Board Members

Phyllis Vogel, Board President

Fourth Term Expires 2024

Trustee Vogel began her career in education as a teacher in the Los Gatos Union School District. She began teaching in the Cupertino Union School District in 1963 and spent the rest of her career here, having held positions from Teacher to Teacher on Special Assignment, Coordinator in Instruction, Principal of both John Muir Elementary School and Murdock-Portal Elementary School, and Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services. Trustee Vogel's career highlights include teaching in the innovative Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow and opening Murdock-Portal as an alternative school choice for families.

With over 50 years as an educator in CUSD in a variety of roles, Trustee Vogel brings a wealth of experience to the Board. She received her Bachelor's in Education from San Jose State University and Master's in Educational Administration from Santa Clara University.

Jerry Liu, Board Vice President

Second Term Expires 2026

Trustee Liu started with CUSD as a kindergarten classroom volunteer. Over the years, he has served on the PTA and School Site Councils at CUSD elementary and middle schools, as well as various CUSD advisory committees, prior to being elected to the Board of Education in 2018. During his service on the Board, he has served on the Budget Advisory Committee, Facilities Master Plan Committee, and the City Partner Committees with the City of Cupertino and City of Los Altos.

In his civic life, Trustee Liu has been a Cupertino Planning Commissioner, Chair of the Cupertino Library Commission, and the President of the Cupertino Library Foundation. Trustee Liu has received the CREST award from the City of Cupertino for his community volunteer work. He is currently the Vice President of Monta Vista Speech Boosters which raises funds to support the Monta Vista High School Speech Team and a Board Member of the Asian American Parent Association, an AAPI parent education and advocacy non-profit founded in 1994.

Professionally, Trustee Liu is a software engineering director managing an engineering organization with hundreds of engineers across four continents. He has a background in EdTech and holds over 30 granted patents. Trustee Liu received his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University. 

Ava Chiao, Board Clerk

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.

Satheesh Madhathil, Board Member

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, for the past twenty years, has been working with a number of high tech companies in the Bay Area.

Sylvia Leong, Board Member

Second Term Expires 2024

Trustee Leong is serving her second term on the CUSD Board.  She has been an active parent leader in CUSD for over a decade, volunteering on PTA Safe Routes, Graduation Chair and CLIPCO President at Meyerholz and Miller. She continues to serve in FUHSD on Lynbrook PTA, Athletic Boosters, Aletheia, and Grad Night Boosters. 

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 formerly served on the Executive Board of 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.