COUNTYWIDE : Santa Ana Man Joins Presidential Panel

President Bush recently announced the appointment of Santa Ana resident Robert J. Miranda to his Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.

The new 17-member commission will advise Bush and Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander on education matters concerning Latinos.

“The objective was to bring in Hispanic leaders from across the nation (who) could bring different ideas and recommendations to the President on how we can better improve the education of Hispanic children,” said Miranda, 39, a Santa Ana resident for 11 years.

Miranda has served as chairman of the board for the Greater Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce and vice chairman of the United Way of Orange County. He currently serves on the boards of several organizations in the county and is president and chief executive officer of Miranda Strabala & Associates, an international accounting and management consulting firm with offices in Orange County, Los Angeles, Washington and Mexico City.

Miranda will travel to Washington for the first meeting of the commission in early November, when the group will set its goals for the year.

“I think we have to do a little homework first on what the problems are and where the problems are,” Miranda said. “We will set out objectives for the commission, plan a series of hearings around the country, look at programs that are working and then make recommendations.”

Miranda said that, as a businessman, education has always been an area of interest to him.

“That’s a key area, developing future leadership in our children,” he said.

The other appointees to the commission include a broad spectrum of business people and educators. Miranda is one of four appointees from California.

The others are Peter George Mehas, Fresno County superintendent and a member of the California State Board of Education; Yvette Del Prado, vice president for education and public affairs at Tandem Computers Inc. in Cupertino; and Rose Del Castillo Guilbault, editorial and public affairs director for KGO-TV in San Francisco.