Constance Best
Executive Director, Yolo-Solano Center for Teacher Credentialing, Davis JUSD Induction, Intern, and CTE Programs
Connie Best has led efforts to expand programs and support for teacher preparation as the Executive Director of the Yolo-Solano Center for Teacher Credentialing since 2012. With over 40 years in education, she has worked extensively with new teachers as a mentor, coach, coordinator, and seminar facilitator. Before stepping into this leadership role, Best taught students across a wide range of educational settings, including primary-age students with severe multi-handicaps, adults with developmental disabilities, students with serious emotional disturbances, and general education elementary students. She was instrumental in the creation and launch of the Community Day School in Woodland, which provided wrap-around educational and mental health services for elementary students with severe behavioral needs and their families.
Best began her career in New York, teaching students with multiple disabilities after earning a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Special Education from the State University of New York at Geneseo. After moving to California, she completed a Master of Science in Special Education, with an emphasis on Behavior and Emotional Disturbance, at the University of the Pacific. Her contributions to education have been recognized with multiple awards, including four Yolo County Schools’ Striving for Excellence Awards and a Yolo County Community Advisory Committee Award for outstanding service to students with disabilities.
