Meet San Juan Unified’s 2025 Classified Employees of the Year

San Juan Unified School District is honored and excited to announce the 2025 Classified Employees of the Year. These honorees work diligently to support our students, classrooms and staff, and contribute to the success of our community and district as a whole.

Classified Employee of the Year honorees will be entered into the Sacramento County Classified Employee of the Year program.

Learn more about our outstanding employees by reading below. (Honorees are listed in alphabetical order by last name.)

Marina Alba, Instructional Assistant I at Cottage Elementary School
Alba has made a positive and lasting impact during her eight years as an Instructional Assistant at Cottage Elementary School. Her ability to create strong, lasting relationships with her students and colleagues is highly regarded by her community. 

Often, she goes above and beyond her scope of duties by guiding, training and mentoring others. She is eager to jump in and often helps in the office, with after-school tutoring and school events.

“Marina often takes on roles and responsibilities that go above and beyond her job title because that is who she is and what qualities she exemplifies,” said her nominator, “Marina absolutely deserves the title and recognition as Classified Employee of the Year.”

Andy Anderson, Lead Custodian at El Camino Fundamental High School
Anderson has been making a difference at El Camino Fundamental High School for 27 years. Prior to his current role as Lead Custodian, El Camino experienced a wave of retirements in its custodial staff. Eager to jump in, Anderson stepped up as Lead Custodian to ensure operations continued to move smoothly. Since then, he has been instrumental in training new staff.

“He sometimes brings M&Ms to the candy dispenser at our Attendance Office, especially if it is during particular holidays to match the themes. He knows the students love it,” said his nominator, Kristine Mae Swartz. “We are very fortunate that he is still at our site.”

Diana Braden, Health Instructional Assistant for Health Services
Braden has been an instrumental figure in helping students with acute medical needs, so they can participate in field trips. For 28 years, Braden has accompanied students on a variety of field trips - sometimes through the snow, and even overnight trips - to ensure these students can attend all school activities with their peers. 

In addition to supporting students directly, Braden also supports Health Services by running the Tuberculosis (TB) clinic and immunization clinics, and by training new nurses.

“Diana is hands down an exemplary example of a dedicated San Juan employee and our CSEA union,” said her nominator, Desiree Mann, “We all can look up to Diana and count on her as a colleague, resource, and friend.”

Anthony Brooks, School Community Intervention Specialist at Katherine Johnson Middle School
Brooks has supported many students and parents during his eight-year tenure at Encina High School and Katherine Johnson Middle School. As a School Community Intervention Specialist, he is described by his colleagues as “always trying to meet every need of each student and staff member at our site.”

His nominator, MacKenzie Chopp, explains, “He connects with our students on a level that I often can’t achieve, getting to the heart of what the purpose is behind their actions, talking with them to encourage better decisions, and creating goals and action steps to improve behavior in the future.”

Brooks is a well-known presence among students, their families and staff. He has led Katherine Johnson’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team, facilitated Parent Nights and supported Katherine Johnson’s mid-year campus move team. 

“I hope being awarded the Classified Employee of the Year would show Anthony how much he is seen, appreciated, and loved by all our staff!” said Chopp.

Marythony Sohl, Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Staff
During her six years with the district, Sohl has cultivated strong relationships with her colleagues while making remarkable contributions to San Juan Unified. Sohl has gone above and beyond the scope of her duties by mentoring new clerical staff, volunteering as a COVID tester and has presented at the National School Public Relations Association conference on how administrative assistants can best support their teams. 

“Marythony shows up to the office each day with a positive attitude and willingness to support others, both at the district office and at school sites,” said her nominators, Raj Rai and Trent Allen, “Colleagues frequently seek her out for questions, guidance, and support, knowing that she is always willing to lend a helping hand.”

Sohl encourages and supports other administrative assistants to engage in professional learning and seeks to build connections of support between them through routine gatherings. Her ability to cultivate strong relationships with her colleagues while promoting growth has made her a reliable pillar of the Community Relations division and beyond.

Dave Wilkerson, Plumber for Maintenance and Operations
Wilkerson has served Maintenance and Operations as a Plumber for 14 years, and has demonstrated what it means to be a leader through his ability to problem solve. As a Job Steward turned Chief Job Steward, Wilkerson is known for advising staff to remain positive while helping them grow when they are faced with challenges.

“Dave makes our job more enjoyable,” said his nominators, Jeff Harper, Tim Harrison and Corey Titterington. “Dave is the team player of the Maintenance and Operations yard - he’s always willing to help and be the first one there and putting others before himself.”

As a participant in Mediation Training and Cultivating Leaders, Wilkerson’s colleagues know they can turn to him for career advice, problem-solving solutions and a positive attitude.