Dr. Julie Lara currently serves as the Director of the English Learner Support Division at the Texas Education Agency. In this role she oversees Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language policy and programmatic guidance for K-12 emergent bilingual students and their families. She is committed to elevating achievement and educational equity for over one million emergent bilingual students and their families. Prior to TEA, Julie has supported the education of culturally and linguistically diverse students in a variety of capacities: as a middle school special education teacher, teacher leader, teacher preparation supervisor and university professor. As a classroom teacher in an affluent suburban district, she witnessed first-hand the educational inequities experienced by students of color and their families, which prompted her to leave the classroom to pursue other leadership roles. Dr. Lara has a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland University College and a master’s in educational administration from Texas State University. She earned her doctorate in Special Education with a focus on multicultural education from the University of Texas at Austin – she is a proud Longhorn. Dr. Lara, a native Texan calls Corpus Christi her home. She is the oldest daughter of nine siblings and a first-generation college student. She lives in Austin with her four teenage children David, Adam, Michael, and Vivienne.

25 years as a CA educator has offered various vantage points through which I can examine and contribute to positive experiences and outcomes of MLLs. From overcoming English only initiatives to elevating multilingual programs/policies, I’ve contributed to the field as a practitioner, instructional coach, county PL lead, advocate, and SEA director

Dr. Lorna Porter is a Research Manager at WestEd, where she works in partnership with state education agencies (SEAs) to conduct research and provide technical assistance on multilingual learner policies and programs. Dr. Porter has experience conducting research and technical assistance with a variety of state partners, including Alaska, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington. All of her work focuses on multilingual learners, with specific projects touching on topics including reclassification policy and outcomes, course access, school-level accountability, and EL students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. She has coauthored multiple publications and resources focused on EL students.

Lilia Tsui is an experienced presenter who regularly designs and delivers technical assistance and professional learning sessions, both virtually and in person, to educators and leaders in California. Recent experiences that are pertinent to this session include presenting updates on the OPTEL at a regional network for LEA leaders who focus on multilingual learners (MLs); hosting an OPTEL presentation and Q&A session for regional LEA ML leaders; and developing and co-facilitating a regional OPTEL Implementation Community of Practice with and for LEA ML leaders driven by the needs of the group.