Each year, March is designated nationally as Women's History Month. The 2020 national theme, commemorating the centennial of the 19th Amendment, is VALIANT WOMEN OF THE VOTE. As we celebrate the women who have fought for women’s right to vote in the United States, we are proud to announce Delaine Eastin, former California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, as this year’s luncheon speaker.

Delaine Eastin served as the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) for eight years from 1995 to 2003, the first and only woman in history elected to that position. As an elected constitutional officer, Delaine managed more than forty percent of the California budget and oversaw the education of 6.1 million children. Superintendent Eastin championed state standards and assessments aligned to standards, reduced class size in kindergarten through third grade, and strengthening of arts education and hands-on science, including gardens in schools. When she left office, California had gardens in more than 3,000 schools, and Eastin had enrolled California as the first state to embrace the Team Nutrition program to improve the nutritional value of school lunches.