Officers
Debbie Bereki, President
Dr. Debbie Bereki is a founding member of GCSN and has
served on the board since its inception in 1993.
Dr. Bereki earned her Ph.D. in science education from
U.C. Santa Barbara and her B.S. in nutrition from
U.C. Davis. She has more than 20 years of classroom
experience teaching K-16 science courses and has been
continuously devoted to improving science education by
providing professional development for teachers,
coordinating various outreach programs, and through her work
with GCSN and numerous other professional organizations.
She was the Coast Geological Society Earth Science Teacher
of the Year in 1999 and earned the Amgen Award for Teacher
Excellence in 1997.
Kristin Majda, Vice President
Kristin Majda is a high school and college science educator
and has led multiple schools in creating benchmark
assessments and aligning curriculum to the state standards.
She worked for four years as a technical writer in the
computer industry prior to pursuing a career in education
and possesses a BS in biology from UCSB with a minor in
professional writing, and an MBA and MS in biotechnology
from CSUCI. In addition to serving on the GCSN board since
2009, Kristin is an active member of the California Science
Teachers Association (CSTA) and the American Association
for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); and serves on the Operating
Council of the Discovery Center for Science and Technology.
Nathan Inouye, Treasurer
Nathan Inouye has been teaching science since 2002 and is currently teaching at Adolfo Camarillo High School in Camarillo, California. He grew up in the Santa Barbara area and completed his undergraduate degree in environmental, population, and organismic biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. After serving in the Peace Corps for two years in Jamaica, Nathan returned to California to complete his single-subject life science credential and masters in education at the University of California at Los Angeles. Nathan has served on the GCSN board since 2004.
Sharon King, Secretary
Sharon King teaches integrated science at Palisades Charter High School in Pacific Palisades, California. She has a masters degree in education and earned a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) when women were extreme minorities in science and engineering. Prior to teaching, she worked as a research chemist, computer programmer, and stay-at-home mom. Sharon has served on the GCSN board since 2009.
Brad Swopes, Member at Large
Brad Swopes teaches biology at Royal High School in Simi Valley. Brad has served on the GCSN board since 1994.
David Sweet, Member at Large
David Sweet is a meteorologist for the National Weather Service and is also in charge of the diversity and outreach programs at the local forecast office in Oxnard, California. David has served on the GCSN board since 2003.
