Jeannie Lynn "Jean" Fuller (

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

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. ...

. 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. Neithe ...

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 and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the s ...

Early life and education

Jean Fuller was born and raised in

Kern County Kern County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield. Kern County compris ...

. She received her AA degree from

Bakersfield College Bakersfield College (BC) is a Public college, public Community colleges in the United States, community college in Bakersfield, California. BC serves about 31,000 students each semester or 46,500 annually, and offers associate degrees, certifica ...

in 1970, her BA from

California State University, Fresno California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...

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 research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degree programs, 122 m ...

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, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...

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 ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, and Exeter College at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

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 K ...

, 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 includes 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, has i ...

, Jim Burke Education Leaders Forum, and the Kern County Superintendent's Administrative Advisory. Statewide leadership roles include the California School Boards Association, the 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 the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

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

Kevin McCarthy Kevin Owen McCarthy (born January 26, 1965) is an American politician who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 55th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from January until he was Remova ...

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

California's 16th State Senate district California's 16th senatorial district is one of 40 California State Senate districts. It is currently represented by Democrat Melissa Hurtado of Bakersfield. District profile The district consists of portions of southwestern Central Valle ...

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 ...

, and is one of the largest in area in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. 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 (United States), Democratic P ...

, 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 women politicians 21st-century members of the California State Legislature