Wendy McCulley

Chief Engagement and External Partnerships Officer, Fresno Unified School District

Driven to close the achievement gap for low-income students, Wendy leverages her extensive business and academic experience to increase access points to high-quality education for the nation’s most vulnerable students. With graduate degrees in both Education Policy and Business from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in History from Harvard University, Wendy brings a results-oriented approach to her advocacy work for social change in public education. Wendy is the Founding Director of Fresno Unified's Office of African American Academic Acceleration (A4).

Liz Garvin

Fundraiser, Engagement and External Partnerships, Fresno Unified School District

Liz is an Alumna of the California State University Sacramento, having received her B.A. in Communication Studies with a minor in Government.  She continued to receive her M.A. in Christian Ministry from Fresno Pacific University.

She has many years of experience working for and with Community Based Organizations based in the Central Valley. Including leading Samaritan Women, a local group that worked with women who were previously incarcerated, as its CEO and President. Liz also served as Director of Mediation for the Better Business Bureau. She was the Director of Civil, Probate, Unlawful Detainer and Family Law in Court Mediation and started Fresno County’s first on sight Small Claims and Civil Limited Advisors program.

Having served many years at Fresno State as the Senior Director of Planned and Foundation Giving, Liz is very familiar with working with donors, businesses and foundations who seek to create scholarships and educational opportunities for students. Liz welcomes all Fresno Unified alumni, friends, and supporters to call her to hear about current giving options.   

Michael Cortes

Project Manager, Engagement and External Partnerships, Fresno Unified School District

In his nine years with Fresno Unified, Michael has facilitated over $240 million in grant awards across federal, state, corporate, and foundation programs. Prior to Fresno Unified, Michael was successful in over $57 million in competitive and foundation grant awards. Michael was on the leadership staff of the non-profit organizations the Great Valley Center, and the Learning Network Foundation.

Committed to community service, Michael has served on the boards of the Tulare County Red Cross, the Learning Network Foundation, the Hispanic Roundtable Foundation of Tulare County, Boys and Girls Club of Tulare County, and Heart for Paws. While working for the Learning Network Foundation, Michael provided consulting services to community benefit organizations in the areas of organizational development, boardman ship, fiscal operations and reporting, Federal and State compliance, evaluations, and fundraising. Michael is grateful for the opportunity to bring his skills and experience to the Foundation for Fresno Unified Schools and the Office of Engagement and External Partnerships.

Michael Kunkle, M.Ed.

FUSE Executive Fellow, Engagement and External Partnerships, Fresno Unified School District

Mike Kunkle‘s career spans more than 15 years in education, corporate training and development, global leadership, and project management. His experience includes premier consulting firms, Right Management and Deloitte, Fortune 500 global brands AIG, GAP, and HP, as well as multiple roles in higher education. He is a passionate and committed thought leader known for his ability to assess, engage, develop, and inspire multi-cultural, cross-functional talent to reach defined organizational, team, and individual goals. He has a master’s degree in Educational Research from Florida State University