affairs Committee
Ryan is the Chief Executive Officer of the Children's Health Council, located in the Bay Area Peninsula. CHC provides life-changing services for learning differences and mental health for children, teens, and young adults. Ryan serves as our Government Affairs chair.
Angie Rowe
Region Representative & President Elect
Angie is the President & CEO of Beyond Blindness, which serves and empowers children with visual impairments and other disabilities to achieve their fullest potential in Santa Ana, California.
Katie Wilson
Board Secretary & Board Member
Katie is the Academy Program Manager at San Diego Center for Children and part of our San Diego Regional chapter.
Richard Schnetzer
Board Member & Consultant
Dick has served as a Special Education Teacher, Special Education Program Administrator, and Business Services Coordinator for the Mardan School in Irvine, California since 1966. He also serves as CAPSES Governmental Affairs and Public Policy Advisor.
Rob Clizbe
Treasurer and Region Representative
Rob is the Chief Operating Officer at Golden State Triad, a nonpublic agency that provides behavioral and mental health supports for general and special education students in the school setting. Rob is also the Regional Representative of the Inland Empire region.
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Adrienne Kessler, Ed.D., BCBA
Region Representative
Adrienne is a previous CEO and Board Member, Harvard Business School graduate with 12+ years success growing startups, developing goal-aligned organizations, and driving strategic change to accelerate mission delivery. She also serves as Orange County Regional Representative.
Ray Richard
Board Member & Region Representative
Ray is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Valley High School and Learning Center for middle school and high school students. He also serves as the CAPSES Regional Co-Representative to the Los Angeles Area Region.
Chris Holmes
NPA Leader and Regional Representative
Chris is the COO of SPG Therapy & Education Center, a non-public agency with a holistic support team of clinicians, therapists, and others in the Bay Area. Chirs is also the Regional Representative for the North Bay region as well as our statewide NPA group.
Teresa Malekzadeh
Board Member & Region Representative
Teresa is the former ED of the Beacon School an NPS that helps each student to develop independent thinking, living skills, and academic achievement in San Jose, California. Teresa also serves as the Regional Representative for the Peninsula/ South Bay Region.
Dan Maydeck
Board Member
President & CEO at Haynes Family of Programs, a comprehensive nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children with special needs relating to emotional development, autism, learning disabilities, abuse, neglect and abandonment though various programs.
Jason Bolton
Board Member and Regional Representative
Jason is the Director of Programs for Inclusive Education and Community Practice (IECP) in Ventura, California. He is also a leader fr the L.A. regional and NPA statewide.
Mishelle Ross
Board Member
Mishelle is President of AHEAD, Inc. or Advancing Higher Education and Development, a nonpublic agency and consulting organization that works with public, charter and private schools.
Ed Danskin
Board Member
Ed is the Executive Director at Intensive Behavior Intervention Consultants in Southern California.
Randye Eichler
Board Member & Region Representative
Randye Eichler is the Director at Placer Learning Center in Granite Bay, California a Non-public/Private school that serves students with special needs. She also serves as Sacramento Valley Region Representative.
Daniel Ramirez
Board Member
Vice-President/Principal at Aldar Academy in Sacramento, bringing his voice to our Sacramento region and statewide.
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Jennifer O' Grady
Board Member
Jenny is the current Vice President of Linden Oaks and part of our OC regional chapter.
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Jen Swope
Board Member
Jen is the School Director at COOK Education Center and Urban Skills Center, part of TIEE.
Our Professional Team
CAPSES counts with the support of professionals, both employed or contracted, that support daily operations and the advancement of our mission.
Pati Ortiz
Executive Director
Pati comes with two decades of experience working in education practice, policy & advocacy, as well as nonprofit consulting, both in California and abroad. Pati is excited to jump back into policy to support her biggest passion, education equity and access.
Jeanette Rittgers, CPA
CPA
Jeanette has been working with CAPSES for over a decade, supporting all our bookkeeping, accounting, and payment processing needs. She brings decades of professional excellence to her work.
Capital Advisors
Capitol Advisors has been our formal lobbying partner for many years, supporting our understanding of statewide bills and budgeting realities that impact the special education sector. They provide real-time lobbying support and technical assistance.
Richard Schnetzer
Dick not only stands as our longest-serving board member, but is also our governmental affairs consultant, providing invaluable insights into Ed code history, California Department of Education dynamics, and policy building strategy.
Upcoming Board Meetings
2025
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June 13th (F)- Virtual
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July 7th-8th (M,T)- In Person (Southern- San Diego)
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October 9th-10th (Th, F)- In Person (Northern- Bay Area)
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December 12th (F)- Virtual
2026
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Feb 6th (F)- Virtual
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April 16th-17th (Th, F)- In Person (Central)
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June 5th (F)- Virtual
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July 23rd-24th (Th, F)- In Person (Southern)
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Oct 1st-2nd (Th, F)- In Person (Northern)
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Dec 4th (F)- Virtual
2027
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February 5th (F)- Virtual
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April 15th-16th (Th, F)- In Person (Central)
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June 4th (F)- Virtual
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July 15th-16th (Th, F)- In Person (Southern)
Oct 21st- Oct 22nd (Th, F)- In Person (Northern)
Dec 3rd (F)- Virtual