School District Representative Candidates

Rachel Miller
I seek to serve on the CSTA Board to advance equitable, sustainable computer science systems that center educator expertise and student access. Through a K–5 research-practice partnership, I supported districtwide elementary CS expansion and facilitated teacher participation in Scaling Inclusive Pedagogy, a Texas Advanced Computing Center course focused on inclusive teaching strategies. Working alongside educators has shaped my understanding of the daily realities and barriers that influence implementation. I am completing an Ed.D. program, with an anticipated completion date of November 2026, researching early CS and its relationship to long-term outcomes and equitable access. I hope to help bridge research, policy, and lived classroom experience to expand opportunity. As a Board member, I will strengthen national and chapter-level community, expand access to high-quality instructional resources, and deepen leadership pathways across career stages.
I believe I bring strategic, systems-level leadership grounded in classroom practice and statewide implementation. As a K–12 DLCS leader and AP District Coordinator, I collaborate with hundreds of educators, facilitate high-impact professional learning communities, align curriculum to standards, and build sustainable capacity structures. I serve on Massachusetts’ Digital Learning Advisory Committee, contributing to state-level guidance and policy implementation. Through a K–5 research-practice partnership, I advanced inclusive elementary CS expansion and policy-to-practice coherence. I am completing an Ed.D. focused on early computer science, equity, and long-term outcomes, strengthening my ability to interpret evidence and guide informed decision-making. I bring strategic communication, cross-sector collaboration, principled governance, and the courage to ask difficult questions to ensure CSTA remains mission-driven and forward-looking.
I lead CS expansion in a large urban district serving 24,000 students, with 88% identified as high-needs under state measures. This context shapes my equity perspective: access to rigorous computer science must be systemic, not selective. We have aimed to incorporate computer science and computational thinking into core instruction and continue advancing that work so all students learn computing alongside their peers. Through a K–5 research-practice partnership, in collaboration with DLCS coordinators and district leaders, we have exposed hundreds of educators to early CS and CT over eight years, strengthening sustained implementation. Our teacher-developed K–5 curriculum was recognized in Massachusetts as high-quality instructional material, supporting consistent access across schools. Participation increasingly reflects district demographics, making equitable CS opportunity structural rather than optional.
I actively engage with CSTA at both the national and regional levels, presenting at three CSTA Annual Conferences and two CSTA New England conferences to share district implementation strategies and equitable CS practices. While my district’s elementary DLCS coordinator serves as local chapter president, I collaborate closely to elevate educator voice and connect district-level insight to chapter leadership. I also disseminate CSTA news, events, and professional learning opportunities to educators across my district, strengthening participation and engagement. I view CSTA as the professional backbone of the K–12 CS ecosystem, aligning standards, research, and practitioner leadership while fostering coherence across states. Its role in amplifying educator voice and sustaining high-quality, equitable implementation is foundational to the field’s continued growth.

Rachel Pauley
My initial term on the CSTA Board, from 2024–2026, was a vital period of immersion during which I successfully navigated the organizational learning curve. Having “gotten my feet wet” through active service on the Standards, Editorial, and Professional Development teams, I have gained a rare, holistic view of how our organization functions at every level. I am seeking a second term because I am now uniquely positioned to move from learning our internal systems to actively streamlining them for the educators we serve. My goal is to bridge the strategic gap between high-level standards and the technical, daily realities of district-wide implementation. I am ready to turn the momentum of my first term into clear, actionable support, ensuring CSTA remains the premier partner for districts looking to build sustainable, scalable computer science programs that reach every student.
As a Director of Technology, my leadership is defined by expertise in systems architecture, budgetary oversight, and the deployment of enterprise-level technology. My professional background allows me to evaluate board-level decisions through a lens of both administrative feasibility and financial stewardship. I am a strong advocate for creative partnerships that lower barriers to entry for teachers; for example, during a recent conference, I successfully collaborated with a vendor to provide CSTA memberships for every participant, ensuring professional community access was not hindered by individual budgets. This ability to broker high-impact partnerships, combined with my experience managing NSF CSforAll grants and architecting higher-education collaborations, demonstrates my ability to build the diverse coalitions essential for CSTA’s growth. I bring the “boots-on-the-ground” expertise of a former teacher coupled with the executive vision required to drive organizational excellence.
To me, the philosophy of “All Means All” is a technical and systemic mandate. I approach equity by identifying and dismantling the structural barriers—whether budgetary, infrastructural, or curricular—that prevent universal access to computer science. In my district, I operationalized this commitment by utilizing NSF CSforAll grants to integrate computer science directly into the core middle school experience. By moving CS from an “opt-in” elective to a “built-in” standard, we guaranteed that 100% of our diverse student population gained foundational literacy. This systemic shift directly countered historical gatekeeping and ensured that our advanced pipelines reflected the true demographics of our community. On the CSTA Board, I will continue to champion “All Means All” by advocating for policies that move us from selective access to a reality where every student is structurally empowered to succeed regardless of their background or zip code.
During my 2024–2026 CSTA Board term, my involvement evolved from foundational learning into high-impact leadership across the Standards, Editorial, and PD teams. This “full-stack” engagement allowed me to move past the initial learning curve and contribute directly to the frameworks defining CS education. I serve as a vital bridge between national strategy and district reality, ensuring resources are technically viable. A standout contribution was negotiating with a vendor at a conference to provide CSTA memberships for all participants, removing financial barriers to community access.
As Director of Technology, I model scaling CSTA goals through NSF CSforAll grants, transitioning CS from an elective to a core middle school standard for 100% participation. In the broader ecosystem, CSTA is the essential “connective tissue” transforming policy into classroom success. It architects professional identity and provides the roadmap for equitable and inclusive CS for every learner.

Zuobin Tang
My journey with CSTA—from a rejected applicant to an IMPACT Fellow and national presenter—inspires me to serve on the Board. I’d like to ensure that every educator finds the same belonging and growth that transformed my career. Here’s how my interests align with CSTA’s strategic priorities:
Having managed mentoring programs and affinity groups, I will leverage my experience fostering inclusive spaces to ensure that CSTA feels like a home for CS educators from diverse backgrounds.
As a district STEM instructional lead, I equip educators with CS/AI resources and opportunities. I look to contribute towards how CSTA delivers high-quality, classroom-ready tools to teachers, schools, and districts.
I am also committed to developing leadership skills among our CS educators. By mentoring teachers into fellowships and conference stages, I have seen how teacher-leadership has lasting impact beyond the classroom. If elected, I will advocate for pathways to empower CS educators to leaders
My leadership is shaped by a decade in nonprofits and another decade in STEM education. In the nonprofit sector, I mastered skills such as: grant management, strategic budgeting, and stakeholder relations.
Within the past decade, I have scaled my impact from leading school wide CS initiatives to managing large-scale STEM initiatives. I have led yearlong professional learning projects, including Google CS/AI teacher externships and an Illustrative Mathematics fellowship. My reach spans local GEG meetups to international stages like CSTA and NCTM, providing professional development on various stages.
Beyond facilitating PDs, I previously managed the Asian American Teacher Empowerment Network Development (AATEND) program, expanding it to serve pre-service teachers and integrate educator wellness to grow and support the community of educators. Moreover, I have experience reviewing the revised CSTA standards and serving on the committee that finalized the NYS CS Teacher certification.
As an IMPACT Fellow alum, I look to dismantle barriers to CS careers and to increase tech workplace diversity. I applied this lens to lead two yearlong Google CS/AI teacher externships, which aimed to demystify the tech workplace for students from underrepresented groups, impacting over 20 teachers and over 1,000 students.
A key equity in action success was my direct support of teachers from diverse school settings. One teacher designed a career exploration unit and empowered a student to successfully apply to the selective Google Code Next program. Another translated complex AI concepts for elementary students, ensuring CS for All access.
I then invited them to co-present with me at last year’s CSTA Annual Conference—their first national stage—and successfully nominated one for the IMPACT Fellowship. By elevating teacher voices and expanding their professional networks, I foster sustainable, inclusive communities where both educators and students see themselves as CS leaders.
My ongoing engagement with CSTA started through my IMPACT Fellowship. Beyond presenting at Equity in Action Summits (2023 and 2024) and the Annual Conference (2023 and 2025), I have continued to make meaningful contributions to CSTA through standards revision, reviewing Responsible AI fellowship applications and conference proposals, and nominating teachers for the IMPACT Fellowship. I also curated and recruited panelists for consecutive CSTA AAPI Heritage Month events, strengthening our inclusive community.
CSTA remains the North Star for the K-12 CS education ecosystem. In my leadership roles, I use CSTA standards as the foundational framework for NYC AI policy decisions and teacher externships. By integrating CSTA’s research-based standards into non-CS classrooms, I ensure that CS applications are infused in other content areas. Also, CSTA promotes teacher advocacy and leadership, ensuring educators remain at the center of the everchanging landscape of education and technology.
