Board of Directors
The people driving the mission to close the gap between high school and the workforce.
The People Behind the Mission
Board of Directors
Dr. John Pellman
Founder & CEO
John is a veteran educator with over 20 years of experience. He began at a non-public school working with students diagnosed with emotional disturbance, then moved to Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove Unified School District, where he taught English to students with disabilities, chaired the Special Education Department, and built the Digital Media Academy into a full CTE program serving nearly 200 students. He later joined the EGUSD Department of College and Career Connections, where he wrote and managed grants totaling nearly $60 million, leading to nine new CTE facilities. In 2021 he became a founding member of Capital College & Career Academy, where he now serves as Director of Curriculum and Instruction. He also coordinates the CTE Credential Program at Sacramento State University. John holds a BA in Political Science from American University, a Master's in Performing Arts from UC Davis, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from UC Davis (2024). With the support of Kevin Dobson, he founded CCCA Works! as the workforce development arm of CCCA.
Kevin Dobson
Board President
Kevin is the founder and Executive Director of Capital College & Career Academy, focusing on Career Technical Education and community and youth engagement. He has spent over nine years in education as both a classroom teacher and principal, including time at a large inner-city high school in Springfield, MA, four years at Center Joint Unified School District, and five years at Natomas Charter School. As a high school principal, he developed a school-wide system of support, built a dual enrollment program with American River College that grew enrollment by nearly 200% in three years, and created a unique math pathway to address diverse learning needs. He holds master's degrees from the University of San Diego (Education and Curriculum with an emphasis on technology) and Sacramento State (Educational Leadership and Policy Studies). He was recognized as teacher of the year for his academy in 2018 and nominated for the Gilder Lehrman History Teacher of the Year.
Catherine Moncada
Secretary
Catherine is an accomplished labor relations professional with extensive experience in the construction industry, specializing in collective bargaining, dispute resolution, workforce development, and strategic operational support. She currently serves as Vice President of Labor Relations at Granite Construction, where she leads the negotiation of both multi-employer and single-employer construction and materials production labor agreements nationwide. She represents her organization in complex disputes before state and federal agencies, including the California Department of Industrial Relations and the National Labor Relations Board, and plays a key role in arbitration proceedings. She holds a Master's degree in Human Resources and Employment Relations from Penn State University, with a focus on Labor and Employment Law.
Lee Rosenberg
Legal Counsel
Lee Rosenberg is a founding partner of Rosenberg Cassady LLP, where he serves as general counsel to high quality California charter schools. His practice sits at an uncommon intersection — part litigator, part transactional counsel, part policy advisor — and he brings to each client the kind of broad institutional knowledge that only comes from having worked inside schools, school districts, government, and leading private sector firms serving sophisticated commercial clients. Before practicing law, Lee taught middle school in the South Bronx as a Teach for America corps member. That experience, and the conviction that every student deserves access to an excellent school, has defined his career ever since. After earning a Master's in Teaching from Pace University, he clerked in the legal offices of the San Francisco Unified School District before entering private practice. Before focusing exclusively on education law, Lee spent nearly a decade in complex civil litigation, including years at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Alston & Bird. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from UC College of the Law, San Francisco (Order of the Coif), his B.A. with honors in Philosophy from UC Berkeley, and his M.S. in Education from Pace University. He has been recognized as a Rising Star in schools and education by Super Lawyers magazine.