SLO Partners is brought to you by the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education

 

SLO Partners 

SLO Partners is a non-profit organization and innovative initiative of the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education. Our team is working to bring talented, diverse and ambitious Central Coast residents into the tech industry while supplying a skilled talent pool to local businesses.

James Brescia, Ed.D

James Brescia, Ed.D

Superintendent of Schools

James Brescia is the San Luis Obispo County Superintendent of Schools and a clinical faculty member in the Educational Leadership and Administration Program at Cal Poly. James has served as a teacher, principal, and district superintendent in North County since 1989. Dr. Brescia’s writing and research interests include school leadership, instructional leadership, and organizational problem-solving-based-leadership. 

Michael Specchierla

Michael Specchierla

Executive Director, SLOCOE & SLO Partners

With over two decades in education leadership and experience, Michael Specchierla is an Executive Director for the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education and the founder of the SLO Partners program. An entrepreneur at heart, Michael promotes the importance of innovation and hands-on learning, which is reflected in the programs he oversees.

Paula Fryer

Paula Fryer

Senior Director, SLO Partners

Experienced in HR, Recruiting and business development, Paula drives the SLO Partners team to succeed at their mission of creating career pathways for local residents while supplying talented workers for local businesses. Focused on results, Paula collaborates with county departments and organizations to communicate and manage common goals of economic development.

Jennifer Clayton

Jennifer Clayton

Director of Student Success

Jennifer has served as an educational leader in San Luis Obispo County for over 20 years. As the Director of Student Success, she is passionate about building relationships with our students and connecting graduates with apprenticeship and employment opportunities that align with their newly found skills and goals.

Paul Piette

Paul Piette

Director of Business Relations

With over two decades of experience as an educational leader in school districts and communities, Paul has dedicated his career to serving diverse populations and revolutionizing traditional approaches to career learning. As the Director of Business Relations, Paul develops and implements upskilling opportunities and programs to support our growing business community.

Michael Garrett

Michael Garrett

Education Technology Coordinator

Michael has more than 30 years of industry experience in media and communications, with a focus over the past 20 years on educational technology. As Project Manager, Michael facilitates the planning, organization, execution and tracking of numerous deadline-based team projects and tasks.

Ken Selke

Ken Selke

Operations, SLO Partners

As a member of the SLO Partner’s team, Kenny utilizes his experience in serving as an operational multitasker to provide essential backend support to the program, as well as creating and implementing solutions that improve organizational efficiency, and operational integrity with passion, dedication, and a consistent focus towards innovation.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The Advisory Committee is a collective group of individuals whose experience and abilities represent a cross section of a particular occupational area in which SLO Partners operates. The Committee informs staff members on matters relative to industries linked to SLO Partners. This vital connection ensures the relevancy of the program and that course curriculum satisfies the desired skills for today’s employers. 

Josh Tang, Amazon

Josh Tang, Amazon

Director, Kindle Ingestion eXperience (KIX)

Josh Tang is a director of technology at Amazon, leading teams building software for Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing service, Print-On-Demand technology, and other foundational technology to empower sellers around the globe to earn a living with their craft.  He is a site lead for Amazon in San Luis Obispo, playing a leading role in the establishment and growth of local Amazon offices.  He serves on the Board of Directors for the Central Coast Economic Forecast and is committed to the economic success of the central coast region, particularly through investing in the diversity and size of the local tech workforce.

Loreli Cappel, City of Atascadero

Loreli Cappel, City of Atascadero

Deputy Director of Economic & Community Development

Loreli Cappel serves as the Deputy Director of Economic & Community Development for the City of Atascadero supporting economic development efforts such as local business growth and expansion as well as new business location. A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Loreli brings over 20 years of experience in Community Planning to the world of Economic Development. Her current professional focus includes supporting Atascadero’s General Plan Update, growing head of household jobs, and diversifying the economic makeup of our the City and the greater region.

Lee Johnson, City of San Luis Obispo

Lee Johnson, City of San Luis Obispo

Interim Economic Development Manager

Lee combines his management experience and his background in manufacturing, solar, consulting, and international business to direct the Economic Development activities of the City of San Luis Obispo. He draws on 20+ years of experience in international business.  Lee’s local experience includes his time as partner at Collaboration, LLC, a management consulting firm,  President and CEO at Mainstream Energy and its subsidiaries REC Solar and AEE Solar. Most recently, Lee worked as the CEO AccuAir Control Systems LLC, a high-performance suspension manufacturing company with more than 70 employees.

Rachael Hendricks, Trust Automation

Rachael Hendricks, Trust Automation

Human Resources Manager

Rachael Hendricks has a Master’s of Public Administration with a Leadership focus and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Rachael’s career in human resources started in 1999 at Oregon State University in faculty training and development.  Upon returning to California, she worked for the City of San Luis Obispo as a Human Resources Analyst before becoming a Human Resources Manager at a general engineering construction contractor.  She has found her home as Human Resources Manager at Trust Automation. Along with a great team, Rachael is responsible for all aspects of resourcing humans, including duties that often seem to fall under “other duties as assigned,” which enjoyably keeps her on her toes.

Matt West, Wildnote

Matt West, Wildnote

Software Engineering Manager

Matt West is the Software Engineering Manager for Wildnote, Inc. and the Founder of CodeSLO, LLC. He is passionate about technology education and helping people improve their quality of life. He lives in Atascadero with his wife, Lynne, and their children.

Naoko Ott, Entegris

Naoko Ott, Entegris

Human Resources

With over ten years as a Human Resources professional in a manufacturing & engineering environment, Naoko Ott is currently the Human Resources Business Partner at Entegris. Headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, Entegris employs approximately 5,100 people worldwide, with a facility located in San Luis Obispo, CA. Entegris provides customers with innovative, science-based solutions to their toughest technology challenges.  A champion of company culture, and accomplished at strategically aligning human capital support and guidance with the key priorities of business, Naoko focuses on mitigating risk for the company, and elevating the performance and job satisfaction of a business’s most valuable asset – their employees

Steve Burnside, Clever Ducks

Steve Burnside, Clever Ducks

Director

Steve is Director of Development and Marketing at Clever Ducks. His passion for technology started with an Atari 2600 and has grown from there. Steve holds a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and an MBA with a Strategic Management emphasis.

Impacting our community through collaboration