Dr. William C. Cala Featured in Baobab Dialogue Series on EducationJuly 6, 2009
Dr. William C. Cala, President, Joining Hearts and Hands, will present "New models for primary and secondary education," a discussion as part of series of education reform strategies and conversations on Thursday, October 1, 2009, 6:30 PM, at the Baobab Cultural Center, 728 University Ave., Rochester. The discussion is open to the public; a $5 donation per participant is suggested.
Joining Hearts and Hands (www.joiningheartshands.org) is a non-profit organization working to fight AIDS and poverty in Kenya. Along with his wife Joanne, who serves as Vice President, Dr. Cala founded Joining Hearts and Hands to rebuild schools and provide scholarships for secondary school students in villages in the Lake Victoria area of Kisumu.
Prior to his involvement in Africa, Dr. Cala was the superintendent of the Fairport Central School District in Fairport, New York, a suburb of Rochester. Cala recently completed an 8 month assignment as the interim superintendent of the Rochester City Schools and is currently a visiting professor at Nazareth College.
Born and raised in Rochester, New York, and a graduate of Bishop Kearney High School, Cala received his bachelor of arts degree in Spanish education from St. John Fisher College. He holds a Spanish Language Certificate from the University of Madrid, Spain. He completed his master’s degree in education at State University of New York at Buffalo where he also earned his doctorate in curriculum planning and instructional design.
Cala began his career in education as a teacher of Spanish in the Williamsville suburb of Buffalo. In 1978, he accepted his first administrative position as assistant principal in Fredonia and later served as an administrator in Williamsville. Cala then went to the Royalton-Hartland district near Lockport, where he served as high school principal before becoming assistant superintendent. The next step in his career was the position of superintendent in the Pembroke District near Buffalo. Before coming to Fairport in 1997, he was Superintendent in the Shoreham-Wading River District on Long Island.
Throughout his career, Cala has focused on doing what is best for all students. As student assessment continues to usurp all other purposes and functions of learning today, he has dedicated the last ten years to unlocking the motivation and the untoward intentions surrounding high-stakes testing in New York State and across the nation.
Cala has been published nationally in professional journals and has been a guest essayist in major newspapers. In 2004, he was honored by Phi Delta Kappa International which presented him with the Presidential Award for Exceptional Educator Leadership. He also received the George Eastman Award for Courage and Leadership in Public Policy from the Center for Governmental Research, The Genesee Valley Peacemakers Award, Willie Lightfoot Youth Advocate Award, The Underground Railroad Freedom Heroes Award, The Kiwanis Everyday Heroes Award, Great Rochester Council of Churches Faith in Action Award and the United Nations of Rochester Organization of the Year (Joining Hearts and Hands).
The Baobab Cultural Center presents community dialogues and special guest speakers as a way to build trust and shared understanding of our collective human experience-a time-treasured African tradition. More information about the center and its programs is available at www.thebaobab.org.
Photo, Above: Joanne and Bill at Mbaka Oromo Primary School.