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Dear CA-FEN Members and Partners:
We are heartbroken to share that our dear friend and colleague Deanna Niebuhr passed peacefully after a short illness, surrounded by her family, on Saturday, February 28th. She spent her last day “at home” in Turlock, CA — where she was born and raised — with family and old friends.
Community Schools Learning Exchange (CSLX), CA-FEN member, will be hosting a celebration of Deanna’s life and legacy in early May in the Bay Area, California. If you are interested in attending, please register here so they can follow up with details.
“Deanna was not just a beloved person — she was a fiercely quiet, tireless, unapologetic advocate for kids and their families. Her entire career was focused on creating student-centered environments for children to learn, grow, and thrive. Some might say her superpower was her sharp analytical mind and her command of child-facing policy, but we know it was the enormous heart and humanity that went along with it. Her driving spirit was kindness, joy, wonder, and humility. She hated seeing people and creatures in pain. She lived her life the way she pushed our work — in community, giving of herself, taking care of kids, animals, plants, and us.”
Dr. Hayin Kimner, Managing Director, Community Schools Learning Exchange
“Deanna influenced so many decisions related to family engagement and community schools — decisions that are helping California chart a new path for how schools work with children and their parents. She co-developed and co-facilitated this network long before we called ourselves CA-FEN, and her influence and work lives in everything we've built together. I will surely miss my dear friend and partner.” -Araceli Simeón
“I remember meeting Deanna years ago at a family engagement meeting at the CDE offices. She was deeply committed to family leadership and engagement. She was also outspoken, honest, funny and warm.
When CDE stopped convening the family engagement group, Deanna remained committed to ensuring it lived on and worked in partnership with Araceli and others to make it happen. As Araceli shared, that vision continues to grow through the CA-FEN network.
Deanna's decision to work for the CDE Foundation and her role in drafting the CA Community Schools Framework - rooted in racial justice, relationships, and shared decision-making with families and students - will impact generations of children and young people across California and beyond. Deanna's love and legacy live on.” – Katy Núñez-Adler, Statewide Coordinator, CA Partnership for the Future of Learning
“Deanna’s commitment to education, community schools, and authentic family engagement was not theoretical — it was lived…Leaders like Deanna do not simply participate in movements — they anchor them. Her influence will continue through the relationships she nurtured, the leaders she cultivated, the systems she helped shape, and her radiant voice that so often cut through complexity to remind us what truly matters.” Sandy Mendoza, Director of Advocacy, Families In Schools
In lieu of flowers, her loved ones suggest a contribution to the Deanna Niebuhr Memorial Fund of the Southwest Community Foundation, via this link: Deanna Niebuhr Memorial Fund . Donations will be sent toward nonprofits that align with her values, such as ovarian cancer research, care for children and animals, social justice efforts, and education. Her family encourages all to honor her life with courage in the pursuit of justice and equity and a deep commitment to community and loving one another.
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