22-23 School Year Information & COVID Procedures Learn More
Discover Our Staff

Discover Our Staff

Adonahi
Ascencio

Family Engagement Coordinator

Adonahi Ascencio

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Adonahi Ascencio

Family Engagement Coordinator

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Ahjia
Moore

Restorative Practices Director

Ahjia Moore

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Ahjia Moore

Restorative Practices Director

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Aleida
Cajahuaringa

Speech and Language Pathologist Assistant

Aleida Cajahuaringa

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Aleida Cajahuaringa

Speech and Language Pathologist Assistant

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Aleksandra
Vargas

Cluster Data Coordinator

Aleksandra Vargas

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Aleksandra Vargas

Cluster Data Coordinator

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Alexander
Huerta

Cloud Support Manager

Alexander Huerta

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Alexander Huerta

Cloud Support Manager

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Alexandra
Duggins

Mathematics Instructional Coach

Alexandra Duggins

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Alexandra Duggins

Mathematics Instructional Coach

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Alexandra
Lee

Vice President of Academic Initiatives

Alexandra Lee

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Alexandra Lee

Vice President of Academic Initiatives

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Alexandra
Martinez Ramirez

Speech and Language Pathologist Assistant

Alexandra Martinez Ramirez

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Alexandra Martinez Ramirez

Speech and Language Pathologist Assistant

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Ally
Nanji

School Psychologist

Ally Nanji

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Ally Nanji

School Psychologist

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Ana
Vargas

Vice President of Human Resources

Ana Vargas

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Ana Vargas

Vice President of Human Resources

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Angel
Cerritos

Transition Specialist

Angel Cerritos

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Angel Cerritos

Transition Specialist

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Angelina
Calderon

Senior Director of Outreach and Engagement

Angelina Calderon

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Angelina Calderon

Senior Director of Outreach and Engagement

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Ashley
Colburn

Director of Teacher Induction and Development

Ashley Colburn

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Ashley Colburn

Director of Teacher Induction and Development

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Aya
Cheung

Aya Cheung

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Aya Cheung

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Bridget
Sibley

Speech & Language Pathologist

Bridget Sibley

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Bridget Sibley

Speech & Language Pathologist

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Carla
Aguirre

School Psychologist

Carla Aguirre

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Carla Aguirre

School Psychologist

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Carlos
Cordova

Maintenance

Carlos Cordova

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Carlos Cordova

Maintenance

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Carmen
Garcia-Shushtari

Senior Manager, Marketing

Carmen Garcia-Shushtari

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Carmen Garcia-Shushtari

Senior Manager, Marketing

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Carolina
Mora

Speech and Language Pathologist Assistant

Carolina Mora

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Carolina Mora

Speech and Language Pathologist Assistant

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Cesar
Gabriel-Vazquez

Cluster Data Coordinator

Cesar Gabriel-Vazquez

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Cesar Gabriel-Vazquez

Cluster Data Coordinator

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China
Habte

China Habte

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China Habte

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Clara
Garay

Lead Instructional Mentor

Clara Garay

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Clara Garay

Lead Instructional Mentor

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Claudia
Jerez Sneed

Claudia Jerez Sneed

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Claudia Jerez Sneed

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Daisy
Gomez

School Data Specialist

Daisy Gomez

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Daisy Gomez

School Data Specialist

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Daniel
Garcia

Cluster Data Lead

Daniel Garcia

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Daniel Garcia

Cluster Data Lead

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Daniela
Feria

IT Helpdesk

Daniela Feria

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Daniela Feria

IT Helpdesk

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Dawn
North

Wellness Coordinator

Dawn North

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Dawn North

Wellness Coordinator

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Dominique
Romero

Alumni Support and College Success Community College & CTE Coordinator

Dominique Romero

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Dominique Romero

Alumni Support and College Success Community College & CTE Coordinator

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Dr. Eliza
Kimly

Head of Schools, Bright Star Schools

Dr. Eliza Kimly

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Dr. Eliza Kimly

Head of Schools, Bright Star Schools

Dr. Eliza KimLy is the co-Head of Schools for Bright Star Schools, and the former founding principal of Rise Kohyang Middle School. As co-Head of Schools, she leads the development and execution of a rigorous instructional program that serves all students and supports principals to achieve their schools’ goals.

Dr. KimLy joined Bright Star Schools as a science teacher in 2004. After teaching both science and English Language Arts for three years, she served Bright Star Schools as assistant principal, principal, and director of instruction.


A Los Angeles-born native who grew up in Koreatown, Dr. KimLy wanted to give back to her “kohyang” (“hometown”). She founded Rise Kohyang Middle School in 2012 to serve the educational needs of families who live in Koreatown.

Prior to joining Bright Star Schools, Dr. KimLy served as a teacher, substitute teacher, student teacher, and teacher’s assistant for the Los Angeles, Culver City, and Beverly Hills Unified School Districts.

Dr. KimLy holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism with a minor in American Studies from the University of Southern California; a teaching credential and master’s degree in education; and a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University. Her administrative credential was completed at Loyola Marymount University’s Institute of School Leadership & Administration.

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Elijah
Sugay

Chief Business Officer

Elijah Sugay

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Elijah Sugay

Chief Business Officer

Elijah Sugay grew up in the San Fernando Valley near our Valor Academy schools and was the first employee hired at Valor Academy Middle School (VAMS). Elijah became the Founding Director of Finance and Operations for VAMS and helped the school launch and grow into the successful institution it is today. 

After serving at VAMS for four years, Elijah became Senior Director of Operations for Bright Star Schools and then Vice President of Facilities and Finance for Bright Star, where he oversaw facilities and finance for all 9 Bright Star schools and helped build permanent campuses for Valor Academy Middle School, Valor Academy High School, and Stella Middle Charter Academy.

As Chief Business Officer, Elijah leads all facilities projects for Bright Star Schools, as well as Bright Star’s fiscal health. He supports school leaders to develop sustainable budgets that meet their schools’ highest needs, priorities, and visions for how they want to achieve our mission on behalf of the students we serve.

Elijah holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from UCLA.

 

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Elizabeth
Carter

Director of Expanded Learning

Elizabeth Carter

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Elizabeth Carter

Director of Expanded Learning

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Eman
Fakhr

Science Instructional Coach

Eman Fakhr

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Eman Fakhr

Science Instructional Coach

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Eric
Tran

IT Helpdesk

Eric Tran

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Eric Tran

IT Helpdesk

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Francisco
Uriarte Salazar

Cluster Data Coordinator

Francisco Uriarte Salazar

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Francisco Uriarte Salazar

Cluster Data Coordinator

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Gabriel
Gonzalez

COVID Operations Assistant

Gabriel Gonzalez

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Gabriel Gonzalez

COVID Operations Assistant

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Genoveva
Cortes

Director, Alumni Support and College Success

Genoveva Cortes

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Genoveva Cortes

Director, Alumni Support and College Success

Supporting: Bright Star Schools alumni, classes of 2010-2022, in graduate school applications and career coaching

M.A., Harvard Graduate School of Education, Class of 2010

B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, Class of 1997

Genoveva Garibay Cortes has over two decades of experience working as an elementary and middle school teacher, K-12 and college administrator, and program coordinator. She was Bright Star Schools’ founding math teacher for Stella Middle Charter Academy in 2003, and currently serves as the Director of the Alumni Support and College Success (ASCS) Program for the organization. Geno developed and launched Bright Star’s ASCS Program to support the organization’s alumni to persist in and graduate from higher education. ASCS tracks, supports, and coaches Bright Star Schools' alumni to get to and through higher education, with a goal of 60% of Bright Star Schools alumni graduating with a bachelor's or associate's degree, vocational certificate, or from a workplace development program within six years of high school graduation. Geno is a former foster youth and the first in her family to have graduated from college. She is passionate about educational equity and reform, and social justice. 

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Gloria
Hamilton

Crossing Guard

Gloria Hamilton

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Gloria Hamilton

Crossing Guard

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Haruko
Hatakeda

School Psychologist

Haruko Hatakeda

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Haruko Hatakeda

School Psychologist

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Hrag
Hamalian

Chief Executive Officer

Hrag Hamalian

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Hrag Hamalian

Chief Executive Officer

Hrag Manuel Hamalian currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Bright Star Schools. Hrag has strategically grown Bright Star Schools from four to nine schools, and created a community-based schools model that provides a transitional kindergarten to 12th grade education, plus 6 years of higher education support, for over 3,500 students across Los Angeles.

Prior to joining Bright Star, Hrag founded Valor Academy Middle School, a high performing 5th through 8th grade charter public school in Los Angeles. In 2013, Hrag helped lead the strategic merger of Valor and Bright Star, the first merger between two successful charter organizations in Los Angeles.

In 2011, Hrag was the recipient of Boston College's prestigious Gold Award, honoring him as alumnus of the decade. Hrag holds a double-major bachelor’s degree from Boston College in biology and honors English, a master’s degree in secondary education from Loyola Marymount University, and a master’s in business administration from UCLA.

Hrag is a Broad Academy Fellow, Aspen Institute Fellow, an Achievement First Accelerator Fellow, a Building Excellent Schools Fellow, and a Teach for America Corps Member. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for ExEd and Building Excellent Schools.

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Huang
Li

School Psychologist

Huang Li

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Huang Li

School Psychologist

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Jaime
Hernandez

Vice President of Information Technology

Jaime Hernandez

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Jaime Hernandez

Vice President of Information Technology

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Jennifer
Akshlomo

School Psychologist

Jennifer Akshlomo

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Jennifer Akshlomo

School Psychologist

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Jennifer
Simmons

Vice President of Curriculum and Instruction

Jennifer Simmons

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Jennifer Simmons

Vice President of Curriculum and Instruction

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Jesus
Regalado

IT Help Desk

Jesus Regalado

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Jesus Regalado

IT Help Desk

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Johnny
Teran

Family Engagement Manager

Johnny Teran

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Johnny Teran

Family Engagement Manager

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Jonathan
Escobar

Vice President of Data Management

Jonathan Escobar

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Jonathan Escobar

Vice President of Data Management

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Jonathan
Perez

IT Help Desk

Jonathan Perez

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Jonathan Perez

IT Help Desk

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Juan
Orozco

Maintenance

Juan Orozco

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Juan Orozco

Maintenance

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Julie
Shvarts

Speech & Language Pathologist

Julie Shvarts

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Julie Shvarts

Speech & Language Pathologist

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Kaitlin
Foe

Chief of Staff

Kaitlin Foe

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Kaitlin Foe

Chief of Staff

Kaitlin Foe has served Bright Star Schools since 2016, first as Director of School Development and Strategic Initiatives and then as Vice President of Strategy. As Chief of Staff, Kaitlin oversees numerous Bright Star functions, including marketing and communications, educational compliance, fundraising, and organizational strategy.

Kaitlin started her career as an elementary school teacher for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System in Louisiana with Teach For America. After her time in the classroom, she served at both City Year, Louisiana and later as a Teach For America staff member for four years. Kaitlin was selected as both an Education Pioneers Fellow and a Broad Resident, both prestigious and selective programs that identify and support the further development of promising education leaders. Kaitlin holds a bachelor’s degree from UCSD, a master’s degree in public policy analysis from USC, and a master’s degree in educational leadership from The Broad Residency.

 

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Karlyn
Yngve

Enrollment Manager

Karlyn Yngve

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Karlyn Yngve

Enrollment Manager

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Kendra
Racouillat

Vice President, Marketing and Communications

Kendra Racouillat

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Kendra Racouillat

Vice President, Marketing and Communications

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Kunjal
Patel

Accounting Assistant

Kunjal Patel

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Kunjal Patel

Accounting Assistant

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Laura
Reed

Director of Strategy

Laura Reed

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Laura Reed

Director of Strategy

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Leeann
Yu

Chief Operations Officer

Leeann Yu

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Leeann Yu

Chief Operations Officer

Leeann Yu currently serves as the Chief Operations Officer for Bright Star Schools where she leads strategic operational initiatives across the network and oversees the student data, school operations, human resources, and information technology teams.

Leeann joined Bright Star in 2011 as the School Operations Manager for Stella Middle Charter Academy and Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy and has since held a variety of operational roles as the organization has grown from two to nine schools.

Prior to joining Bright Star, Leeann was an Education Pioneers Fellow at PUC Schools, an English teacher in Taiwan, and a financial advisor for Ameriprise Financial. Leeann holds a bachelor’s degree in international development with a minor in education from UCLA and a master’s in business administration from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.

 

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Liezl
Caluag

Liezl Caluag

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Liezl Caluag

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Lilianna
Gonzalez

Vice President of Inclusive Education

Lilianna Gonzalez

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Lilianna Gonzalez

Vice President of Inclusive Education

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Lora
Mancuso

Director of Literacy

Lora Mancuso

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Lora Mancuso

Director of Literacy

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Maggie
Kwon

Enrollment & Outreach Coordinator

Maggie Kwon

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Maggie Kwon

Enrollment & Outreach Coordinator

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Manuela
Hyman

School Psychologist

Manuela Hyman

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Manuela Hyman

School Psychologist

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Maritza
Arambula

Cluster Data Coordinator

Maritza Arambula

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Maritza Arambula

Cluster Data Coordinator

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Marni
Parsons

Vice President of Student and Family Services

Marni Parsons

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Marni Parsons

Vice President of Student and Family Services

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Matt
Williams

Vice President of Inclusive Education

Matt Williams

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Matt Williams

Vice President of Inclusive Education

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Matthew
Garcia

IT Systems Analyst

Matthew Garcia

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Matthew Garcia

IT Systems Analyst

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Melissa
Kaplan

Deputy Superintendent of Education

Melissa Kaplan

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Melissa Kaplan

Deputy Superintendent of Education

Melissa Kaplan currently serves as the Deputy Superintendent of Education at Bright Star Schools, where she leads school growth, culture, and performance, and oversees the Heads of Schools and the Vice Presidents of Family and Student Services, Curriculum and Instruction, Inclusive Education, People Development, and Academic Initiatives in their management and guidance of school staff.

Previously, Melissa was the Chief Academic Officer at ICEF Public Schools, where she was responsible for managing the academic program at 14 schools serving 4,500 students in grades K-12, coordinating and delivering professional development for more than 150 teachers and administrators, and ensuring the alignment of the curriculum with college readiness standards.

Melissa has been involved in the Los Angeles charter school movement since 2003, and has served in a variety of leadership roles including district and site administration, demonstration teacher, and teacher coach. She has also worked extensively as a consultant assisting districts and charter management organizations nationally in curriculum development and system building, especially in the area of reading and writing across the curriculum.

Before joining the charter school movement, Melissa taught English in Palos Verdes Unified School District and Oley Valley School District in Pennsylvania. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education and theater from DeSales University and a master's of education from UCLA.

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Melody
Morris

English Language Development Instructional Coach

Melody Morris

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Melody Morris

English Language Development Instructional Coach

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Michael
Hoover

Director of School Culture

Michael Hoover

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Michael Hoover

Director of School Culture

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Michelle
Washington

Outreach Coordinator

Michelle Washington

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Michelle Washington

Outreach Coordinator

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Miguel
Avila

Human Resources Coordinator

Miguel Avila

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Miguel Avila

Human Resources Coordinator

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Nicole
Wellman Noble

Vice President of People Development

Nicole Wellman Noble

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Nicole Wellman Noble

Vice President of People Development

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Olga
Ramos

Senior Director of Human Resources

Olga Ramos

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Olga Ramos

Senior Director of Human Resources

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Olivia
Martinez

Head of Schools, Bright Star Schools

Olivia Martinez

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Olivia Martinez

Head of Schools, Bright Star Schools

Olivia Martinez is the co-Head of Schools for Bright Star Schools, and former principal of Stella Middle Charter Academy (Grades 7-8). As co-Head of Schools, she leads the development and execution of a rigorous instructional program that serves all students and supports principals to achieve their schools’ goals.

Olivia joined Bright Star Schools in 2008 as a teacher and taught physical science, life science, biology, and earth science to students in grades 7 through 11. She became assistant principal at Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy in 2011, and principal at Stella Middle Charter Academy in 2013.

Olivia began her teaching career with a student teaching position at David Starr Jordan High School in Watts through Teach For America.

Olivia holds a bachelor’s degree in psychobiology from UCLA and two master's degrees in urban education and in educational leadership from Loyola Marymount University.

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Olivia
Ray

Manager of Compliance and Special Projects

Olivia Ray

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Olivia Ray

Manager of Compliance and Special Projects

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Pablo
Olivares

Vice President of Inclusive Education

Pablo Olivares

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Pablo Olivares

Vice President of Inclusive Education

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Paulina
Sylvester

Senior Talent Manager

Paulina Sylvester

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Paulina Sylvester

Senior Talent Manager

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Rachel
Asher

School Psychologist

Rachel Asher

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Rachel Asher

School Psychologist

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Raquel
Martinez

Human Resources Generalist

Raquel Martinez

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Raquel Martinez

Human Resources Generalist

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Rebecca
Vogel Sanchez

Board Certified Behavior Analyst

Rebecca Vogel Sanchez

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Rebecca Vogel Sanchez

Board Certified Behavior Analyst

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Roxanne
Romero

Outreach & Recruitment Manager

Roxanne Romero

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Roxanne Romero

Outreach & Recruitment Manager

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Sebastian
Valdes

Vice President of School Operations and Safety

Sebastian Valdes

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Sebastian Valdes

Vice President of School Operations and Safety

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Stephanie
Adams Mendez

School Psychologist

Stephanie Adams Mendez

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Stephanie Adams Mendez

School Psychologist

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Stephen
Allen

Cluster Data Coordinator

Stephen Allen

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Stephen Allen

Cluster Data Coordinator

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Steven
Lopez

Senior Talent and Credential Manager

Steven Lopez

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Steven Lopez

Senior Talent and Credential Manager

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Sunil
Kewalramani

Sunil Kewalramani

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Sunil Kewalramani

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Victor
Perez

Family Engagement Coordinator

Victor Perez

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Victor Perez

Family Engagement Coordinator

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Victoria
Banuelos

Victoria Banuelos

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Victoria Banuelos

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Wendy
Gadea

SIS & Compliance Manager

Wendy Gadea

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Wendy Gadea

SIS & Compliance Manager

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Young
Kim

Attendance Compliance Assistant

Young Kim

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Young Kim

Attendance Compliance Assistant

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In our small, joyful schools we provide students with excellent academics, holistic and inclusive support, personal attention, and rich life opportunities beyond the classroom so they thrive from kindergarten through high school.