Due to new responsibilities related to his upcoming selection as President Pro Tem of the California Senate, our invited guest, Sen. Darrell Steinberg has had to withdraw at the last minute from his speaking engagement at our opening reception, as he will no longer be in town. We regret that he won’t be joining us to speak and to meet our members.

However, we have a wonderful replacement: CATESOL’s legislative advocate, Jeff Frost, will speak about the politics of 2008, the budget shortfall that we are all facing, and the impacts on education generally and on ESL specifically. Jeff will focus on grass roots advocacy and the effect we can have on the future of education funding and legislative support for our interests.

Jeffrey W. Frost has a wide-ranging background in academia, legislative advocacy and public policy development. He has over 20 years of experience lobbying the California State Legislature on behalf of school districts and education associations. He received his undergraduate degree from Occidental College majoring in Political Science and graduated from the Claremont Graduate School in 1979 with a Ph.D. in Government. His research efforts focused on the politics of legislative advocacy and his doctoral dissertation was entitled “Public Sector Lobbying: Government Relations of the California Teachers Association.” Dr. Frost has taught classes in American Government and public policy at UC Irvine, California State University Long Beach and Sacramento State University. Dr. Frost has authored a number of articles related to education policy and the politics of California government. In 1987 Dr. Frost began work as a legislative advocate for the California School Boards Association where he lobbied on virtually every education issue and served as the primary spokesman for the association with both the legislature and the Governor’s office. In 1990 Dr. Frost founded the legislative advocacy firm of Frost Davis & Donnelly based in Sacramento. The firm specializes in advocacy for education associations, school districts and corporations with a direct interest in public education issues.

Meet old friends and make new friends, enjoy musical entertainment and sample a selection of hors d’oeuvres, all complimentary, from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. The Sheraton Ballrooms, with their sunken lobby below a spectacular three-story atrium, are the perfect place to unwind after a long trip or a busy day of PCIs. Start your conference off on the right foot at this reception.