Jennifer E. Elemen, Ed.D.
BIO
Dr. Jennifer Elemen has been a member of the California Council for the Social Studies (CCSS) for over a decade, serving in leadership roles including first vice president, 2021-2023; central area vice president, 2019-2021; region 5 representative, 2018-2019; and president of the Bay Area Council, 2016-2018. She was a high school history-social science, government and economics, AP and AVID teacher for several years before becoming an administrator. She was the Monterey COE and region 5 Content, Literacy, Inquiry, and Citizenship (CLIC) Project lead for implementation of the History-Social Science Framework and State Seal of Civic Engagement. She then served as a district director of pupil personnel services; elevating student voice, transformative social emotional learning, justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging. She is currently the digitally mediated learning coordinator for the 21st Century California School Leadership Academy (21CSLA) State Center at the UC Berkeley School of Education, providing equity-centered professional learning for education leaders. She is also a BeGLAD certified agency trainer, writer, and speaker; sharing and collaborating on liberatory practices for classroom, school, and local education agency implementation, action research, social design, and continuous improvement. She supports educators creating systemic change for equity and social justice with youth, families, and communities. Connect at https://linktr.ee/jenniferelemen.
STATEMENT
California Council for the Social Studies is an affiliate of the National Council for the Social Studies and a premier professional association, so it is my honor to serve its members: teachers, administrators, professors, and education leaders, who dedicate their lives to youth and school communities. I will continue to lead collaboratively and uphold CCSS as a “by teachers, for teachers, with teachers” organization; providing educators with high quality professional learning, support, resources, and camaraderie. In addition to our annual conference for over 60 years, CCSS offers the monthly Spotlight newsletter with instructional support, partnerships with supporting organizations and open educational resources (OER), webinars, communities of practice, regional and local events, @CASocialStudies social media, and updates to the “Social Studies News and Events” Facebook group. I have served on the conference; equity, inclusion, and social justice; curriculum, instruction, and assessment; executive; and membership and outreach committees, and look forward to co-designing our vision and future with emergent strategy based on our shared commitment to antiracism, ethnic studies, youth civic engagement, critical digital citizenship, and social justice. Now is a pivotal time for mobilizing to transform the educational and social circumstances of youth and communities by dismantling systems of oppression and creating liberation and joy. Thank you for your brilliance and dedication!