Board of Education Members
The five Board of Education members are elected by trustee area by voters of the district to serve four-year terms. In addition, a selection process involving high school students determines a non-voting student representative who sits on the Board.
Among its many duties, the Board adopts the annual budget and approves all expenditures, establishes district policy, authorizes employment of personnel, approves curriculum textbooks and courses of study, and makes decisions on all contracts.
The Superintendent is the chief executive officer of the district and serves as Secretary to the Board of Education.
The Board of Education collaborates with the California School Boards Association bi-annually to discuss and update the Board Governance Handbook, which serves as a practical guide for senior executives and board members to implement sound governance policies. The most current Governance Handbook may be found here.
Regular meetings of the Board of Education are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month in the boardroom of the district's Education Center, 10331 Stanford Avenue, beginning at 7 p.m. Special meetings may be called when necessary; the agenda, location, and time will be announced in advance.
Persons with a disability who require a disability-related accommodation or modification, including auxiliary aids and services in order to participate in a Board meeting, shall contact the Superintendent’s Office by noon on the Friday before the scheduled regular meeting. Requests shall be made by calling (714) 663-6111 or by fax to (714) 663-6100.
Walter Muneton, LCSW
President
Email: walter.muneton@ggusd.us
Walter Muneton was named President of the Garden Grove Unified School District in December 2022. He is a graduate of Clinton Elementary, Doig Intermediate and Santiago High School. He brings energy, passion and a social-emotional perspective to the Garden Grove Unified School District School Board of Education. Mr. Muneton earned his Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from California State University, Dominguez Hills and his Master of Social Work from California State University, Long Beach. In an effort to expand his expertise in K-12 education, he earned his Pupil Personnel Services (School Social Work) and Child Welfare & Attendance Credential from San Jose State University.
Mr. Muneton's professional experience has revolved around serving his community as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the public sector for children and families. He also served one term as a Neighborhood Improvement Commissioner for the City of Garden Grove. Most importantly, Mr. Muneton is a proud husband and father of two children. Elected in 2016, Walter's present term expires November 2024.
Teri Rocco
Vice President
Email: teri.rocco@ggusd.us
Teri has dedicated her career to GGUSD, serving 14 years as an instructional aide and school community liaison and 19 years as a first grade bilingual teacher at Russell Elementary School. While at Russell, she also served as a district bilingual mentor teacher and a parent educator. She retired from GGUSD after 9 years at the District Office as the Supervisor of Parent and Community Outreach. A long-term resident of Garden Grove and a GGUSD graduate of Pacifica High School, Teri received her Master of Science and Administrative Credential at Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology and her B.A. at California State University Long Beach. Elected in 2016, her present term expires November 2024.
Bob Harden
Member
Email: bob.harden@ggusd.us
Bob Harden is a computer consultant; graduate of California State University, Long Beach; and former member of the City of Garden Grove General Plan Advisory Committee. Bob was elected to the Board of Education in 1994 and his present term expires November 2026.
Lan Quoc Nguyen, Esq.
Member
Email: lan.nguyen@ggusd.us
Lan Nguyen, a practicing attorney, is Trustee of the Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Education. Lan also serves as the district’s 2022-2024 delegate to the California School Boards Association. Lan earned a bachelor’s degree from University of California, Riverside and a law degree from UC Hastings College of Law. He is also a former Garden Grove Planning Commissioner and graduate of Bolsa Grande High School. Lan was elected to the Board of Education in 2002 and his present term expires November 2026.
Dina L. Nguyen, Esq.
Member
Email: dina.nguyen@ggusd.us
Dina Nguyen is an attorney and serves on the board of directors for the Orange County Water District. Elected in 2016, her present term expires November 2024.
Gabriela Mafi, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Email: supt@ggusd.us
Dr. Gabriela Mafi is completing her 11th year as Superintendent of Garden Grove Unified School District, a high-performing, diverse, urban California district serving nearly 39,000 students. Prior to being appointed Superintendent, Dr. Mafi served the district as Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education, Director of 7-12 Instruction and Principal. She also serves as Adjunct Faculty at University of Southern California, where she earned her doctorate in 2002 and previously served as Executive Director of the Ed.D. Program. Prior to joining GGUSD, Dr. Mafi held administrative positions as an assistant principal, district coordinator, and curriculum writer as well as a teacher at various levels.
The fifth of six children, Gabriela grew up in challenging circumstances in South Los Angeles. As a first-generation college student, Dr. Mafi is passionate about addressing issues of equity and access and has worked tirelessly on issues such as increasing the district's a-g rate, which has doubled under her leadership, and widening access to AP coursework. She personally mentors high-poverty students from grades 6th-12th and has been instrumental in establishing wide-spread district college mentoring programs. She and her husband, Eugene, a high school teacher, are parents of three children; two are adults and their third child is a first grade student who has Trisomy 18/Edwards Syndrome.