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RCOE Executive Consultants

The Riverside County Office of Education is excited to offer a complimentary new service to school districts in our county. Tapping the expertise and experience of retired former Riverside County district superintendents and our Personnel Services team, RCOE is now offering Executive Coaching for Trustees and Superintendents. These talented educators bring extensive leadership experience and an in-depth knowledge of Riverside County to executive leadership coaching.

Our educational consultants will also provide coaching services to superintendents, can assist in developing a culture that supports high-quality teaching and learning, and help generate strategies for leading and navigating change. They can accomplish these goals through one-on-one consulting or small, personalized group settings. In addition, conflict resolution, crisis management, and mitigation services are available.

The Executive Coaching for Trustees and Superintendents consists of the following education consultants:

Sam Buenrostro, Ed.D., is the former Superintendent of the Corona-Norco Unified School District (CNUSD), where he dedicated 26 years of service in multiple leadership roles, including Deputy Superintendent of Human Resources and Instructional Support. He recently began his 40th year in public education.

Dr. Buenrostro earned his Bachelor’s degree from Chapman University, a Master’s degree from California State University, San Bernardino, and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from the University of La Verne. He is married to Sandra, a personal counselor, and together they have three adult children: Eric, Luis, and Samantha.

Dr. Buenrostro began his career teaching Spanish and English as a Second Language while also serving as head soccer coach at Santa Ana High School, Riverside Poly High School, and John W. North High School. He led the 1991 Santa Ana High School soccer team to a CIF Championship and was later inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.

He went on to serve as Assistant Principal and then Principal of Centennial High School for 12 years. Under his leadership, Centennial High School earned numerous honors, including National PLC School recognition, Riverside County Model of Excellence awards, designation as one of America’s Best High Schools, several CIF Championships, and a California Golden Bell Award. In 2009, he was named both CNUSD and Riverside County Principal of the Year.

As Superintendent, Dr. Buenrostro received multiple prestigious awards, including the 2023 CALSA Superintendent of the Year, 2023 Quantum Impact Courageous Leadership Award, 2024 CalSPRA Superintendent to Watch Award, and the 2025 CLSBA Legacy Award. He has also been honored as a Distinguished Alumnus by Chapman University, California State University San Bernardino, and the University of La Verne.

Committed to community service and healthy living, Dr. Buenrostro has served as a board member for the Corona Chamber of Commerce, Corona History Association, Circle City Kiwanis, Rotary International, Lions Club International, and the Boy Scouts of America. He is passionate about living life with purpose, the power of people, and inspiring others to make a difference.

Contact Dr. Buenrostro at sbuenrostro1965@att.net or (949) 636-4543. 

Carl A. Cohn is professor emeritus and senior research fellow at Claremont Graduate University. From 2011 through 2018, he served the state of California first as a state board of education member, and then as executive director of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence. 

Previously, he was superintendent of schools in both the Long Beach and San Diego school systems, as well as the Federal Court monitor for the Los Angeles school system. His tenure in Long Beach culminated with his winning the McGraw Prize in 2002, and the district winning the Broad Prize in 2003. In recent years, he has been elected to both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Education. 

Dr. Cohn currently serves on the following boards: the Spencer Foundation, the Center for Assessment, the Alder Graduate School of Education, the Education Standing Committee of the California Catholic Conference, the National Center for Learning Disabilities, Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Long Beach/West Orange County, and California Competes. He recently received a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to study the phenomenon of the attempt by culture warriors to take over local school boards. 

In addition to his work in K-12 education, he has prepared future educational leaders at Pittsburgh, California State University, Los Angeles, USC, Harvard, George Washington, and Claremont. 

 Contact Dr. Cohn at cacohn@aol.com or (562) 896-9260.

Elliott served in public education for 44 years in positions ranging from preschool teacher to superintendent of schools. He served for seventeen years as Superintendent of Schools in Jurupa Unified School District. He is also CASBO Certified as a Chief Business Official, and served in that role in Jurupa prior to becoming Superintendent. 

Elliott is currently serving as one of RCOE's Executive Coaches and as an advisor to the Fiscal Expert for the California Department of Education. He continues to serve on ACSA committees and the State School Employment Advisory Committee. As Superintendent, he served on ACSA's Superintendency Council and Legislative Action Committee as well as a number of other committees. He was also member of the Governance Board for the American Association of School Administrators. He has testified multiple times before the State Legislature, State Board of Education and state and federal commissions. 

While Elliott has strong expertise in school finance, business and governmental relations, he also has expertise in instructional methodology. His passion is leadership development. He particularly enjoys working with superintendents and boards to build strong governance partnerships, and he is committed to helping superintendents achieve long and successful careers. 

Contact Elliott at elliottduchon@yahoo.com or (951) 232-2581.

Pat Kelley has spent 38 years in education. Thirty-one years were spent in the Murrieta Valley Unified School District as a teacher, coordinator, assistant principal, principal, director, and assistant superintendent. For the last ten years, he served as Superintendent of the Murrieta Valley Unified School District. Pat can provide assistance in the following areas:

  • Superintendent, Board, and Administrator Development I Consultation I Advisement
  • Organizational Management Strategy Development
  • Communications Advisement
  • Evaluations and Improvement Plans
  • Leadership Training
  • Political and Personal Conflict Resolution Advisement

Contact Pat Kelley at patkelley25@gmail.com  or (951) 813-8705.

Dr. Maureen E. Latham is a life-long educator with 45 years of service in TK-12 public education and seven years of service in the Educational Leadership Department at Azusa Pacific University. Her career includes work in both urban and rural education settings, as well as experience in Missouri, Wisconsin and California. It is from the rich experiences in a variety of educational settings that she witnessed the miracles that occur in classrooms and schools when every educator is committed to student learning. This affirms her belief that with the expertise and commitment of every person who interacts with children, ALL students will increase in academic proficiency and thrive in a safe, positive educational environment. 

Through her experience as a Superintendent in Residence, Dr. Latham contributed to the scholarship of doctoral students by challenging them with the content of rigorous academic subject matter, juxtaposed with the application of the content in the TK-12 school setting. Her areas of expertise included educational policy at the local, state, and federal levels, and the examination of the structural and cultural factors that contribute to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive educational system.

Education:

  • Ed.D., Leadership for Educational Justice, University of Redlands
  • MEd, Special Education, California State University, San Bernardino
  • BA, Anthropology and Social and Behavioral Science, Webster University

Credentials/Certifications:

  • California Administrative Services
  • California Special Education Learning Handicapped
  • California Resource Specialist
  • California Multiple Subject Teaching
  • Wisconsin Reading Specialist
  • Missouri Life K-12 Teacher Certification

Expertise: 

  • Cognitive and Neurological Sciences of Learning
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Education Environments
  • Executive Coaching and Mentorship for Educational Professionals
  • Executive Coaching for School Boards
  • TK-12 Public Education Experience

Contact Dr. Latham at melatham@gmail.com or (951) 232-6494. 

Dr. Michael Lin is a retired superintendent from the Corona-Norco Unified School District (2012-2021). He received his Doctorate in Institutional Management from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.  

Michael served 30 years in public education. Prior to becoming a superintendent, he worked as a coach, teacher, and site administrator, and spent 14 years in Human Resources as a director, assistant superintendent, and deputy superintendent for multiple school districts in Los Angeles and Riverside Counties.

During his tenure as a superintendent, Michael was invited by President Obama as one of the nation’s innovative school leaders to participate in the inaugural National Connect Superintendents Summit at the White House. He was also honored as one of the nation’s top 15 Education Week’s “Leaders to Learn From”, recognizing forward-thinking superintendents. In 2015, Dr. Lin was named the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 19 Superintendent of the Year.

In addition to proudly serving as an executive consultant for Riverside County Office of Education, Michael also serves as the Director of ACSA’s Inland Empire Personnel Academy. He volunteers his time as a board member for a local education foundation and a member of the UCLA Parent Council Emeritus.  

Contact Dr. Lin at mzjmlin@yahoo.com or (909) 533-0746.

Sandra Lyon, Ed.D., retired in 2021 after 34 years in education. Dr. Lyon retired after serving 13 years as a superintendent. She retired as the Superintendent of the Palm Springs Unified School District, where she served for five years. She also served as Superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District for five years and as Superintendent/Principal for Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes School District in the Antelope Valley for three years. Dr. Lyon also previously served as chief leadership officer for the Palmdale School District and as a teacher and principal earlier in her career. In 2018, she was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve on the board of the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, a state agency designed to work with educators to identify goals and needs, promote innovative thinking, and jointly solve problems. Dr. Lyon's background includes serving as a middle and high school English teacher, an elementary and middle school principal, a brief stint as director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and as the first California consultant for Thinking Maps.

Dr. Lyon earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from San Francisco State University (SFSU) and began a journalism career with Time Magazine before turning her career aspirations to education. She earned her teaching credential in English/language arts from SFSU and a master's degree in curriculum and instruction and an administrative credential from Cal State Bakersfield. Dr. Lyon earned her Doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership from USC.

In her leadership advisement work, Dr. Lyon focuses on superintendency, including organization and systems, complex political situations, board governance, leadership, cabinet and team development and communication, as well as school leadership and curriculum and instruction.  

Contact Dr. Lyon at Slyon.tm@gmail.com or (661) 810-8225.

Dr. Allan J. Mucerino is a university professor of educational and organizational leadership at CSU Fullerton, a professional expert with the statewide agency solely charged with assisting school districts in need of support: The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE), and a retired superintendent of schools.

Dr. Mucerino has served as a superintendent in Los Angeles, Riverside, and Orange counties over the course of his 30-year leadership career, including seventeen years as a middle and comprehensive high school principal. He provides coaching and mentoring to superintendents and school boards, leadership development for organizations, and customized workshops for education organizations and school boards, including decision-making, strategic planning, governance, and targeted and intensive support and resources. He works with an extensive network of expert colleagues to provide the highest quality services. He is a published author and a frequent contributor to AASA.

Contact Dr. Lyon at allan@allanmucerino.com  or (949) 636-4543. 

Additional Coaching

Coaching for Superintendents and Trustees also offer Board Workshops that develop an understanding of the roles of the Superintendent and Board, establish and reinforce Board protocols, and result in a high performance governance team. 

Well-established Board and Superintendent evaluation services is important in a healthy and productive Board and Superintendent working relationship. We can help establish and/or refine a procedure for annually evaluating the Superintendent and governance team, develop the review process criteria, create operation protocols as a basis for the evaluation, and ensure that constructive comments and recommendations align to the mission, vision, and goals of the district.

The Riverside County Office of Education shares a common goal with the twenty-three school districts we serve – improving academic achievement for all students. Our organizations already collaborate in a variety of academic solutions and services to maximize the teaching and learning experience. We continue to innovate and respond to the needs of our school districts who have demonstrated a propensity for improving the learning landscape for all students. We look forward to our continued work together.

For more information on Executive Searches and Coaching for Superintendents and Trustees, contact Dominique Samario, Chief Strategic Partnerships and Communications Officer, by calling (951) 826-6639 or emailing dsamario@rcoe.us.