About Us

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Dr. Baker serves as president for CCASP this 2025-2026 school year.  She has served as a school psychologist for 20 years in addition to 20 years prior as a mental health clinician working with children and families. Dr. Baker holds a doctorate in educational psychology from Alliant International University and is board certified in school neuropsychology through the American Board of School Neuropsychology. She also holds a specialist degree in school psychology from Chapman University and a masters degree in social work from the University of Southern California. She is licensed as an educational psychologist and clinical social worker. She has served as a university instructor at Cal State University Long Beach in their Social Work Department. 

Malia is a school psychologist and board certified behavior analyst. She has served on the CCASP board for several years. Malia is passionate about helping students and schools thrive by identifying needs, removing barriers to learning, and teaching social and emotional skills within the educational setting. Malia is also a wife and a mother of three rambunctious boys. 

Yolanda Mejia is a bilingual School Psychologist (English/Spanish) with 13 years of experience supporting students, families, and educators. For the past nine years, she has specialized in Early Childhood Education, focusing on transition evaluations from Part C to Part B. She is a Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP) and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), and she enjoys weaving these approaches into her daily work to support preschool teachers, classrooms, and young children during the initial assessment process. Beyond her professional role, she embraces an active lifestyle—running, walking, and exploring the outdoors with her daughters.

Dr. Ivan D. Alvarez is the marketing director for CCASP.

Dr. Alvarez is a Special Education Coordinator at Lompoc Unified School District and former Bilingual School Psychologist. He’s passionate about early intervention and inclusive education for underserved and multilingual communities.

   Raised by immigrant parents from Mexico, Dr. Alvarez earned his BA from UCLA, MA from Fresno Pacific and doctorate from University of Missouri, focusing on barriers Latino families face in special education. He is a past president of CCASP and is currently the Region VIII representative for CASP. 

I am a graduate student in University of California Riverside’s School Psychology program. I also received a bachelor of science degree in psychology from UCR. My research interests include implementation science in educational settings (e.g., improving school based problem solving team practices) and promoting equitable academic support/interventions for historically minoritized groups including racially/ethnically diverse and emerging bilingual students. In my free time, I enjoy attending trivia nights with my friends, watching movies, and playing music.

Emanuel Perez serves as one of the Student Representatives for the Central Coast Association of School Psychologists. He is a doctoral candidate in the School Psychology program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. His clinical training includes providing mental health services in English and Spanish to preschoolers and school-age youth. His personal and professional goals center on strengthening school, community, and family partnerships to support children’s learning. His research examines how schools and communities serve as protective factors for children’s school readiness. He is particularly interested in supporting children’s school readiness by advancing parental engagement research to examine how schools and communities can collectively support families.