As a Senior Research Associate in the Health and Human Development Program and the Regional Educational Laboratory West at WestEd, Rebeca Cerna works on projects targeting health and wellness, stakeholder voice, school climate/culture, and career technical education.

Ms. Cerna’s responsibilities include evaluation, training, and coaching. Currently, Ms. Cerna provides technical assistance as of the Rural Education Health Alliance (REL West) on promoting data-sharing practices between school based health centers and hosting schools/districts. She is also the evaluation director for an i3 Development project focused on a Positive School Climate Model in southern California and coordinates efforts on the Building Health Communities initiative with 14 places across California.

Previously, she served as a technical assistance provider for several LEAs and county offices of education on school climate, a study coordinator for an NIJ study assessing the impact of Capturing Kids’ Hearts in five South Carolina districts, and on the implementation team for a DHHS Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program assessing the impact of a virtual student health app with the Oregon Youth Authority.

Ms. Cerna has also worked with diverse groups including large urban Latino communities, the largest alternative school district in California, highly transient populations, K-12 schools, post-secondary schools, state departments of education, correctional youth facilities, community-based organizations, and municipalities. Prior to coming to WestEd, she worked for the University of California, Riverside on several CSAP- and USDOE-funded longitudinal projects focused on reducing risk factors associated with substance abuse and violence and increasing protective factors. Ms. Cerna is bicultural and bilingual in Spanish.