Strengthening Our Policy and Advocacy Capacity

Ball/Frost Group is pleased to announce three additions that significantly expand our ability to support California school districts, county offices of education, and state-level partners in navigating complex policy and advocacy challenges.

New Strategic Policy Advisors

Dr. Natasha Baker joins as a Strategic Policy Advisor. She brings senior leadership experience at both the district and state levels, including service as a California district superintendent and in accountability leadership at the Michigan Department of Education, where she supported statewide system improvement efforts.

Tom Adams, Ph.D. also joins as a Strategic Policy Advisor. With more than 20 years of experience in California education policy and programs, Tom previously served as Deputy Superintendent of the Teaching and Learning Support Branch at the California Department of Education and as a Board Trustee for Davis Joint Unified School District. He brings a rare perspective spanning state policy leadership, curriculum and instruction, and local governance.

Expanded Advocacy Bench

Veteran advocate Deborah Bautista Zavala will take on select engagements alongside Senior Directors Laura Wasco and Khi Jackson. Founder and principal of Bautista Zavala Government Relations, Deborah brings nearly a decade of experience as a California State Assembly staffer and served as Legislative Advocate for Los Angeles Unified School District during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also a past president of the Woodland Joint Unified School District Board.

Together, these additions deepen our capacity to help education leaders and policymakers navigate California’s evolving education landscape with insight grounded in experience at every level of the system.