Board Members
Satheesh Madhathil, Board President
Second Term Expires 2026
Trustee Madhathil started at CUSD as a kindergarten classroom volunteer at Faria and gradually took on leadership roles in various parent groups, including the positions of Faria PTA President and School Site Council Chair. He continues to be an active parent leader at Kennedy Middle School and Monta Vista High School, having held the positions of Finance Secretary, Executive Vice-President, and President. Trustee Madhathil served over six years as the Vice President of Leadership and Executive Vice President of the Cupertino Fremont Sunnyvale PTA Council Board, and two years as a member of the Sixth District PTA Executive Board. In addition, he oversees the Cupertino Region of the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). In recognition of his vast contributions to the welfare of children and youth, Trustee Madhathil is a recipient of the PTA Honorary Service Award (HSA) and PTA Golden Oak Service Award.
Professionally, Trustee Madhathil is an Engineer Leader who has been working with a number of high-tech companies in the Bay Area for over two decades.
Ava Chiao, Board Vice President
First Term Expires 2026
Trustee Chiao was elected to the CUSD Board in November 2022. She has worked with educational partners at all levels. At the local level, Trustee Chiao has organized and created professional development curriculum training for teachers, managed a District-wide grant, and served on the School Site Council; from 2012-17, Trustee Chiao was the coordinator collaborating with the English Learners Advisory Committee, and since 2019, she has been a Santa Clara County-Hsinchu Sister County Commissioner. At the state and national levels, Trustee Chiao works on educational policies with teachers and elected officials with the California Teachers Association (CTA) and the National Education Association. Trustee Chiao hopes to further support students by balancing rigorous academics, expanding mental health services, and encouraging meaningful engagement with the community.
Professionally, Trustee Chiao is a Teacher on Special Assignment at East Side Union High School District. Trustee Chiao received her Master's in Education and Bachelor's in Molecular Cellular Developmental Biology, both from the University of California Santa Cruz. She holds multiple California Teaching Credentials and has taught in a variety of settings including elementary, dual-immersion Spanish, pre-school, and high school science.
Sylvia Leong, Board Clerk
Third Term Expires 2028
Trustee Leong is serving her third term on the CUSD Board. She has been an active parent leader in CUSD and FUHSD for over a decade, volunteering on PTA Safe Routes, Graduation Chair and CLIPCO President at Meyerholz and Miller, and Lynbrook Athletic Boosters. She continues to serve as club advisor for Lynbrook Aletheia, a student-run publication that provides opportunities for students to share personal stories.
Trustee Leong is a founding member of the Santa Clara County School Boards Association (SCCSBA) Unhoused Students Advocacy Committee, which advocates for unhoused students to have the educational and other resources they need to thrive. In 2022, Trustee Leong was elected to the California School Boards Association (CSBA) Board of Directors as the Director-at-Large, API. In this role, she advocates for AAPI student needs statewide. She also serves as CSBA liaison to the Asian Pacific Islander School Boards Association, highlighting AAPI student and staff issues. She is also on the International China Concern Advisory Board, a non-profit organization serving children with disabilities in China.
Trustee Leong has been working with students for over 20 years and is passionate about holistic education that balances academics with social-emotional health to best equip students for future success. Professionally, her background is in college admissions at USC, CMU, and UC Berkeley. She has worked in the classroom as a substitute teacher in CUSD and an English teacher in China. Trustee Leong received her Bachelor's in Mass Communications from UC Berkeley and Master's in Governance from CSBA. She is also an Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute (APALI) Fellow.
Long Jiao, Board Member
First Term Expires 2028
Trustee Jiao started at CUSD as a dedicated library volunteer. Over the years, he has contributed time and effort in various school roles and District committees, culminating in his election to the CUSD Board of Education in 2024.
In his civic life, Trustee Jiao has been actively involved with Awana, a children's program at a local church for over 13 years, including five years of leadership experience running the program. He was also the organizer of Cupertino Voice, a platform that is dedicated to engaging Cupertino residents on local issues.
Professionally, Trustee Jiao brings nearly two decades of engineering expertise, having worked in both startup environments and large high-tech companies.
Jerry Liu, Board Member
Second Term Expires 2026
Trustee Liu began his service to CUSD as a kindergarten classroom volunteer. He has served on PTAs and School Site Councils at CUSD elementary and middle schools in addition to multiple District advisory committees before his election to the Board of Education in 2018. On the Board, he has served on the Budget Advisory, Facilities, and Wellness Committees as well as three city partnership committees with Cupertino, Sunnyvale, and Los Altos. He also helped lead the successful Measure Z campaign which secured $347M in bonds to repair and modernize District facilities.
Beyond CUSD, Trustee Liu has been an active civic leader. He has served as a Cupertino Planning Commissioner, Chair of the Cupertino Library Commission, and President of the Cupertino Library Foundation. He currently serves on the board of the Asian American Parent Association. His volunteer work has been recognized by the City of Cupertino with its prestigious CREST Award.
Trustee Liu is a committed advocate for the District's Portrait of a Learner initiative, believing schools should equip every student not only with academic skills but also with curiosity, creativity, and character to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Arriving in the U.S. as a young immigrant and English learner, he credits public education with opening doors to opportunities. He and his wife moved to Cupertino for the strength of its public schools, and their two daughters, both proud CUSD graduates, reflect the family's enduring belief in the value of a strong public education system.
Professionally, Trustee Liu has built a distinguished career in technology leadership. With Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University, he has led large global engineering organizations, advanced innovations in education technology, and holds more than 30 patents with over 1,000 publication citations.