A well-known membership association that supports school-based IT professionals has inducted OCDE Chief Technology Officer Carl Fong into its Hall of Fame.
CITE, short for California IT in Education, was established back in 1960 as the California Educational Data Processing Association, or CEDPA. In 2003, the not-for-profit became the California Educational Technology Professionals Association, or CETPA, before changing its name to CITE in 2019.
That wasn’t the only big change this year. The professional membership association also established a Hall of Fame to honor distinguished members for their unique service to educational technology, their influence in the K-12 education community, and their dedication to the organization.
Fong, who has spent 34 years with OCDE, was among 21 inaugural honorees recognized during the annual conference on Nov. 13.
“I am honored to be part of this organization and humbled by the recognition,” Fong said. “More than anything, this accolade reflects our collective commitment to developing and supporting the technology professionals and districts that foster student success.”
An active member of the association for more than 20 years, Fong has presented at numerous conferences, covering topics such as cybersecurity and data privacy. He served as CETPA president in 2006-07 and held a seat on the Board of Directors until 2010. He was also a founding steering committee member for CEPTA’s Chief Technology Officers Mentor Program.
Fong currently leads OCDE’s Information Technology division, which leverages new and existing technologies to enhance educational opportunities for Orange County students and business operations for local districts. In addition to providing high-speed internet access for 28 school districts in Orange County, OCDE’s IT staff develops business applications and provides network and technical support.
For more information about the CITE Hall of Fame, visit cite.org/page/HOF. To learn about the OCDE’s IT services, visit ocde.us/IT.