Discover Our Staff

Contact Abra: ashay@brightstarschools.org

As Community Schools Chair, Abra Shay proudly leads the founding Community Schools team at Bright Star Schools. As Chair, she sets the vision and strategy for the organization-wide transformation into Community Schools. At Bright Star Community Schools, the voices of students, families, staff, and partners direct our efforts to meet the needs of our community by connecting services and resources to the school such as medical care, mutual aid, academic programs, and more.

Prior to working at Bright Star, Abra led Strategic Partnerships at Teach For America Los Angeles where she led a team that recruited, onboarded, and placed 100+ new teachers annually in high needs schools across 18 districts. As an education consultant, she supported school leadership teams across the country to develop strategic action plans.

Abra began her career in education as a Teach For America corps member in Los Angeles where she served as a founding 5th grade teacher at Endeavor College Prep, being named Gold Standard Teacher of the Year by Building Excellent Schools for achieving significant results in reading growth with her students. She went on to lead Endeavor’s 4th-6th grade campus as Campus Director.

Abra holds a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College and a Master’s in Urban Education from Loyola Marymount University. A native Angeleno, Abra lives in the Valley with her partner and their young son.

Angelina Calderón serves as the interim Vice President of Public Affairs at Bright Star Schools. In this role, she oversees three major areas of work: compliance and board governance, marketing and communications, and advocacy and public grants. 

Angelina has served Bright Star since 2015, most recently as Vice President of Outreach and Engagement. As an educator with 14 years of experience in instruction, family engagement and outreach to new families, she knows that working with families is the key to boosting student achievement.

Outside of work, Angelina is a loving aunt to five nieces and nephews, and she finds joy in puzzles and traveling.  

Contact Brian: bmartinez@brightstarschools.org

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Brian Martinez has worked in supporting students academically by bringing programs and resources to campuses throughout Los Angeles County.

Brian joined Bright Star Schools in 2023 and is currently serving as Community School Manager for Valor Academy Middle School in North Hills, where he has the opportunity to address the needs of the community that allow for informed building and growing of partnerships that will bring valuable resources to campus. Through his own experiences in education attending public schools in Los Angeles, Brian has gained immense self motivation to bring change and work to ensure all students succeed!

After transferring from Los Angeles Valley College, Brian obtained a B.A. in History & Education from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an M.A. in Educational Foundations from California State University, Los Angeles.

Contact Christian: crisquez@brightstarschools.org

Christian Risquez joined the Bright Star family in October of 2023 as the Stella High Community Manager. Prior to joining our team, Christian spent the bulk of his career managing school youth programs such as Boys and Girls Clubs, summer camp programs and college and career readiness programs. Christian also teaches courses such as CPR, lifeguarding and first aid and formerly held an EMT certification. 

Beyond career life, Christian comes from a Venezuelan family, went to high school in Caracas and is very proud of his roots and having the opportunity to experience his heritage as a young person. Feel free to contact Christian with any questions. Se habla español!

Contact Daniel: dabner@brightstarschools.org

Daniel Abner serves as Valor Academy High School’s Community Schools Manager. He is excited to continue the work together in reimagining what school can be—a place where students’ needs are met holistically. 

Before joining VAHS, Daniel served as a Student Support Specialist, where he focused on restorative justice and trauma-informed practices, leading to improved student behavior, attendance, and academic performance. Daniel’s journey in education also includes time as a Special Education Para-educator, where he worked closely with teachers, families, and students to develop and monitor IEPs, ensuring each student received the personalized support they needed to thrive. In the process, he also supported multilingual learners, adapting instruction to meet their unique language and academic needs. Earlier in his career, Daniel also served as an After School Program Educator, where he created a positive, engaging environment that fostered both learning and growth. 

Throughout his time in education, Daniel has been dedicated to building inclusive, supportive spaces where all students are empowered to reach their full potential. 

Dr. Eliza KimLy is the Senior Vice President of Leadership Development for Bright Star Schools, and the former founding principal of Rise Kohyang Middle School. As Senior Vice President of Leadership Development, 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.

Dr. Thomas Crowther serves as Senior Vice President of Leadership Development for Bright Star Schools’ TK-8 school. In this role, Tom serves as a partner for school leaders and teams to accelerate programming and their overall impact for our scholars.

Most recently, Tom served as the Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment K-12 at the Accelerated Schools in South Los Angeles where he mentored principals, headed professional development, and oversaw the curricular program for the oldest charter organization in L.A.

Previously, Tom was the Principal at Burbank Senior High School, a California Exemplary Arts School and Gold Ribbon School and Principal at E.J. Toll Middle School, a Title I Achievement School (TAS) that houses five dual-language programs. He also served as Principal at Wallis Annenberg High School during the 2021-2022 school year while at TAS.

His career in education began 25 years ago as a special education teacher and high school baseball coach. He has also been an Inclusion Specialist, Title I Coordinator, Assistant Principal, Principal and adjunct professor.

Tom earned his Bachelor’s degree in social science from California State University at Los Angeles, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Azusa Pacific University and his doctorate in K12 Leadership in Urban School Settings from the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California.

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 Financial 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.

Hrag Manuel Hamalian previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Bright Star Schools. Hrag strategically grew 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.

Supporting: VAHS & SHCA Class of 2018-2023 (Community College & CTE programs)

MPA, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, University of Washington, Class of 2019

B.A., Barnard College, Class of 2015

Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Idera Adagun’s passion for college access and success started at a young age. With a mother who received her master’s in special education and a father who emigrated from Nigeria with only a high school education, she grew up hearing various perspectives on how college would help overcome the societal inequalities that come with being African-American, low-income, female, and from an inner city. 

These narratives followed her through various education nonprofits, leadership development programs, Downtown Magnet High School and eventually college, where in 2015 she received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Africana Studies from Barnard College of Columbia University. 

In pursuit of supporting students like herself, Idera went on to complete a Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance in 2019. There, she focused her research on Social Policy, Education Policy, and Nonprofit Management. Most notably, she completed a graduate internship with the UW Academic Support Programs Office. 

Idera has gone on to serve as the Assistant Director of the Summer Academy with Thrive Scholars (formerly South Central Scholars/SCS Noonan Scholars), helping high school graduates prepare for the academic and socio-emotional transition into college. Her most recent roles of College Counselor and College Success Director at C5LA also helped Idera further her passion of getting first-generation, low-income, and minoritized students to and through college.

Idera is excited to bring her years of experience, resources, and knowledge to Bright Star Schools as the Alumni Support and College Success Coordinator for VAHS & SHCA’s community college and CTE alumni. She hopes to help alumni reach their full potential, complete postsecondary programs, and enter into careers no matter the circumstances or challenges stacked against them.

Contact Johnny: jteran@brightstarschools.org

Johnny Teran is the Community School Manager at Rise Kohyang High School where he serves the families, students, and community.

He’s had the privilege of serving his community for over 12 years while working for LA City Recreation and Parks, After-School All-Stars Los Angeles, and a variety of charter public schools in the LA area. Johnny has been at Bright Star for 6 years and has helped develop family engagement, specifically at our Valor Academy cluster. 

Johnny was born and raised in South Los Angeles.

Contact Karen: kmedina@brightstarschools.org

Currently serving as a Community School Manager, Karen Medina leads efforts to create a supportive and engaging educational environment. Previously, she was instrumental as a founding office manager at a high school, ensuring smooth operations and compliance while supporting enrollment. Her passion for school development grew during her time as an operations associate at a middle school, focusing on behind-the-scenes support. 

She began her career as a teacher's assistant in primary schools, emphasizing academic support. Karen earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from California State University, Northridge.

Laura Gaboudian has dedicated her career to fostering a love of literacy in all students. She gained extensive teaching experience working with striving readers and English learners at the elementary and secondary levels in New York and Massachusetts.

Laura then relocated to Los Angeles and has spent the last 10 years in a variety of district leadership roles. She joined Green Dot Public Schools as a District Literacy Specialist in which she provided instructional coaching to teachers, developed the ELA curriculum, facilitated professional development and oversaw the literacy intervention program. Later, as Green Dot's District ELD Coordinator, Laura led all aspects of English language development programming for 22 schools.

Most recently during her tenure at Glendale Unified, Laura led a team to evaluate and adopt a range of culturally relevant literature for each grade level as well as design supporting unit plans. She also coached a team of teaching and learning specialists in best practices for integrated ELD implementation.

Laura received a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from the University of Rhode Island and a master’s degree in education from New York University. She is the author of the children’s book Under the Light of the Moon and is also a Coro Women in Leadership alumna.

Liliana Bustos Garcia currently serves as the Chief Instructional Officer for Bright Star Schools, where she sets the strategic vision, design, and direction for teaching and learning across all nine of Bright Star’s schools. 

Lily began her education leadership career at Aspire Public Schools. There, she held various roles during her 15-year tenure, including TK-5th grade teacher, reading specialist within the intervention capacity, dean of culture for a middle school, interim principal, and principal of a charter public elementary school within the Huntington Park community. As Aspire’s Director of Language and Culture, Lily led English Language Development programming for 38 schools across 3 regions in California and oversaw the organization’s Pro-Black programming.

Most recently, Lily served as the Interim Chief Academic Officer for Extera Public Schools in the heart of the Boyle Heights/East Los Angeles community. At Extera, Lily developed a rigorous and equitable academic program that streamlined systems of supports, built the capacity of the team, and increased academic achievement.

Born and raised in northeast Los Angeles, Lily received her bachelor’s degree in education and master’s degree in school leadership and administration from Loyola Marymount University, where she also gained experience working with children as young as 6 weeks old and cemented her passion for advocating for children to be able to reach their fullest potential.

Contact Marina: msandoval@brightstarschools.org

Marina Sandoval serves as the founding Community School Manager at Stella Middle Charter Academy in South Los Angeles, where she focuses on the Community School framework to lead the needs and assets assessment. Within the first six months, Marina identified community-based partners like Dynasty United Youth Association and Moving Mountains in immediate response to students' academic and social-emotional needs.

Prior to this role, Marina was the Executive Assistant to the Superintendent of Lawndale Elementary School District where she was an active member of the district’s leadership team. She streamlined practices, created efficient systems, and built the capacity of Office Managers and other support staff in an initiative she created called Level-Up.

Before the district-level role, Marina was the Community Liaison at the school level, where she conceptualized and piloted the family engagement model known as Family University. The model provides leadership opportunities for parents and guardians in Advisory Committees and, through workshops, exposes them to school-to-home learning to better support their children at home. Family efficacy increased, leadership capacity expanded, and Family University became the model districtwide.

Marina’s education is grounded in communities of practice in marketing, grassroots market research, leadership, and lived experiences. Marina Sandoval was born in Los Angeles and raised in the Lennox and Hawthorne area.

Contact Mark: mjutabha@brightstarschools.org

Dr. Mark Jutabha is the Community School Manager for Stella Elementary Charter Academy, a TK-4 Bright Star School (BSS). He is responsible for coordinating systems and services as part of the California Community Schools Partnership Program to implement programs that support the educational and socio-economic needs of students and their families in the communities where they live. He believes that knowledge and education is the pathway to liberation.

Prior to joining Bright Star Schools, Dr. Jutabha was a Senior Engagement Manager at WestEd, a national leader in education research, development, and service.  Dr. Jutabha partnered with educational leaders at the state-, district-, and school-level to lead research-based professional development and coaching services in School Turnaround, Leadership, Mathematics, and English Language Learning. He has conducted needs assessments to identify site-based assets and priority areas for turnaround efforts and has created and supported the design of district-, school- classroom-level curriculum and assessments aligned to the CCSS, ELD, NGSS standards and Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium protocols for over 100 public and charter schools in urban and rural districts across the country.

 Dr. Jutabha holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from UCLA, a M.A. in Education and Administrative Services Credential from Pepperdine University, a M.A. and Teaching Credential from UCLA, and a B.S. in Political Science from UCLA.

Marni Parsons is the Senior Vice President of Student and Family Services for Bright Star Schools. She oversees the vision and strategy for the non-academic facing functions at Bright Star Schools including School Culture, Counseling, Alumni Support, Extended Learning Opportunities, and Community Schools.

In her role, she focuses on ensuring that every Bright Star School has a purposefully built school culture that provides high-quality support to maximize learning and belonging for all students.

Marni has over 30 years of experience working in education with children from preschool through high school in diverse regions of Los Angeles. Her formal education is in psychology with an emphasis on children and adolescents. She holds a graduate certification in Parent Coaching and is a certified Positive Discipline Educator and Restorative Practitioner. Marni is passionate about working with educators and families on issues relevant to child and adolescent development, youth mental health, social-emotional learning, and equity and inclusion to create balanced and harmonious environments so that all children and youth thrive.

Sebastian Valdes is the Senior Vice President of Operations at Bright Star Schools where he oversees IT, Operations, Data, Enrollment, and Family Engagement. 

For the past 11 years, Sebastian has been dedicated to supporting underserved communities through his work with Bright Star Schools, where his passion for helping others has become a driving force in his career. 

Sebastian was born in La Serena, Chile, and moved to Sydney, Australia, at the age of five. Growing up as one of three brothers in a close-knit family, he developed a strong sense of loyalty and commitment, which has greatly influenced his life and work. 

Beyond his professional life, Sebastian is committed to staying active and focused through Muay Thai and boxing. These practices help him destress, and feel both mentally and physically fit.

Contact Yadira: ysanchez@brightstarschools.org

Yadira Sanchez is the Community School Manager at Valor Academy Elementary School (VAES), spearheading initiatives aimed at transforming the school into a vibrant community hub through enhanced family engagement, collaborative partnerships, and tailored support services.  

Prior to joining VAES, Yadira played a pivotal role in transforming a public charter high school into a community school, establishing vital family resources and support programs. With over a decade in community outreach, including eight years with the City of Pasadena's Police Department Community Relations section, Yadira has a proven dedication to improving community well-being. She holds a bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in psychology from California State University, Northridge. 

Yadira believes in equality for all, regardless of socioeconomic status, and is dedicated to creating an inclusive and supportive educational environment. She grew up in the San Fernando Valley near VAES, and her roots in the community inspire her work every day.