Michele Kipke, Ph.D. - Trustee Area 1

Board Member 2022-23

Term Expires 2026

 

Dr. Michele Kipke is a Professor of Pediatrics at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and the Associate Vice President for Strategic Health Alliances in the Office of the Senior Vice President of Health Affairs at the University of Southern California. A long-time resident of South Pasadena, Michele is the proud mother of two children.

 

Patricia Martinez-Miller, Ph.D. - Trustee Area 2

Board Member 2023-24

Term Expires 2024

 

Dr. Patricia Martinez-Miller first served on the Governing Board from 1989 to 2001, returning in 2020. Her professional career includes more than two decades as a teacher and principal in Los Angeles. Concurrently she served as Adjunct Professor of Education at California State University-Los Angeles, and other area universities, preparing teachers and administrators for work in local schools. In 1993, she was named Director of Faculty for the School Management Program of the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Services. For 20-plus years, the program supported schools and districts in California and several other states from Connecticut to Hawaii in improving learning for all students. Patricia is pleased to be a part of several local and national boards and advisory groups, including Let's Talk Learning Diversity with a base here in South Pasadena but serving students and families internationally. A resident of South Pasadena since 1979, Patricia is the mother of two former SPUSD students and grandmother of three current SPUSD students.

Karissa Adams is a passionate community volunteer and dedicated children's advocate. She has lived in South Pasadena since 2007, having returned to California with her husband to raise their three children in the South Pasadena public school system. Karissa, also a product of public schools, was born and raised in San Diego. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in human physiology from Boston University, and worked in a research laboratory at Harvard Medical School. Karissa has contributed her time and expertise in many different roles - as President of the PTA at Arroyo Vista Elementary and, most recently, as the President of the Council PTA, as well as the Booster Clubs of South Pasadena Middle School and South Pasadena High School, Softball Commissioner for the South Pasadena Little League, and Troop Leader for the Girl Scouts.