Kermit Cuff

Chair

Kermit is a transit planning supervisor and former Employee of the Year for the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). He is also an ultramarathon runner and a team captain for the 500 Mile American Indian Spiritual Marathon team. Many Sunrise students have participated in the team training runs, and he is passionate about helping the students believe in themselves and search for greatness. His greatest satisfaction comes from being a mentor to young people.

Eddie Rocha

Vice Chair

Mr. Rocha is a vice president at Coretelligent, a tech company based in Boston, Massachusetts. “As someone who has been in the technology space since 2007 and now serves as a VP in the tech industry, I’ve had the privilege of seeing firsthand how alternative pathways can lead to success,” he says. “When I was in school, the traditional education system didn’t resonate with me. It was through alternative education that I found my footing, and it’s this experience that inspired me to become a board member at Sunrise Middle School.

 “Joining the board was a way for me to give back and ensure students who, like me, might struggle in conventional settings, have access to the support and opportunities they need to thrive. I believe in the power of diverse educational approaches, and I’m committed to contributing to a system that recognizes and nurtures every student’s unique potential.”

Deisy Flores

Secretary

Ms. Flores is the Parent Representative of the Sunrise School Board. She is a graduate of San Jose High School and received education and training at San Jose City College for Early Childhood Education. Unfortunately, she never received her diploma due to her previous status, but she has pushed her children to take advantage of any opportunities that come their way. She says, “I want my children to have everything I couldn’t have as an immigrant child and student growing up. I want them to push themselves to their fullest potential because I know they will be super successful in their lives.”  Ms. Flores previously worked for a daycare center but has since taken the opportunity to work at a dental office.

Jorge Sosa

Treasurer

Jorge is a former Sunrise student who went on to graduate from Bellarmine College Prep. He currently attends Foothill College, preparing to transfer to a university to major in Kinesiology. He is an avid soccer player and runner and is a captain on the 500 Mile American Indian Spiritual Marathon team. A born leader, his passion is to motivate Sunrise students to be the best that they can be.

Omar Reynoso

Board Member

Mr. Reynoso is our newest Board member. He is a pilot for Avelo Airlines. Before that he worked for ten years as a PE teacher, coach and after school program leader at Sunrise, so he is very familiar with the school. Mr. Reynoso was always known for having a great sense of humor and for being a great PE teacher. He eventually pursued his longtime dream of becoming a pilot for a major airline. “I want to be a Board member to show the kids that everything is possible in life, no matter background, color, race or gender,” says Reynoso, who himself was discriminated against as a child in school. “Also, giving back to the community is important because without Sunrise I wouldn’t be where I am right now,” he said. Mr. Reynoso pledges to represent the school well and make it “an even better place for everyone.”  He and his wife have two children and in his spare time he enjoys sports, especially soccer!

Advisory Board

Dr. David Johnson

David Johnson is a social psychologist who holds a Ph.D. from Stanford. His research had to do with how girls and members of minority groups are affected in their academic performance by adverse factors not under their control. He served as chief of staff to Congressman Mervyn M. Dymally (D-CA) for six years and worked on public policy in science and education. During his time on Capitol Hill, he was responsible for developing the legislation that paid reparations to Japanese Americans and Aleutian Islanders for their time in concentration camps during World War II, for revisions to the Higher Education Act that defined minority-serving institutions in a way that provided funds to colleges in the West and Southwest serving large number of Latino students, and for working with other legislative aides to allow previously classified satellite photos to be made available to the public, a change that eventually led to public access to satellite imagery. He went on to direct for 14 years a nonprofit called the Federation of Behavioral, Psychological and Cognitive Sciences which represented the public policy interests of 20 scientific societies and 150 graduate departments of psychology, cognitive science and education. While director, he was one of a group of scientists and educators asked by President Clinton and Vice President Gore to develop their administration’s policy on the use of scientific research to enhance economic development. He returned to the Bay Area in 2003 to become development director for science initiatives at National Hispanic University. While there, he founded and chaired the Department of Mathematics, Science and Computer Science. In retirement, he writes grants for several nonprofit organizations including Sunrise. He also manages Sunrise’s academic performance assessment called Measures of Academic Progress.