Panelists Confirmed for Tuesday, Oct. 6th Educational Forum

I'm excited to announce our three educational panelists for the Tuesday, Oct. 6th event at Marina Del Rey Middle School. In addition to Steve Zimmer, LAUSD Board Member, and Bill Rosendahl, LA City Councilman, the evening will feature three distinct voices representing the key components of the public education debate.

Read their bios below:

Tory Toyama is a native of Los Angeles who joined Teach For America in 2001 after graduating from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Biology and a B.A. in Political Science. His initial placement was 7th grade Science/Health at Wilmington Middle School, while concurrently pursuing a Master's Degree in Secondary Education with the Loyola Marymount TFA cohort. After his first two years at Wilmington, Tory was elected to the School Site Council, serving as secretary, served as the Science Dept Chair, and Lead 7th Grade Teacher. He was also appointed as Chemical Safety Coordinator, providing mandated school-wide training. Tory taught regular, special education, honors, and English Language Learners at Wilmington for five years. Tory then joined the staff at Venice High School where he has recently started his fourth year of teaching Biology and ICS (freshman science). He is also helping to start up a new small learning community, CASAA (Culinary Arts and Sustainable Agriculture Acadamy) which joins the existing organic garden with the new cooking club.

As a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Tommy Chang was a 1997 Los Angeles Teach For America corps member who taught six years at Compton High School in Compton, CA. During his six years, Tommy created an AP Biology program at Compton High and succeeded in helping the first students in Compton Unified history to pass the exam. He also coached a year-round softball program that won its first league game in 27 years, and, moreover, graduated all nine of its 2001 seniors, six of whom attended University of California schools. During his six years in Compton, he continued his education at University of California, Los Angeles, first through the Teacher Education Master’s Program, and then through the Principal Leadership Institute. After receiving his administrative master’s and credential, Tommy joined Green Dot Public Schools, first teaching biology at Ánimo Inglewood Charter High School and in Fall 2004, took on the task of founding principal of Ánimo Venice Charter High School. Animo Venice is a comprehensive high school located in the Oakwood community of Venice that serves 525 students, 80% of which are free/reduced lunch and 95% ethnic minorities. In June of 2008, Animo Venice graduated the first group of seniors in June 2008 with 100% of graduates applying to a minimum of three 4-year universities and 79% of graduates being accepted into at least one university/college. Tommy continues to stay involved in the Teach For America movement in his participation in various alumni events, teaches a Loyola Marymount graduate class for current corps members, and Animo Venice serves as a school site for the Los Angeles Summer Institute.

Elizabeth Campos Layne was born in Mexico, grew up in Santa Barbara and came to Los Angeles to attend UCLA. After receiving a BA in Psychology she went on to pursue a Master’s Degree in social work and served as a licensed clinical social worker for a county hospital. In 1999 after buying a home in Del Rey, she realized her passion for real estate and became a realtor. Now married with three daughters, two of which attend Playa del Rey Elementary School, Elizabeth followed another calling and got more involved with her daughters’ local school. She was elected to School Site Council (SSC) and also participated in Compensatory Education Advisory Committee (CEAC). Both organizations supported Playa de Rey Elementary students and teachers and played a key role in the school’s signifcant growth on last year’s state tests. This year Elizabeth will continue with the SSC and will also serve as president of The Friends of Playa Elementary.