Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)

Parent and Community Education and Involvement Advisory Council

The Parent and Community Education and Involvement Advisory Council (PCEIAC) advises the Commissioner, Department (DESE), and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) on matters pertaining to the development of parent and community engagement in education. Its function is to help inform and advise the Department on policy issues that relate to the enhancement of the educational achievement of Massachusetts students. Specifically, the Council will:

assess statewide trends and needs;
seek public and professional input;
analyze information regarding parent and community education and engagement;
advise and make recommendations regarding legislation, regulations, and program guidelines; and
provide other programmatic recommendations as it deems necessary to fulfill the goals for parent and community engagement established by the Board of Education.

School Year 2024-2025 Meeting Schedule

Date	Time	Location
Thursday, November 14, 2024	10:00 AM – 12:00 PM	Virtual/Online meeting
Thursday, January 16, 2025	10:00 AM – 12:00 PM	Virtual/Online meeting
Thursday, June 12, 2025	10:00 AM – 12:00 PM	In-person meeting at DESE 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149

Contact Olga Lopez for agendas and login information if interested in attending a meeting. Meeting minutes are available upon request.

2024-2025 Council Members

Name (Last, First)	Title	Organization (if any)
Cureton, Kathresha (Co-Chair)	President Elect	Massachusetts Parent-Teacher Association
Alves-Hunter, Terry	Multicultural Outreach Coordinator	Parent, Professional Advocacy League
Falk, Audrey	Chair, Department of Applied Human Development and Community Studies	Merrimack College
Fernandez, Luisa	District Parent Coordinator	Fitchburg Public Schools
Figueroa, Sandra	Parent Liaison	Revere High School
Johnston, Kat	Manager of Professional Learning	The Teacher Collaborative
Mendes-Sheldon, Adriana	Director of Community Partnerships	Project Bread
Mittal, Kelly	Parent Member	myKidzDay, LLC
Silva, Donalda	Family and Community Resource Center Coordinator	Atlantis Charter School
Singh, Shivpreet	Parent Member

Interested in joining the Parent Advisory Council?

The Department will be appointing additional members to the council this spring, and encourages all interested to apply. If you would like to receive an application when they are available later this winter, please contact DESE's Family Engagement Specialist, Olga Lopez via the contact information listed below.

Contact Information

Olga Lopez, Liaison
Phone: 781-338-6315
Email: Olga.M.Lopez@mass.gov

Last Updated: February 28, 2025