Organizational Leadership

Alexandra Lee serves as the Vice President of Instructional Systems and Strategy for Bright Star Schools, where she strengthens how teams work together to ensure students and school staff receive seamless, coordinated support.

Specifically, Alexandra focuses on organizational strategy, increases cross-functional collaboration within the School Support Team to better serve all nine schools, and designs and refines processes that support the operational and strategic work of departments across the organization. Additionally, Alexandra works closely with the Lead Executive Officer to manage the Senior Leadership Cabinet, the organization’s decision-making body.

Alexandra previously worked in LAUSD, La Cañada Unified, and held instructional roles within Bright Star, bringing a broad perspective to her current work. With a B.S. in Applied Mathematics, a minor in Asian American Studies, and an M.A. in Mathematics and in Education, she is passionate about making systems work better for teammates—especially when it means helping underserved students succeed.

Whether it's aligning teams or figuring out how her calendar got so full, Alexandra enjoys the challenge of finding clarity in the chaos.

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.  

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.

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.

Cynthia Trigueros is the principal of Rise Kohyang High School, and she leads the Tritons to achieve academic excellence and grow their unique talents so they find joy and fulfillment in higher education, career, and life.

Cynthia has served Bright Star Schools for over 15 years. She previously served as a founding biology teacher, an assistant principal, and interim principal at Rise Kohyang High School before being named principal in 2021. Cynthia was also a founding science teacher at Rise Kohyang Middle School, where she taught for nearly six years.

Cynthia holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Northridge, a master of arts in bilingual elementary education from Loyola Marymount University as well as a master and credential in educational leadership and administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Kaitlin Allen is the founding principal of Rise Kohyang Elementary School, and she leads the school to ensure that the Dragons experience positive relationships with their teachers, a supportive and relevant curriculum, social-emotional learning, and joy.

Previously, Kaitlin served Bright Star Schools as assistant principal of instruction and as a high school English teacher for Valor Academy High School. Prior to joining Bright Star Schools, Kaitlin taught middle and high school English for four years in Memphis, TN.

Kaitlin holds a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from Shepherd University, and a master’s degree in applied linguistics from Georgetown University.

Ruth Kim is the principal of Rise Kohyang Middle School, and leads the school by empowering the Phoenixes with compassion to learn and grow to give back to their own kohyang (hometown). She encourages students to achieve academic excellence and grow their unique talents so they find joy and fulfillment in higher education, career, and life.

Ruth started with RKMS in its founding year in 2012. Previously, Ruth served Rise Kohyang Middle School as Assistant Principal and an English Language Arts teacher for eight years. During that time, she was also the 6th grade-level chair and ELA department lead, and she became a National Board Certified teacher in 2018. Ruth transitioned to her principal position in 2020.

Ruth holds a bachelor’s degree in English from UC Irvine, multiple-subject and administrative credentials from Cal State Fullerton, and a master’s in educational administration from Cal State Fullerton.

Ari Engelberg was the founding Board President when Stella Middle Charter Academy first opened its doors in 2003. In 2007, not long after Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy was opened and the name of the organization was changed to Bright Star Schools, he made a transition into the Executive Director role. For over a decade Ari played an instrumental role in shaping Bright Star Schools into a vibrant, kid-focused organization that is helping to close the achievement gap in Los Angeles. Ari holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and psychology from UC Berkeley and a juris doctor and masters of business administration from UCLA. Ari has participated on a range of nonprofit boards and advisory committees, and continues to be involved in uplifting Los Angeles as a board member of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Girls Athletic Leadership School. 

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.

Jeff Hilger attended St. Paul the Apostle School and founded and named the first Bright Star School, Stella Academy, in honor of his K-8 school Principal, Sr. Stella Maria Enright, D.M.J. After attending Loyola High School ('88) and Georgetown University ('92), he joined Teach For America and spent several years teaching in bilingual classroom throughout Los Angeles. He later attended UCLA Law School ('98) and earned a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning before being selected for a U.S. District Court Clerkship and becoming an attorney. While working for Proskauer Rose LLP, he worked on a pro bono project to help open the Los Angeles Leadership Academy. He also visited KIPP Houston several times and, in partnership with Fr. Ken Deasy and many people from St. Agatha’s Parish Family in mid-city Los Angeles, was able to raise funds and engage community interests to found and open the Stella Middle Charter Academy in 2003 as its first Principal Teacher. In 2006, with the help of Sr. Ramona Bascom, O.P., who served as the first principal of the high school, Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy, Jeff became the first Executive Director of Bright Star Schools.

The founding of Stella Academy and Bright Star grew out of Jeff’s desire to give students in the mid-city Los Angeles community the same educational opportunities he himself had benefited from while in school. Jeff and Bright Star parted ways in 2013 after he spent a yearlong sabbatical in Tarragona, Catalunya, Spain while working on projects for the schools. He is currently the Director of Education for the New Opportunities Organization, which serves adult students – both inside county jails as well as throughout Los Angeles County at multiple community partner locations – who return to school to earn a high school diploma. He is also a practicing attorney focused, in part, on clients who are underserved by traditional legal services models.