Transitions
August 18, 2025
Region 12’s longtime consultant (and more recently region executive director) Bill Olinger retired from his ACSA work at the end of June.
Olinger worked 34 years for the Fontana USD in roles ranging from teacher to site principal at numerous locations, including the opening of Kathy Binks Elementary and Beech Avenue Elementary. His last 27 years were as principal.
Shortly after his retirement in 2009, he took a part-time position with Cal State University San Bernardino’s College of Education, served as an occasional interim principal in Fontana USD and Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint USD, and did frequent service on the Administrative Hearing Panel for Fontana USD.
His involvement with ACSA includes serving as charter president for the ACSA Fontana charter beginning in the mid-1980s. Prior to becoming executive director, he also served the Retired Education Managers (Regions 12 and 19) as charter president and served as the editor of the REM newsletter. He was also the first-ever recipient of Region 12’s Retired Educational Managers Award. He became consultant and later executive director for Region 12 circa 2012.
“After 51 continuous years of serious work in education, it’s finally time to ‘smell the roses’ and seek other pursuits.” he said.
Asked what he would miss the most, Olinger said he would miss all the friends and acquaintances he has met over the years. He also said he would miss being editor of Region 12’s Highlights! newsletter, a job he has performed since 2007.
Olinger will remain an active volunteer on the Retired Educational Managers charter, serving as VP of Membership.
Current Region 12 Consultant Michelle Wavering is assuming Olinger’s role and will use the newly approved title of Director of Region Operations.
Wavering began her career as an elementary teacher in Upland USD and spent the rest of her career there serving as assistant principal, educational technology coordinator, and principal before retiring a few years ago. She served at the charter level in Region 12 for many years as well as at the region level as VP of Legislative Action, president-elect, president and past president, and then joining the region board as a member at large/webmaster.
After many years of dedicated service to the students and education community, Michael Payne, principal of Fulbright Elementary School in Los Angeles Unified School District retired this past June. He served as an instructional aide and substitute teacher under an emergency credential before officially starting his teaching career at a Dual Language Academy, where he utilized his fluency in Spanish to support bilingual education. After 15 years in the classroom, he transitioned into the administrative role as a Categorical Programs Advisor, overseeing Title I programs and services for English learners. His leadership path continued as he was promoted to principal, a role he held for 12 years.
In addition, Payne has served on the Executive Board of ACSA Region 16 in various capacities; from treasurer to vice president of programming. He was then elected to serve as Region 16’s state board director for the last three years. Following retirement, he was requested to continue his service to the students and members as an ACSA board director at large. He continues to serve as adjunct professor at National University.
ACSA Region 3 Consultant Emilie Simmons has retired from her role after serving for 13 years as an ACSA region leader.
Her education career includes nearly 30 years of service in the Winters Joint USD as a middle school counselor, a continuation high school principal and director of special education/special projects. Simmons retired as the director of educational services for Winters Joint USD in 2012 and became ACSA’s Region 3 consultant that same year.
She also served as a part-time lecturer at California State University, Sacramento in the department of counselor education from 1997 to 2010. Simmons previously won the ACSA Region 3 Silver Star award in 2005, and an Administrator of the Year Award from Yolo County School Boards Association in 2011.
Simmons said she is proud of the growth of Region 3 over the last 13 years, including adding a fourth voting delegate and resurrecting the region’s largest single-district charter, which had become inactive.
“I have been fortunate to work with some outstanding region and charter leaders over the years,” she said. “The consultant group, now Directors of Region Operations, have been the glue to maintain a strong region-state ACSA alignment. I will miss our Wednesday meetings before Leadership Assemblies. I will also miss assisting backstage at the Summit with the AOY Awards ceremony and most certainly at the Summit bookstore.”
Simmons plans to spend more time teaching strings and conducting the Community String Orchestra at the Fremont Music Academy and playing locally with her triple-quartet ensemble, “Garden Strings.” She also plans to continue teaching and practicing tai chi at the local park and spending time at her condo in Tillamook, Oregon.
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