Regular Board Meeting Schedule:
Regular meetings of the board are held according to the annual calendar which can be found in the link below. July is dark. Closed session begins at 6:00 p.m., and open session begins immediately after. Meetings take place in the Multi-purpose Room at 3901 North Mesa School Road, Somis, CA.

About Mesa Union Board Of Trustees:
Mesa Union School District’s school board consists of five trustees each representing a trustees area; the role of the Board of Trustees is to ensure that the district is responsive to the values, beliefs and priorities of the Mesa Union School community. Trustees fulfill this role by performing five major responsibilities:

  • Setting direction
  • Establishing an effective and efficient structure
  • Providing support
  • Ensuring accountability
  • Providing community leadership as advocates for children, the school district and public schools

These five responsibilities represent core functions that are so fundamental to a school system’s accountability to the public that they can only be performed by an elected governing body. Authority is granted to the board as a whole, not each member individually. Therefore, board members fulfill these responsibilities by working together as a governance team with the superintendent, principal, and our talented teachers and staff to:

  • Assure that Mesa Union School students have the opportunity to actively participate in a rigorous and rewarding academic environment enriched with visual and performing arts, technology, robotics, athletics, and other extracurricular activities.
  • Sustain financial security of the District, while utilizing available resources to their highest potential and best use
  • Working together to provide the vision, resources, advocacy, leadership, and     accountability in a transparent, respectful, and collaborative manner to help students, their parents, and their teachers increase student achievement.
  • Recognize the talents, devotion, and extraordinary efforts of all district employees.
  • Collaborate with others who believe in student achievement and success, while distinguishing Mesa Union School District as a leader in Ventura County.

Mesa Union Governance Calendar 2022-2023 

Mesa Union School District Governance Agreements 2022-2023

Approved Trustee Areas     

Each of the Board of Trustees would appreciate and welcome your ideas and thoughts as we strive to move the District forward. Please contact by through the email address provided below.

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Steven Sullivan - Board President

CONTACTssullivan@mesaschool.org

CAREER

EDUCATION

ABOUT ME:

TERM: December 2024

Julie Hupp - Board Vice President

CONTACT:

CAREER

EDUCATION

ABOUT ME

TERM: December 2026

Board Member

Sandra Romero - Clerk of the Board

CONTACT: sromero2@mesaschool.org

CAREER: Attorney

EDUCATION

ABOUT ME: Trustee Sandra Ruvalcaba Romero is the proud daughter of hardworking immigrant parents who instilled in her a strong work ethic and the value of service to others. Her parents immigrated to Ventura County from Mexico in the 1970s. Although they had very little formal education, they arrived with a willingness to work hard and dreams of a better life for themselves and their
children.

Sandra was born and raised in the working class community of Ventura. She attended public schools and graduated from Ventura High School. With the help of her high school’s librarian she applied to college. She attended The College of William and Mary and studied in Spain. After graduating from college she attended law school. Sandra has been practicing law since 2006 and currently has her own practice.

She serves as a private attorney for Mexico’s Secretary of External Relations, has provided legal representation to other governmental agencies, and has also represented plaintiffs against large corporations. Sandra, her husband, Judge Gilbert A. Romero, and their two kids, founded Mesa Union’s Middle School Mock Trial Program. They are the proud parents of two Mesa Union students. Sandra enjoys studying and observing animal behavior, learning about nature, and is fascinated by magic.

TERM: December 2026

Version 2

Neil Canby - Trustee

CONTACTncanby@mesaschool.org

CAREER: Emergency Medicine Physician at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, CA for the past 15 years.

U.S. Navy Veteran as an Undersea Medical Officer.

EDUCATIONB.S. in Biochemistry from UC Davis 1991

B.A. in Economics from UC Davis 1991

MD degree Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 1996

ABOUT MEI was born and raised in Rancho Cordova, CA, a working class suburb of Sacramento. My father is a contractor and my mother was a nurse and later became an elementary school teacher and subsequently a principal. I attended UC Davis where I studied biochemistry and economics. I also competed on the wrestling and lacrosse teams. During this time I developed my interest in medicine while working as a medic in Sacramento.

I attended Medical School at Tulane University in New Orleans on a Naval Scholarship. I served 6 years on active duty and 5 as a reservist. I came to Ventura County in 1998 when I was stationed at Naval Base Port Hueneme with Underwater Construction Team Two. After completing my naval service, I completed my medical training at LA County/USC Medical Center in Emergency Medicine. I have been working at Community Memorial Hospital since 2004 and serve as the Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Ojai Valley Community Hospital.

I volunteer as an AYSO coach in Camarillo and have done several medical missions to Africa and Jamaica. I have had two children graduate from Mesa Union already and currently have two children at Mesa Union. My wife and I enjoy raising our children together, traveling and skiing. I also still find time play ice hockey once a week.

My desire to serve on the Mesa Union School Board stems from my belief that education is paramount to our success as individuals, as a community and as a nation. I want to collaborate with my fellow trusties, the superintendent, principal, staff and parents to ensure all of the children at Mesa Union are afforded an opportunity to learn and succeed at an institution that provides them with a current, relevant, and appropriate curriculum in a safe and non-biased environment.

TERM: December 2026

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Jayme Dryden - Trustee

CONTACTjdryden@mesaschool.org

CAREERSenior Environmental Engineer at Ashworth Leininger Group in Camarillo, CA for over 15 years

EDUCATIONB.S. in Environmental Engineering, with a minor in Environmental Science from UC Riverside

ABOUT ME: I grew up in Hollister CA and attended a small country K-8th grade school very similar to Mesa Union. I can remember having great teachers, playing (not very well) on the volleyball and basketball teams and finding a love for music in both music class and choir. I have a desire to enable our Mesa Tigers to have a similar experience.

After high school, I attended the University of California at Riverside where I studied environmental engineering and was active in volunteering clubs. Since graduating, I've worked for an environmental consulting firm, Ashworth Leininger Group. As a consultant I get to work with a wide variety of companies and truly feel as though the work I do has a positive impact on our planet.

My husband and I have two children at Mesa Union. I'm encouraged that students at Mesa Union School have the opportunity to actively participate in a rigorous and rewarding academic environment enriched with visual and performing arts, technology, robotics, athletics, and other extracurricular activities. As a fan of all of the mentioned items, you'll routinely see me and my family at various school activities. I take my role as a member of the Board seriously and want to ensure all students have equal access to a high quality education.

TERM: December 2024