CSBA Presidents from 1931 to 2031
Prompted by discussions among several boards throughout California about the need to advocate for educational programs, 29 school board members from 12 counties gathered at the Donner School auditorium in Sacramento on Sept. 8, 1931, to form the California School Trustees Association, later to be known as the California School Boards Association.
To mark the upcoming 100th anniversary of CSBA in 2031, California Schools is taking a historical look at the CSBA Presidents from 1931 to the future president in 2031. The winter issue covered the first four presidents.
Clarence W. Pierce
1939–41
Pierce was a physician who joined the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education after retirement. He went on to found Pierce College, located in the San Fernando Valley of LA County, after his board service made him realize that students knew “little about agriculture and animals.”
Eugene Tincher
1941–43
Tincher was a lawyer, one of Long Beach’s first public affairs commissioners and served on the Long Beach USD Board of Education for 20 years. Tincher Preparatory School in Long Beach USD is named in his honor.
Louise Hector
1943–45
The first woman to lead the association as President, Hector was a trustee on the Berkeley USD board. Under Hector’s leadership as board president, the district passed a hiring policy that affirmed “the right guaranteed under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and instructs the superintendent to recommend employees solely with respect to their fitness for the tasks to be performed and without reference to race or creed.”
Orton Darnall
1945–47
Darnall served on the San Diego USD Board of Education for 22 years. He was a banker and active in his community, serving the Red Cross and similar organizations. In 1951, the Orton E. Darnall Elementary School was established. After being closed in 1985, the Darnall Charter School was established at the site in 1991.
