Dr. Dale Shimasaki, CEO
Dale Shimasaki Dr. Shimasaki has approximately thirty years experience shaping state, federal and local education budget policies. Dr. Shimasaki served for three years in the Office of the Legislative Analyst, two years as Principal Consultant for the Assembly Budget Committee and six years as Chief Consultant for Educational Policy and Finance for Speaker of the Assembly, Willie L. Brown, Jr. From 1992 through 1996 Dr. Shimasaki served as Director of Research and Director of Governmental Relations for the City College of San Francisco. He has also served for two and a half years as the Executive Director of the Civil Liberties Public Education Fund.

email: dfs@strategicadvocates.com

  Stephen Rhoads, Principal Consultant
Stephen Rhoads
Stephen Rhoads brings to Strategic Education Services over thirty-five years of extensive experience in education and energy policy. As a Principal Consultant, he helps to ensure the clients' needs will be addressed. Mr. Rhoads served as the Executive Director of the California Energy Commission for ten years, as the Undersecretary to the Governor's Office of Child Development and Education during the Wilson Administration and has served many years in the Legislature. He has also served as the Chief Consultant to Republican Assembly Member James Brulte, Budget Staff Director for the Minority Ways and Means Committee, as the Deputy Director for the Assembly Republican Caucus and the School Finance Expert for the Legislative Budget Committee of the Legislative Analyst's Office.

email: srhoads@strategicadvocates.com

  Esperanza Ross, Consultant
Esperanza Ross
After completing her Juris Doctor and earning a Master's degree in Public Policy at Georgetown University, Esperanza Ross served as an organizer for the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union (HERE), Local 11 in Los Angeles. Soon thereafter, she was promoted to work directly with HERE's International President John Wilhelm as his National Assistant on Immigration Policy. She was charged with coordinating the union's aggressive campaign to reform U.S. immigration laws.

In 2002, Esperanza moved to Sacramento to open her own legislative advocacy firm. She represents a broad base of clients with a variety of interests including Native American curriculum, teenage pregnancy prevention, farm worker rights, and textbook publishing. Esperanza has an intricate knowledge of the legislative and budget processes and has experience in developing political and election strategy through her work in a variety of political campaigns.

Esperanza is the daughter of a farm worker and political consultant and was born in Salinas, California.


  Sandra Vargas, Consultant
Sandra Vargas
Sandra Vargas currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for Washington Unified School District in the City of West Sacramento. Prior to joining Strategic Education Services in 2004, Ms. Vargas served as the Education Consultant in the office of Senator Denise Ducheny (D-San Diego) in 2002. She first joined the California State Legislature as a Legislative Aide in the office of former Assemblymember Tony Cardenas. Ms. Vargas began her career in state government in the Governor's Office of Planning and Research (OPR), under the administration of former Governor Gray Davis. Ms. Vargas is also a former Spanish teacher at Florin High School in the Elk Grove Unified School District.
email: Sandra@ivargas.com

  Karen Bocaling, Scheduler
Karen Bocaling is a former English teacher at River City High School in West Sacramento. Prior to becoming an educator, she worked on environmental issues at the nonprofit Californians Against Waste. Karen is also an alumna of UC Santa Cruz and the UC Center Sacramento program, during which she interned at the California State Attorney General’s Office Public Rights Division. She now provides her organizational skills to Strategic Education Services by scheduling and coordinating meetings and conferences as well as all other administrative tasks contributing to the professional environment in the office.
email: karen@strategicadvocates.com


STRATEGIC EDUCATION SERVICES • 1130 K Street • Suite 250 • Sacramento, CA 95814
phone: 916-441-3909 • fax: 916-441-4577 • email: generalmail@strategicadvocates.com