The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is proud to announce that two National Board Certified Teachers selected have been named as the inaugural California Advocacy Program fellows.
The two advocacy fellows were selected from a highly competitive group of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) from across the state.
- Lori Celiz, an NBCT at Ansel Adams Elementary School in the Lodi Unified School District
- Bootsie Battle-Holt, an NBCT at the Marina Del Rey Middle School in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
“Bootsie and Lori are already helping to drive student learning in their classroom and district roles. As National Board advocacy fellows, they will expand their reach to help grow accomplished teaching across the state of California, as we work toward our goal of ensuring that every student in America has an accomplished teacher in front of their classroom,” said Peggy Brookins, NBCT, President & CEO of the National Board.
Both advocacy fellows will work directly with National Board staff to build valuable competencies and expand professional connections, including with state policymakers, as they become even more influential in the California education community. The fellows will work as a team to support efforts to grow accomplished teaching and National Board certification in California.
Learn more about our advocacy fellows:
Lori Celiz is a National Board Certified Teacher in Literacy from Lodi, CA. She has been recognized as a member of the National Board Network Advisory Committee, Executive Board Member of Lodi Education Association, NEA Jump Start Advisory. Committee, and NEA/California Teachers Association Jump Start Trainer. Lori has facilitated various professional development workshops as a National Board support provider and a member of the Instructional Leadership Corps (ILC), a collaboration between the California Teachers Association (CTA), the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE), and the National Board Resource Center at Stanford University (NBRC). She also negotiated a memorandum of understanding between Stanford University, her local school district, and the local teacher’s union to create National Board cohorts. Lori is a member of the California Teachers Association and serves as a California National Board Ambassador. Lori has been a teacher in the Lodi Unified School District for 22 years.
Bootsie Battle-Holt is a National Board Certified Teacher in mathematics from Los Angeles, CA. She currently serves as a math teacher, chair of the math department, GATE coordinator and International Baccalaureate coordinator, and Instructional Leadership lead at the Marina del Rey Middle School. Bootsie has served as a member of the Teach Plus Board of Directors, and been recognized as an Educators for Excellence Rebel with a Cause, Los Angeles Unified School District Teacher of the Year, Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year, and a nominee for California Teacher of the Year. She has also shaped policy recommendations and solutions with leading decision makers, including John King, Arne Duncan, and President Barack Obama. She was one of two teachers nationwide selected to meet with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office to discuss federal testing requirements during the drafting of the Every Student Succeeds Act. She is a member of the California Teachers Association and is on the House of Representatives for the United Teachers Los Angeles. Bootsie has been a teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District for 13 years.