Jackie Smith
SJVWP Site Co- Director
Since 2010, Jackie has been an active Teacher Leader in the San Joaquin Valley Writing Project, a local affiliate of the California Writing Project, and served as CoDirector since 2019. She has also served on the CWP Advisory Board since 2019. She has been teaching in the greater Fresno area since 2000, and has the pleasure of working daily with students who are dedicated to improving their writing, reading, collaborating, and critical thinking skills.
Interests: Personal narratives/memoir, social justice writing
Marci Haas
SJVWP Site Co-Director
Retired PK- 6th grade teacher/administrator. Have been with the writing project since 2005. Currently an advocate and coach for the PK-3 ECE Specialist Credential program development at Fresno State.
Interests: Writing with our youngest writers (PK-3rd grades), creative writing, journaling
Kathleen Giannandrea
Associate Director for Equity and Diversity
It’s an honor to be a part of the SJVWP leadership team! I began my journey in education at Orosi High School in 1996, and I established our AVID systems in Cutler-Orosi JUSD in 1997. In 2008, I moved to the Fresno County Office of Education to work with Region 7 AVID schools in Tulare and Kings County. My next stop was a year and a half blip at El Monte Middle School. (Thank you to all middle school teachers everywhere. You are strength personified.) I have since returned to OHS. I earned an MA in Education with an emphasis on reading/language arts in 2018, and that’s when I became a teacher leader for SJVWP. I am a member of the board for the California Association of Teachers of English (CATE) and Community for Youth, a local non-profit organization in Cutler-Orosi. I’m an instructional coach, but I still work with dual enrollment students each day in my constantly evolving classroom space.
Interests:
Jesús González Rentería
Teacher Leader & Associate Director for Work with Multilingual Students
I am in my 17th year of teaching in the Hanford Joint Union High School District. I currently teach English 1 and Language Acquisition Support(LAS for Multilingual Students). I completed my SJVWP ISI in the summer of 2018 but started being involved with them in 2007 when they worked with my district for a few years. My interests sparkled again when I started attending their W.O.W. Sessions in 2015. I enjoy traveling, reading and writing, the beach, and spending time with my partner of nine+ years and our three dogs Carrah, Arya, and Mocha.
Interests: Creative writing, journaling, environmental justice writing, blog writing
Caitlin Racine
Teacher Leader & Associate Director – Secondary
I have been teaching high school English in the Central Valley since 2013. Currently I am teaching 9th and 11th grade English as part of Central Valley Charter School’s High School Virtual Academy. I participated in my first ISI with the writing project in 2016 and have avidly attended SJVWP events ever since!
Interests: Creative writing, persuasive writing, digital writing
Nadia Hoover
Principal investigator SJVWP
I am an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and the Spanish Bilingual Authorization Programs within the Literacy, Early, Bilingual, and Special Education Department at CSU Fresno. As a proud Fresno State alumna, I earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies, a multiple subject teaching credential with an emphasis on early childhood and Spanish BCLAD, a graduate certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and a master’s degree in Spanish Linguistics. I also hold an Ed.D. in TESOL from Anaheim University. My experiences in the Central Valley as an adult English learner, kindergarten teacher, instructional coach, administrator, and university coach have strengthened my passion for Dual Immersion Programs, Spanish/English linguistics, language development, multilingual learners, literacy, leadership, teacher development, and early childhood. It is a privilege to join SJVWP and I am thrilled to serve as the Principal Investigator.