Our board

Nathan Inouye has been an educational leader for over 24 years. He is currently the assistant director of instructional services at Moorpark Unified School District and previously provided science professional development and facilitated professional learning communities at the district, county, and state level as the Ventura County Office of Education science coordinator and region 8 (Kern, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties) science lead. He has contributed to toolkits for the implementation of Next Generation Science Standards, summative and formative assessments, lesson study, health instructional materials, and environmental literacy. Nathan was an informal and formal educator in the K–college setting and received his secondary teaching credential and MS at the University of California, Los Angeles. He taught secondary science in Los Angeles and Ventura county areas, including all levels of integrated science, chemistry, and biology. Nathan has served on the GCSN board since 2004. 

Debbie Gray comes to teacher after working in the Health field for many years.  She teaches high school in Palmdale, Los Angeles School District

Kristin Majda is a STEM Educator and former STEAM Literacy Coach for Santa Paula Unified School District where she trained and mentored teachers to help them implement the the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), as well as coordinated special programs to promote student interest in STEM careers. She currently works as the California Academic Specialist for Accelerate Learning, publisher of STEMscopes, helping to develop high-quality STEM curricula and professional development for K-12 teachers. Prior to becoming an educator, Kristin worked as a technical writer in the computer industry. She earned a BS in biology from UCSB with a minor in professional communication, and an MBA and MS in biotechnology from CSU Channel Islands. 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.

Laura Chua joined the board in 2017 and is a resident of Oxnard, born and raised.  She teaches middle school science at Lemonwood School (the school she attended as a child) in the Oxnard School District as well as coaches the school's boys' and girls' volleyball teams. She earned her Bachelors of Science Degree in Forensic Science from Chaminade University of Honolulu in 2011 and her teaching credential from CSUCI in 2014. She has been a presenter at various VCOE conferences such as the NGSS Rollouts.

Michelle Lourenco is an elementary teacher at Santa Paula Unified School District who also serves as a mentor teacher and member on the district's ELA leadership team and technology cohort. She has embraced NGSS and is passionate about infusing science into all parts of the school day. Michelle has served as a Lead Teacher for the VC STEMposium providing NGSS training and coaching to other elementary teachers and is also an NSTA Picture Perfect Science Teacher Trainer. Michelle has served on the GCSN board since January, 2018. 

Mandy Lam is a Math and Science District Resource Teacher (TOSA) at Ocean View School District in Oxnard, California. She has over 25 years experience in elementary education, having taught 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades. Her absolute favorite job was developing and running a STEAM Lab program for TK-5th grade. She is passionate about opening up students’ worlds through inquiry, exploration, discovery, creativity, and critical thinking.  She also enjoys supporting teachers in how to integrate STEAM education into their instructional practice.  Mandy has served on the GCSN Board since September, 2023. 

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.