SACRAMENTO – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced that two new directors have been chosen to head the California Department of Education's (CDE) Charter Schools Division and its After School Division.

Julie I. Baltazar, who most recently was an Education Administrator in CDE's Improvement and Accountability Division, has been selected to serve as Director of the Charter Schools Division.

Michael R. Funk, a practitioner and policy advocate for after-school programs in California, will head the newly established After School Division, which until the recent CDE realignment had been a unit of another division.

"Both Julie and Michael will be responsible for two important areas of education in our state," said Torlakson. "Julie is an experienced leader who has guided the development of several high-quality state and federal education programs benefiting California's children. Michael is a strong advocate for providing children with high-quality programs that offer a safe and secure place to learn and play."

Baltazar, who has more than 30 years of professional and project management experience with the State of California, including a total of nearly 10 years with the CDE, received bachelor and master degrees in education from California State University, Sacramento.

Funk has been a founder and director for 16 years of Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center in San Francisco, a program of Aspiranet, a human services and after-school provider. He also is director of Aspiranet's After School, Youth, and Community Development Division.

Funk received a bachelor of arts degree in education from Northwest Nazarene College in Nampa, Idaho.