Program Assistant Sandra Laguna helps support the work of WestEd's E3 Institute: Advancing Excellence in Early Education, which has become a model of increasing community access to high-quality early education.

The E3 Institute plans and designs professional development systems for early childhood educators in collaboration with the four community college districts in Santa Clara County. Laguna's Institute responsibilities include processing staff travel and reimbursements, overseeing major office purchases, supporting on-site facilities management, establishing vendor relationships and accounts, evaluating spacing needs and office reconfigurations/conversions, and maintaining office appearance and organization.

A member of WestEd's staff since 2005, Laguna also provides human resources support to the Institute's Operations Manager, coordinates events — including two health fairs — and supports project staff. She contributed to E3 Institute's processing of more than 800 California Child Development Permits for early educators in 2006-2009. In addition, as part of WestEd's Power of Preschool Project, Laguna coordinated the purchase of more than 70 book titles for classroom use as well as for teachers as a resource.

Laguna has 17 years of office administration experience in the early education field at the Santa Clara County (CA) Office of Education as Operations/Family Support Services Clerical Supervisor. There she developed a system to monitor the receipt, assignment, and status of more than 2,000 applications received yearly and multiple documents required for enrollment in the Head Start program. While at the county office, she also helped develop the Santa Clara County Office of Education Style Guide.

She has 15 years of banking experience in administration and customer service at Bank of America, and served as assistant to the high school principal in the Montebello Unified School District.

A commissioned notary and authorized loan-signing agent, Laguna completed courses in management, accounting, and general education. She also completed a management program provided by the Santa Clara Office of Education.