State Superintendent Thurmond Appoints Sarah Neville-Morgan as California Department of Education Deputy Superintendent

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today that he has appointed Sarah Neville-Morgan as Deputy Superintendent for the Teaching and Learning Support Branch at the California Department of Education (CDE).

Neville-Morgan is the former Director of the CDE Early Learning and Care Division. In that role she provided leadership and support to the early learning community, providers, and contractors statewide.

“Sarah is an advocate and champion for learners of all ages throughout the state,” said Thurmond. “Her background and collaboration with partners in the field of early learning and care is unparalleled, and she brings those skills to her new position. Under Sarah’s leadership and strategic focus, her branch will continue the work that ensures students from birth to age twenty-two have access to a quality and equitable public education.”

Neville-Morgan started her career at CDE as a Child Development Consultant in 2011. In 2013 she left to become the Deputy Director of Program Management at First 5 California. There, she managed a team and funding focused on closing the achievement gap and supporting quality early learning. Neville-Morgan also worked as the Deputy Executive Director of the Governor’s Early Learning Advisory Council during the Schwarzenegger and Brown administrations and as an Academic Child Development Specialist at the University of California, Davis Center for Child and Family Studies. She also has worked in a child care resource and referral agency, with foster care education programs, and has supported school teen parent programs. She returned to the CDE in 2017 to lead the Early Learning and Care Division.

As the Deputy Superintendent for the Teaching and Learning Support Branch, Neville-Morgan will oversee a branch that is responsible for helping all students—from early learners to adults—reach their academic potential and goals by providing the necessary support to early educators and providers, teachers, administrators, school and district leaders, and community-based organizations. She will continue the work of the Teaching and Learning Support Branch to ensure that inclusion practices are established during classroom hours, before and after school, and in early learning and care programs, and that the programs and instructional resources and supports reflect diversity, accessibility, and equity.

Neville-Morgan earned a B.A. in Psychology at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, and a M.S. in Child Development at the University of California, Davis.

Neville-Morgan replaces former Deputy Superintendent Tom Adams. She started in her new role on May 31.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100