Staff Credentials

Executive Director: Lawland W. Long

 

Lawland William Long was born and raised in east Oakland. His parents are of Chinese descent. His father, William, as young boy immigrant from Guangdong province as the Japanese were invading China to the United States during the depression days in 1933. His mother Mildred was born and raised in Oakland Chinatown.

Lawland began his non-profit career in San Francisco in 1981 as an administrator/executive director for Chinatown Youth Center. As he honed his skills in the Bay Area, he sought to add a graduate degree in business and traveled to the East Coast in 1985 to Boston College where he graduated with an MBA. Concurrent with his last semester in Boston College he took an executive director’s job in Boston’s Chinatown with Quincy School Community Council (QSCC), the largest Asian serving agency in the Northeast. At QSCC, he managed a 150 childcare program, which included children from infant-toddlers to 5 years old. Later his desire was always to gain more education and he attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University graduating in 1990 and where he also received a Kennedy Fellowship.

Despite the attraction of the East Coast, he wanted to lay down roots, and decided to head back the Bay Area for family and friends. He worked as a development consultant, college faculty, and researcher until he headed back to the non-profit world in 1994 as the executive director for Novato Human Needs Center. He also served President of the board of Directors of the Marin Council of Agencies. Following these positions, he was selected as the Executive Director of Xanthos, a multi service social service agency that included Head Start from 2000-2002. In the past two years, he has served as an interim executive director in Alameda and San Francisco counties. Concurrent with his professional positions, he also completed a 2 year Eureka Fellowship for non-profit executives in September 2003. He enjoys traveling, reading, squash and his friends and family. He married to Veronica and proud father of Kali (3) and lives in the East Bay.

Financial Administrator: Carolyn Leong

  Carolyn oversees all financial budgeting, forecasting and reporting for the Center. She is a long time administrative staff member who has contributed to the Center's continued stability and its growth of services for families. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley majoring in Sociology.

Office Manager: Thach Nhu Ta

  Thach manages most administrative and operational tasks in the Center. Being able to speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese and English, she plays a pivotal role at the Center by translating all classroom materials. Thach joined the Center 17 years ago after she arrived from Vietnam where she received a degree in business.

Social Worker: Fanny Yeung

  Fanny has recently joined CCCC and has already been captivated by the curiosity and energy of the children since the very first day. She has Bachelor of Arts degrees in Sociology - Organizational Studies and in Communication, and a minor in Human Development from U.C. Davis. She has previously worked as an instructor for the Upward Bound Program for 3 years and is currently a volunteer coordinator for the Academy of Friends. Fanny is currently pursuing her Teacher's credential.

Master Teachers /Interim Education Administrators: Jeannie Lim, Lisa Zeng

  Jeannie joined CCCC in 2001. She has 9 years of experience in in the field of Early Childhood Education, and has a Master Teacher's credential. Her day is well spent when she is able to see children being themselves while learning and feeling proud of their accomplishments through "play" and making friends. In her free time, she likes to play tennis, swim, go bike riding, rollerblade, eat, shop, and travel whenever possible.
  Lisa joined CCCC in 2002 and has 13 years of experience in the field of Early Childhood Education. She has a Site Supervisor credential and enjoys working in a bilingual center and having the opportunity of working with 60 different families. A few of her favorite activities with the children include playing with playdough and water, and doing art activities. In her spare time, Lisa enjoys doing volunteer work in the community.

Teachers: Esther Lee Cheng, Sandra Gee, Betty Chui Mei Lau, Audrey Tana Prothero

  Esther has worked at CCCC for over 20 years. She has an Early Childhood Education teaching credential and loves to help children develop their skills to become unique persons. In the classroom, Esther enjoys to sing songs with the children and do art activities. In her spare time, Esther likes to read, listen to music and travel.
  Sandra has been with CCCC for 13 years and has an Associate Teacher's credential. She enjoys working with the staff, families, and children at the center, especially when she is able to cook with them and do some messy art. In her spare time, Sandra cooks and caters to parties and likes to go hiking in Bay Area parks.
  Betty has been with CCCC for 6 years and has 7 years of experience in the field of Early Childhood Education. She has an Associate Teacher's credential. She cherishes the relationships she builds with the children and playing with them. She enjoys art activities, such as drawing and painting, and enjoys singing Chinese songs with the children. In her free time, she enjoys shopping and caring for her rose and orchid plants.
  Audrey has 7 years of experience in the field of Early Childhood Education. She has an Associate Teacher's credential. Audrey recently joined CCCC and is excited to be here because of the rich cultural traditions and the supportive environment that we have. Her favorite activities in the classroom include dramatic play and singing with the children! In her free time, she enjoys to exercise, travel and spend time with her daughter.

Tearcher's Assistants: Lorna Leung, Mary Yiu

  Lorna has been with CCCC for 14 years and has 20 years of experience in the field of Early Childhood Education. She has an Associate Teacher's credential. Lorna particularly likes the environment and the children at CCCC. She enjoys her time signing Chinese songs, doing art activities, playing with sand toys, and playing outdoors with the choldren. Lorna enjoys listening to music and watching movies in her free time.
  Mary has been with CCCC ever since her daughter was a student here. She likes the services CCCC provided so much that she started to volulnteer here and is now a part of our staff. She enjoys spending time with the children in our playhouse, block area, and outdoor structure. In her free time, she loves to cook, shop, borrow books from the library and clean her house.