Principal, Special Education & VI/DHH/SLP Nonpublic School Programs, Student Services
Sonoma County Office of Education

U.S.: California Hub | NORTH AMERICA

Chelsea Siegel is a Principal for the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE). After graduating from UC San Diego with a BS in Psychology and a minor in Music, she moved to beautiful Northern California to pursue her career in education. She received her MultipleSubject Teaching Credential and Masters in Education, Curriculum and Instruction, from Dominican University in San Rafael, CA. As an elementary school teacher, she became interested in positive behavior management and decided to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. After working as a Behavior Analyst for a local Nonpublic Agency, Chelsea was hired by Sonoma County Office of Education and obtained her Administrative Services Credential. Her role as a Behavior Specialist evolved into a full time administrative position.

Currently, Chelsea is responsible for supervision of programs for students who are blind or Visually Impaired (VI), Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH), and the Speech and Language Pathologist team. She wears many hats in her current position, including Title IX Coordinator, EL Testing Coordinator, and Principal for SCOE’s Nonpublic School Program for foster youth. Over the past several years, SCOE has been focused on continuous improvement. The management and leadership teams have engaged in professional development and communities of practice, utilizing tools and strategies from the Compassionate Systems Leadership and the Studor Group’s Nine Principles for Excellence in Education. Chelsea is intrigued by the idea of intentionally bringing mindfulness and reflection into her work as a leader, as she has had her own mindfulness practice for many years.

Chelsea was fortunate to attend the Compassionate Systems Leadership conference in San Diego in March of 2022. This experience was personally inspiring and transformative. The tools and concepts resonated with Chelsea, and she knew that this was something she wanted to be involved in. She is extremely excited for this opportunity and the next steps in her professional path, wherever they may lead!

Chelsea credits her parents and their careers in special education with instilling in her a lifelong love for education and a desire to serve students with disabilities. Chelsea currently lives in Santa Rosa, California. She has two sons (22 and 13) and a fluffy 2-year-old English Golden Retriever, who thinks she is a lapdog (and doesn’t know she is a retriever). Outside of work, you can find Chelsea gardening, listening to podcasts, spending time in nature, and enjoying live music.