Jeannie Lynn "Jean" Fuller (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Guenther; born April 16, 1950) is an American educator and politician who served as the minority leader in the

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...

. A Republican, she was previously a member of the

California Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Asse ...

and the Superintendent of Schools for the

Bakersfield City School District Bakersfield City School District is a Pre-Kindergarten - 8th grade public school district in Bakersfield, California Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The ...

Background and education

Jean Fuller was born and raised in

Kern County Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield. Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county sp ...

. She received her AA degree from

Bakersfield College Bakersfield College (BC) is a public community college in Bakersfield, California. BC serves about 22,000 students each semester or 31,000 annually, and offers Associate degrees, certificate programs, and is one of fifteen California Community C ...

in 1970, her BA from

California State University, Fresno California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

in 1972, a Masters in Public Affairs from the

California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public university in Los Angeles, California. It is part of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degrees, 122 master's degrees, ...

in 1982 and her PhD from the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduate ...

in 1989. She supplemented her education with coursework and seminars at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, and Exeter College at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Career

In 1983, Fuller became a School Principal/Director at

Keppel Union School District The Keppel Union School District is a school district that serves the far eastern parts of the city of Palmdale, California, USA, and its immediate suburbs including Littlerock, Pearblossom, Sun Village, Llano, and Lake Los Angeles. The Kep ...

, until 1988. In 1988, Fuller became an Assistant Superintendent at

. In 1990, Fuller became a Superintendent at

, until 1999. In 1999, Fuller became a Superintendent at Bakersfield City School District, until 2006. Fuller served as an educator in the Central Valley for more than 30 years.

Community involvement

Fuller's professional and community leadership include the

Museum Authority Board, the

Boys & Girls Clubs of America Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is a national organization of local chapters which provide voluntary after-school programs for young people. The organization, which holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code, ...

, Jim Burke Education Leaders Forum, and the Kern County Superintendent's Administrative Advisory. Statewide leadership roles include the California School Boards Association, Association of School Administrators and the institute for Education Reform. Fuller was named California Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators in the 2004/2005 school year. Fuller earned national recognition for school improvement in 1998 when she was awarded the AASA Leadership for Learning Award.

State politics

First elected to the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...

in 2006, Fuller represented the 32nd Assembly district, succeeding fellow Republican

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician, serving as Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, House Minority Leader in the United States House of Representatives since 2019. A member of the Rep ...

, who was elected to Congress. Fuller went on to win election in

California's 16th State Senate district California's 16th State Senate district is one of 40 California State Senate districts. It is currently represented by Republican Shannon Grove of Bakersfield. District profile The district consists of portions of the southeastern Central V ...

in 2010. The 16th district includes parts of Kern, Tulare, and San Bernardino Counties as well as all of

Inyo County Inyo County () is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 census, the population was 19,016. The county seat is Independence. Inyo County is o ...

, and is one of the largest in area in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. In 2015, Senator Fuller authored SB 111, "Securing Federal Funding for Schools that Serve Military Families." SB 111, which was signed into law by Governor

Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of S ...

, provides a 20% matching of funds for 11 California schools near or on a military base, allocating $61 million in federal and state funds. In 2012, Fuller authored SB 1367, the "Archery Hunting/Firearms Bill." This bill revised the archery provisions of the Fish and Game code to authorize a peace officer to carry a firearm while hunting deer, while prohibiting use of that firearm to illegally hunt deer. SB 1367 was signed into law by Governor

. Fuller was term-limited from seeking reelection in 2018.

References

External links

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Join California Jean Fuller
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuller, Jean 1950 births Living people American Congregationalists School superintendents in California American school administrators Bank of America Republican Party California state senators Republican Party members of the California State Assembly Women state legislators in California Politicians from Bakersfield, California Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Bakersfield College alumni California State University, Los Angeles alumni Harvard University alumni University of California, Santa Barbara alumni University of Southern California alumni California State University, Fresno alumni 21st-century American legislators 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century California politicians