Professional of the Year - Housing

member photo coming soon

Jean W. Elston

Title: Acting President and Vice President
Industry: Housing
Type of Organization: Nonprofit
Major Product/Service: Providing housing for the homeless population
Expertise: Ms. Elston has 4 years experience. She collaborates with nonprofits and other agencies to build tiny houses for the homeless. She previously served as a teacher, counselor and psychologist.
Geographic Area of Distribution: California
Affiliations: C.T.A.; C.E.A.; N.E.A.
University/Degree: B.S., Elementary Education, University of Kansas, 1960; M.S., Counselor Education, University of Southern California, 1969
Hobbies/Sports: Painting, playing bridge, tennis, travel
Children: Toree
Career Accomplishments: During her 45 years of service in the Compton Unified School District as a teacher, counselor and psychologist, Ms. Elston, while teaching 5th grade in 1962, supervised a student teacher from California State University, Long Beach, after teaching only one year, herself. She traveled around the world in 1972, stopping a few days in Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Nepal, and Turkey, but spending eight weeks in India, traveling the depth and breadth of the country in order to garner sufficient knowledge to develop units of study for students K-12. While in India, she had an audience with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and visited the homes of individuals from the various castes in the Hindu religion as well as those from the other major religions in India (Sikhism, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism and Christianity). Ms. Elston served on the committee that created the first collective bargaining agreement in CUSD in 1975, as well as designed and executed an innovative multi-subject program teaching fourth, fifth and six graders from 1976 through 1979 that improved student performance significantly. As a counselor, she supervised a student intern studying to be an elementary counselor, also, at CSULB. Ms. Elston served two terms on the California Teachers Association State Representative Council, representing the Compton Education Association, and both organizations at the 1976 National Education Association National Convention.