Marlene Bell knows what it takes to succeed in education. For Marlene, an important “first” was being one of the first three students in the UC Davis EOP (Equal Opportunity Program). She was among a small group of African Americans to teach in Davis in the 1970s, and served as the first African American president of the Davis Teachers Association.

Her passion for public education is proven through her nearly 30 years as a K-4 teacher in Davis Joint Unified School District, a mentor of new teachers, leader in writing the first multicultural curriculum guide, teacher leader, and now in her demanding role as a regional director for the California Teachers Association.

“Marlene’s personal initiative and long career demonstrate her continuous professional development and talent for accepting the challenge of engaging stakeholders and improving schools,” said Bell’s nominator.

Bell manages the CTA’s largest region, covering 73,000 square miles in 31 counties—from the Oregon border to the LA county line, and from Davis east to the Nevada state line. As manager, she is responsible for the coordination of most CTA programs and services throughout the Region.
As a teacher, Bell’s engaging teaching style and creativity were among the many ways she connected with her students. Her lessons were inclusive of the attitudes, interests, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, disabilities and desires of her students.

As a mentor and teacher leader, Bell worked to bring out the best from her colleagues. She accepted multiple responsibilities for leadership in professional development and advocacy. Her collaborative efforts were recognized by the Davis Joint Unified Board of Education when she received the Merit Award for Outstanding Teaching and Leadership in Education.

At the CTA, Bell became a lead trainer to advance gender equity and close the achievement gap for under-represented students. She was also a national trainer for Gender-Ethnic Expectations and Student Achievement (GESA). As a chapter services consultant, Bell helped teachers improve the conditions for teaching and learning not only through bargaining and grievance processing, but also through trainings on the impact of diversity.

As an assistant executive director, Bell was responsible for the services provided to 64,000 CTA members. Those services include support and mentoring through professional development offered at various regional conferences; the coordination of academic and applied opportunities for students through the Institute for Teaching; and community outreach projects and forums on the education of African American students in the greater Sacramento area.

Ms. Bell retired in 2009 and serves on the School’s Alumni Council.