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.

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.

Ana Martinez is a first generation, native Angeleno who attended Los Angeles public schools her entire K-12 experience. She Joined Teach For America in 2003 and began her teaching career as a 6th grade math and science teacher in the same district she attended, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). 

During her time working at LAUSD, she served as a teacher, a dean of students, the PTA school representative, and the girls’ flag football coach. Ana’s early career experience included working in two different, multi-track middle schools in South Los Angeles – Bethune Middle School and Los Angeles Academy Middle School. 

At Los Angeles Academy Middle School, she embarked on turnaround work and grew her experience with culture and systems change. Her goal was to interrupt systems marked by continuous suspensions, opportunity transfers, and expulsions of students of color that perpetuated the school-to-prison pipeline. In her time serving at LA Academy she also launched and facilitated additional support for 7th and 8th grade male students through extracurricular activities and leadership opportunities, as well as hosting family events that strengthened the partnership with the school.

In 2009, Ana transitioned to Aspire Public Schools at their sole secondary campus that served students in grades 6-9 in Huntington Park, where she continued her work as Dean of Students and then Assistant Principal. 

Ana then became founding principal to open up and lead the new Aspire Public Schools Juanita Tate Academy (now Aspire Slauson Academy) in South Los Angeles. This new school was in partnership with LAUSD under the Public School Choice 2.0 initiative. While a “school of choice,” 85% or more of the student population was from the local community. Within three years, Aspire Tate Academy was outperforming all local elementary schools and offered a robust amount of extracurricular activities after school, as well as classes such as art, physical education, and dance.  

After serving eight years as principal, Ana transitioned into organizational leadership and served as the Chief of Staff to Aspire’s Chief Schools Officer. 

In 2021, Ana moved to California’s Central Valley to serve as Chief Academic Officer and then Superintendent of a charter management organization that served students in two distinct rural communities. 

She now proudly serves as Lead Executive Officer at Bright Star Schools, a nine school charter public school organization that serves over 3,700 students across Los Angeles. Ana holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a master’s in education from Loyola Marymount University. She is a 2019 Pahara fellow, a member of Education Leaders of Color, a representative on the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) membership council, and a member of the Los Angeles Coalition for Excellent Public Schools (LACEPS).

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.  

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. 

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.

Brian Perry is the principal of Valor Academy Middle School, where he leads the school to create an environment where all students can see academic success, engage with their individual interests, and participate in experiences that will help them grow as people.

Previously, Brian served Valor Academy Middle School as the assistant principal of instruction and curriculum for five years, and helped bring new and exciting programs and initiatives to drive student learning. He joined Valor Academy Middle School as a fifth grade English language arts teacher in 2011.

Prior to joining Bright Star Schools, Brian taught in schools in Miami, FL; New Haven, CT; and Inglewood, CA. He began his career as a high school English teacher as a Teach For America corps member. As a third grader in St. Louis, MO, Brian made the commitment to become a teacher as impactful as the ones he had encountered in his early education.

Brian holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri. 

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!

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.

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. 

Darryl Garris is the principal for Stella High Charter Academy, and he leads the school to ensure all Eagles achieve academic excellence and grow their unique talents so they find joy and fulfillment in higher education, career, and life.

Previously, Darryl served Bright Star Schools as principal of Stella Middle Charter Academy (Grades 5-6) and as assistant principal of Stella Middle Charter Academy. Darryl also taught pre-algebra, algebra readiness, and Algebra 1 at Stella Middle Charter Academy and Bright Star Secondary Charter Academy.

Prior to joining Bright Star Schools, Darryl was a teacher at Dorsey High School as a Teach For America corps member.

Darryl holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in environmental economics from UC Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources. He also holds a master’s degree in urban education, a master’s degree in school administration, and a certificate in charter school leadership from Loyola Marymount University's School of Education.

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.