Pearl Chang Esau, educator, advocate, policy expert and leading voice in support of excellent education for all students, and Gregory Bernosky, director of state regulation and compliance for Arizona Public Service (APS), have been elected to serve on the Board of Directors of Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC).
Beginning her career as a 5th grade teacher in east Los Angeles, Chang Esau has worked throughout her career as a nonprofit executive to champion high expectations and public support for educators and students from their early years through high school, college and beyond.
Chang Esau received the Athena Young Professional Award from the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and was recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as a Profile of Change in education reform. She has also been named one of the 50 most influential women in Arizona and one of 25 Most Admired CEOs in Phoenix.
“It’s hard to put into words how much hope SARRC has given my family and to countless others," says Chang Esau. "Hope, a way forward in the darkness, a belief in miracles, limitless expectation for the future, and now I get to return the favor by championing this awesome organization."
In this role at APS, Bernosky directs a team that interacts with the Arizona Corporation Commission on all company business, including rates and policy-making, compliance matters, program and budget approvals, and consumer advocacy issues.
Previously, Bernosky was manager of the APS Renewable Energy Program where he developed and executed strategic planning for APS and customer solar and renewable initiatives, as well as activities related to utility-scale solar generation and customer-sited distributed solar energy programs. He has also led Arizona-wide initiatives to identify opportunities for renewable resource generation development, emphasizing the electrical infrastructure needs to serve areas throughout Arizona.
“My family has had the good fortune to be part of the SARRC family for many years, with a son who spent three years in the Community School and a sister who is one of the first women in the First Place adult transition program," says Bernosky. "SARRC has changed our lives and I am thrilled to join them and advance their mission of helping the many more families touched by autism."
Chang Esau is a graduate of University of California – Los Angeles. Bernosky is a graduate of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is currently enrolled in the Executive Master of Business Administration program at Arizona State University.