K-12 communications, technology and administrative leaders share their expertise and perspectives on important school communications and family engagement issues
ParentSquare Inc., the leading provider of school-home community engagement solutions for K-12, today announced the members of its 2023-24 ParentSquare Advisory Council. The Advisory Council members help inform the company’s future development plans for the ParentSquare platform and serve as a peer-to-peer forum for discussing best practices and pressing issues in school communications and family engagement.
The ParentSquare Advisory Council is an invitation-only group, comprised of K-12 communications, technology, and administrative leaders who use ParentSquare. The size of the council has grown from 14 members in the 2022-23 academic year to 18 members for the coming year. New and returning members include:
- Jason Borgen, Chief Technology Officer for Santa Cruz County Office of Education (Calif.)
- Brian C. Burke, Executive Director of Communications, Community Partnerships, and Strategic Planning (Conn.)
- Joanne Chan, Education Services Coordinator for Hacienda la Puente (Calif.)
- Ron Cone, Executive Director of Information Technology for Kennewick School District (Wash.)
- Leah Davis, Executive Director of the Exceptional Children’s Department for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (N.C.)
- Kirsten Fitterer, Chief Communications Officer for Yakima School District #7 (Wash.)
- Michael Garcia, Director of Family and Community Engagement for Fontana Unified School District (Calif.)
- Kris Hagel, Executive Director of Digital Learning for Peninsula School District (Wash.)
- Katie Harmon, Director of Educational Technology for Westhill Central School District (N.Y.)
- Dr. Christine Jordan, Assistant to the Superintendent for Wyandanch Union Free School District (N.Y.)
- Steven Langford, Chief Information Officer for Beaverton School District (Ore.)
- Erin Lindsey, Director of Communication for Cupertino Union (Calif.)
- Emily Mejia, Associate Director of Student Data for Achievement First (N.Y.)
- Noelle Newton, Executive Director of Communications & Community Relations for Hutto Independent School District (Texas)
- Brad Orth, Executive Director of District Data Management, Business Information Systems, and Data Reporting for Cherokee County School District (Ga.)
- Rod Russeau, Director of Technology & Information Services for Community High School District 99 (Ill.)
- Steve Smith, Chief Information Officer for Cambridge Public Schools (Mass.)
- Krista Stockman, Director of Communication & Marketing for Fort Wayne Community Schools (Ind.)
“When Fort Wayne Community Schools switched to ParentSquare in August 2022, we saw immediate improvement in our ability to communicate directly with families. Buy-in from the majority of staff members and parents was quick. I have already learned that while ParentSquare is great, it just keeps getting better,” Fort Wayne Community Schools Director of Communication & Marketing Krista Stockman, APR, said. “I appreciate the opportunity to learn about new tools being developed and the chance to give feedback from the field. I am looking forward to getting to know other members of the PAC and hearing how other districts are using ParentSquare to improve family engagement.”
The ParentSquare Advisory Council was formed and began meeting in summer 2020. It is led by Dr. Chad Stevens, Chief Strategy Officer of ParentSquare, who is a former school administrator and district chief technology officer. Members of the 2023-24 council will meet quarterly online and once a year in person.
“We are very grateful that these council members have committed their time to helping us identify and address key communication needs and priorities in K-12 districts,” Stevens said. “Our council members’ diverse expertise and advice have been of immeasurable value to our mission of enhancing school-home communication, and I am looking forward to seeing what we’ll achieve in the new school year.”
About ParentSquare
ParentSquare is the leading provider of modern family and community engagement solutions for K-12 schools. Millions of educators and families in 49 states rely on the multipurpose unified platform that includes mass notifications, classroom communications, school websites, and other communication-based services, all supported by visual dashboards. ParentSquare’s technology platform features comprehensive integrations with school administrative systems, translation to more than 100 languages, and app, email, text, voice, and web portal access for equitable communication. Founded in 2011, the company is headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA. Learn more at https://www.parentsquare.com.
