Karen Stapf Walters – Assistant Executive Director
For two decades Karen Stapf Walters has worked at the state level on kindergarten through adult education policy issues. As ACSA's assistant executive director for Governmental Relations, she oversees ACSA’s state and federal governmental relations program. Karen manages a team of lobbyists who advocate before the legislature and state agencies as well as Congress on public policy issues of importance to ACSA's 17,000 members. Karen oversees ACSA’s political action committees and candidate endorsement process. She has been a member of ACSA’s governmental relations department since 1999.
Prior to joining ACSA, Karen was a middle and high school social studies and history teacher for more than a decade. She also served as a committee consultant in the California State Senate and as a legislative aide with expertise in education issues.
Adonai Mack – Legislative Advocate
Adonai represents and advocates on behalf of members of ACSA in the areas of the state budget, special education, transportation, pupil services and preschool. He is well known for his political insight and understanding of the legislative process.
Prior to joining ACSA, Adonai was a legislative advocate at the California School Boards Association, where he focused on the issues of charter schools, facilities, retirement and professional development. He has also served as a legislative advocate for the Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell and for then-Governor Gray Davis in the Office of the Secretary for Education.
The son of former longtime Sacramento-area superintendent Carl Mack, Adonai has been involved in public education issues for most of his life. Having grown up in Davis, he attended Morehouse College in Atlanta before returning to the Sacramento area.
Adonai and his wife, Machelle, have three children ranging from preschooler to a high school graduate. He serves on the executive board of the local parent teacher organization at his daughter’s middle school. In addition, Adonai serves on the board of a local nonprofit that specializes in advocating for children with mental health needs.
Laura Preston – Legislative Advocate
Laura has more than 25 years of education policy experience. She joined the Association of California School Administrators in 2000 after 9 1/2 years of public education lobbying for the California School Boards Association. Prior to lobbying, Laura spent 11 years in legislative and policy work inside the State Capitol. She served as principal consultant for the Joint Committee on School Facilities chaired by Senator Leroy Green. She also served under three former Assembly members.
Laura is highly regarded for her expertise on school facilities, charter school policy and school governance. The issues Laura works on for ACSA include adult education, alternative education, charter schools, collective bargaining, school facilities, governance and school safety.
Laura is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Her husband Paul is an adult education administrator in the Washington Unified School District in West Sacramento. She has one daughter, Anna, who attends school in the Yuba City Unified School District.
Sherry Skelly Griffith – Legislative Advocate
Sherry Skelly Griffith has more than 25 years of education policy experience in both Sacramento and Washington D.C. As one of ACSA’s legislative advocates, she is principal advocate for ACSA before the State Board of Education, California Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Education. Her policy expertise includes No Child Left Behind implementation and compliance, instructional materials, assessment, curriculum, teacher and administrator certification and professional development among others.
Prior to ACSA, Sherry served as the executive director of CDE’s Curriculum Commission and as the director of the K-12 Curriculum Framework Division and textbook adoption process under appointment by then Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin. Prior to that, Sherry served under the chief deputy superintendent as chief consultant and as a department lobbyist for CDE. She has also served as a staff member in the California Legislature as well as legislative director for the California Children’s Lobby. Sherry began her career in education as a preschool teacher.
Sherry serves on the Board of the Foster Youth Education Fund, dedicated to raising funds for emancipated foster youth to attend college and vocational training. She has served on numerous local and school related service organizations.
Sherry and her husband, Joel, live in Carmichael. They have three children attending schools in the San Juan Unified School District – Connor, Allison and Megan. Sherry and her family are skilled and accomplished outdoor enthusiasts known to suddenly disappear into the wilderness.
Sal Villaseñor – Legislative Advocate
As one of ACSA’s legislative advocates, Sal is responsible for such issues as academic accountability, assessment, curriculum and instruction, teacher and administrator retirement, underperforming schools, professional development, teacher credentialing and English learners.
He has more than 20 years of education policy experience and is highly regarded for his professional relationships with key policymakers and staff. He is well regarded for his knowledge in such issue areas as school accountability, student assessment, curriculum and standards, adult and vocational education, bilingual education and teacher credentialing.
Before ACSA, Sal served as the senior legislative advocate for the California School Boards Association. Prior to CSBA, Sal served as a legislative representative for the California Department of Education, director of then-Superintendent of Public Instruction Bill Honig’s Ethnic Advisory Council, and as an associate consultant to former Assembly Member Lucille Roybal-Allard.
A native of Southern California, Sal was raised in the City of San Fernando, graduated from San Fernando High School, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Sal and his wife, Gloria, have three children – Andreas, Bianca and Carlos. He and his family live in Elk Grove where his children attend school in the Elk Grove Unified School District.
Suzanne Caffrey – Administrative Director
Suzanne grew up in West Sacramento where she attended private and public schools. Prior to working for ACSA, she worked in the legal field for 10 years as a process server, a legal secretary, and a paralegal. Her goal is to make sure the Governmental Relations Department functions smoothly; in addition to serving as the administrative assistant to Assistant Executive Director Karen Stapf Walters, Suzanne is also responsible for overseeing the Governmental Relations Department workload and works as the supervisor to the clerical staff within the department.
Suzanne serves as liaison to the Legislative Policy Committee as well as Vice Presidents for Legislative Action. In addition, she is responsible for all of the PAC reporting requirements to the FPPC and issues involving PAC.
Liza Morris - Legislative Assistant
Liza went to public high school in Sacramento. She later moved to the Lodi/Stockton area where she attended San Joaquin Delta College and then transferred to CSU Stanislaus in pursuit of a bachelor's degree and teaching credential. Liza completed 3 years toward her degree before leaving school to support her two children. Sixteen years later, Liza is very pleased to find herself working in the education field. During the intervening years, she worked in the construction field as an executive assistant. Her goal is to make sure the Governmental Relations Department functions smoothly by assisting ACSA's legislative advocates in their administrative needs, maintaining multiple databases, tracking and keeping the advocates updated on over 500 legislative bills, and serving as liaison to the Legislative Policy Committee. Liza lives in Sacramento where her daughter has begun classes at American River College and her son attends high school in the San Juan Unified School District.