The following have been named to positions in the Burbank Unified School District:
Director of Adult School and FACTS Program
It is our pleasure to announce Mr. Juan Noguera as the new Director. Juan was born in Nicaragua, and at an early age, he had to flee Nicaragua due to a civil war and came to start a new life in the United States. When he came to Los Angeles, his brother told him, “You have to learn English first,” and he enrolled in an ESL program at Evans Community Adult School. He studied ESL, completed high school, and graduated college. After graduating, he eventually became a teacher assistant, a teacher, then an ESL Pathway Advisor at Evans Adult School. Since then, he has done research for the American Institute for Research in Washington DC and received the CALCO Excellence in Teaching Award, UTLA Platinum Apple Award, and Administrator of the year in 2019 with LAUSD. He traveled to Washington, DC to accept a “Save Adult Ed” award from the National Council on Literacy in 2013. He has also gone to Sacramento as a representative of the California Council for Adult Education (CCAE) Los Angeles-Metro Section to speak with elected officials, advocating for adult education programs.
Principal, Burbank High School
It is our pleasure to announce Julie Markussen as the new Principal at Burbank High School. Julie began her career in education by teaching 7th grade English Language Arts at a middle school in Iowa. After relocating to Los Angeles in 2000, she taught English at Venice High School, where she also served as the school’s testing and magnet coordinator until 2015. From there, she served as a House Principal for three years at Santa Monica High School and for four years as an assistant principal at Culver City Middle School.
Julie earned her bachelor’s degree in English at the University of Iowa, her teaching credential at Iowa State University, and her master’s degree in educational leadership from Cal State Northridge. In her spare time, Julie enjoys spending time with her fiancé and step-daughter, as well as traveling, reading, and writing. She and her family recently moved to Burbank, and they are all excited to be a part of this vibrant and diverse community.
Alternative Education Administrator, Independent Learning Academy
It is our pleasure to announce Laura Anderson as the new administrator for the Independent Learning Academy. Laura comes from the Westside Union school district in Palmdale and South Pasadena School district. She has been a middle school English teacher for 8 years and an assistant principal for 2 years. Laura has two master’s degrees, one in secondary school education and another in education administration. Laura has been a Burbank local her entire life. She and her husband live in Lakeview Terrace. They enjoy hiking, going to the beach, and trying new restaurants.
Assistant Principal of Athletics and Activities, John Burroughs High School
It is a pleasure to announce Tori Cuseo as the new assistant principal at John Burroughs High School. Tori is a Burbank native and a proud graduate of BUSD schools. She graduated from San Diego state in 2013 with a BA in Spanish. She then attended Pepperdine where she received her Master’s degree in Education and her single-subject teaching credential. She started her teaching career during grad school in 2014 at John Muir Middle School, teaching one period of Spanish 1. In 2015 she began teaching Spanish at Muir full time. In her time at Muir, Tori served as electives department chair, PBIS leadership team member, LGBTQ+ Club co-advisor, and a co-founder of the culturally responsive education team, which aims to help teachers at Muir in their journeys toward culturally responsive and equitable teaching. Last summer, Tori served as a summer school administrative TOSA at John Burroughs High School. This December, she received her Master’s degree in Educational Administration and credential from Cal State LA. During the spring semester, Tori worked as the interim Assistant Principal of Athletics and Activities at Burroughs. Tori prioritizes professional and personal growth through the lens of equity and social justice, and in her new role, she plans to continue to work hard at making school safe and meaningful for all students. She is proud to be the third Latina administrator in her family. Her pronouns are she, her, and ella in Spanish.
Assistant Principal, Dolores Huerta Middle School
It is our pleasure to announce Nicole Cody as the new assistant principal at Dolores Huerta Middle School. Nicole Cody is a Los Angeles native. She grew up in the San Fernando Valley attending schools in LAUSD and graduating from Birmingham High in Van Nuys. Nicole moved to San Diego where she attended San Diego State University. She got a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and continued on to receive her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction. Nicole’s first years of teaching were spent working in San Diego Unified School District where she taught elementary school. In 2010, she returned to Los Angeles where she spent a few years teaching in private schools before returning to public schools. She was hired in BUSD in 2015 at Bret Harte Elementary, where she started as a classroom teacher. Nicole went back to school to get her Masters in Administration from California State University, Los Angeles and started to pursue more roles in leadership. She has had the opportunity to serve as the Curriculum Specialist at Bret Harte for the past four years. Nicole is looking forward to continuing her path in leadership in her new role as Assistant Principal of Discipline at Dolores Huerta Middle School, with the support of her colleagues, husband, and son by her side.
Assistant Principal, Luther Burbank Middle School
It is our pleasure to announce Brian Ludwick as the new assistant principal at Luther Burbank Middle School. Brian has been serving as the Title I Coordinator at Luther for the last few years. He has been a member of the Luther community for years and will now be serving in a new capacity as the assistant principal.
