Kevin Gordon
President
Widely viewed as the top education advocate in California, Mr. Gordon is leading our company's legislative advocacy group and oversees SI&A's activities in continuing education, conferences, and professional development. The longtime Executive Director of the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO), Mr. Gordon previously served for twelve years as the Chief Lobbyist and Assistant Executive Director of the California School Boards Association. He has also served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Robert T. Matsui and as a legislative advocate for the California Building Industry Association. He holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco. Prior to that, while completing his undergraduate degree in communication studies at University of California, Davis, he was recruited by the IBM Corporation and served three years in its national marketing division for large systems.

Peter Birdsall
Executive Director
With over 30 years experience in state level education policy, Mr.Birdsall is a widely respected analyst and speaker on K-12 issues ranging from school finance to curriculum, assessment and accountability. For 25 years, he owned and operated Birdsall & Associates, a California lobbying firm specializing in K-12 education policy. Mr. Birdsall's experience also includes service as Chief of the California Department of Education's Legislative Office, Chief of Staff of the Department's education program branch, and budget analysis with the California Department of Finance. He has a B.A. in Political Science and Economics and a M.A. in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.

B. Teri Burns
Chief Advocate
For six years, Ms. Burns served as the Deputy Superintendent for Governmental Affairs for the California Department of Education (CDE), managing the Department's legislative program at both the state and federal levels. In that capacity, she worked on virtually every major K-12 education issue - including the state budget, implementation of NCLB, and the Williams court case legislation. She has also served for 21 years as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Natomas Unified School District. Prior to her work at CDE, Teri was a staff member in the State Legislature for 16 years. She received her B.A. degree in Political Science/Public Service from University of California, Davis.

Abe Hajela
Chief Counsel
Mr. Hajela is noted for accomplishment in his role as the Lead Counsel for the California School Board Association (CSBA) in the precedent-setting Williams v. State of California legislative settlement. He brings more than a decade of experience in the field of education law, including stints as Special Counsel to CSBA, Legal Counsel for the San Francisco Unified School District, and as a litigation attorney for the Sacramento firm of Olson, Hagel & Fishburn. He earned his Juris Doctorate at the Hastings College of Law in San Francisco.

Barrett Snider
Advocate
Previously, Mr. Snider served as a Legislative Advocate at Birdsall & Associates, where he represented a wide range of K-12 education clients. He also served as Managing Editor of the Comprehensive Legislative Update on Education (CLUE) from 2004 to 2006. Additionally, Mr. Snider has worked on a number of legislative and statewide political campaigns under political consultant Gale Kaufman. Most recently, he was a consultant to the Yes on Prop 1D campaign, the $10.4 billion statewide school facilities bond passed by voters in November 2006. He is a graduate in Political Science and Communication from the University of California, Davis.

Pam Bachilla
Advocate
Ms. Bachilla served as a Legislative Aide for Senator Ellen Corbett, where she worked with the Senator to create legislative priorities for health and education issues and negotiated with key allies and opposition groups to guide legislation through the policy process. She focused her public policy interests through the prestigious California Senate Fellow program, working in the office of State Senator Debra Bowen. Ms Bachilla was also recognized as a key advocate in the community while attending the University of California, Berkeley, where she received a B.A. in Sociology and Political Science.