About Us

Archana Patel is the Vice President of Parent Programming for Jeremiah Program. She is also an executive coach who works with senior and executive-level leaders of color to help them define their personal brand of leadership. Archana’s over 20 year career in education and postsecondary success started in K-12 schools, where she taught, led, and supported school systems across the country, most recently as the Senior Director of the Broad Academy Program, with the Broad Center. She serves on the boards of GPSN and Citizens of the World Charter Los Angeles and volunteers as a Crisis Text Counselor and Adult Literacy Tutor.

Lindsey Kozberg is Senior Program and Community Engagement Director at The Smidt Foundation. Lindsey has led strategic communications and government relations at the nonpartisan RAND Corporation and at Truth Initiative, the public health foundation dedicated to ending tobacco use. During the George W. Bush Administration she was Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Education and a White House special assistant responsible for advancing national service and civic engagement. Lindsey supports the creation and growth of excellent and equitable schools and systems by serving on the boards of GPSN, Excellent Education Development (ExED), the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, and Coro Southern California.

Virgil Roberts joined Solar Records as Executive Vice President and General Counsel in 1981, became President of Dick Griffey Productions (DGP) in 1982, and President of Solar Records in 1990. In 1996, Roberts left Solar/DGP to form the law firm of Bobbitt & Roberts which specializes in representing entertainment industry clients. He also helped found the first African American studies program at the University of California, Los Angeles, and established the Center for Afro-American Studies, later known as the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies. He is currently the Chairman of the Board of publicly traded Broadway Federal Bank and Trustee and on the board of directors at GPSN, The James Irvine Foundation, Families In Schools, Southern California Public Radio, the Fedco Foundation, Community Build, and the Alliance for College Ready Public Schools.

Brian Bauer is the founding Executive Director of Granada Hills Charter School, a TK-12 independent charter school serving approximately 6,000 students. Mr. Bauer began his career at Granada in 2000 as the high school’s principal, and led the school’s successful conversion to an independent charter school in 2003. Mr. Bauer began his teaching career in the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1991, teaching ESL, English, and Spanish at Bell and Manual Arts High Schools, and then as an Assistant Principal at Locke and Franklin High Schools. Mr. Bauer served on the California State Board of Education’s Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (ACCS) from 2008 to 2018, and as its chair since 2009. Prior to joining the CCSA Board of Directors, he was Chair of CCSA’s Member Council, and since its founding in 2012 he has been Chair of the CEO Council of the LAUSD Charter Operated Programs for Special Education. Mr. Bauer serves as a trustee on several education, community service, and family philanthropic boards, including GPSN and Excellent Education Development (ExEd).

Maria Casillas served the LAUSD community as Teacher, Principal, Regional Superintendent, Chief of School Family and Parent/Community Services, and i=Interim Deputy Superintendent for Instruction. She has served as the President of the Los Angeles Annenberg Metropolitan Project (LAAMP), leading efforts to improve the quality of education in school districts across Los Angeles County. As President of Families In Schools (FIS) she worked in collaboration with community based groups to advocate for parents’ rights as full partners in the education of their children. She has served on various civic boards in addition to GPSN, including the LA County Board of Education, the Los Angeles Commission for Children, Youth and Families, the LA Board of Governors for Recreation and Parks, and as Co-chair of the LA City Council Commission on LAUSD School Governance.

Oscar E. Cruz, chief executive officer of Citizen Schools, has more than 20 years of non-profit experience. Most recently, Oscar served as chief operating officer at United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Previously, Oscar was the president and chief executive officer of Families In Schools. He also served as a program director for Community Partners, and as senior program manager at the Center for Civic Education. He holds a Master of Arts in Latin American studies from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and Latin American studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Oscar currently serves as a board member with the following organizations: Community Partners, Diversity in Leadership Institute and The National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement (NASFCE).

Yolie Flores is the National Campaign Director for Parent Nation, an initiative of the TMW Center at The University of Chicago. Previously, Yolie served as Chief Learning Officer at the Campaign for Grade Level Reading, directing learning and engagement efforts for a network of more than 300 local coalitions across 45 states, each working to advance early literacy and third-grade reading proficiency for children from low-income families. Yolie has served on the Los Angeles Unified Board of Education, was CEO of the L.A. County Children’s Planning Council, and Director of Child Care Policy and Planning for the City of LA. Yolie’s 30-year career advancing the well-being of children and families has earned her the distinction of, twice, being named Social Worker of the Year. In addition to her role as GPSN board chair, Yolie is also a member of the board of The Education Trust, Parents as Teachers, and Parent Teacher Home Visits.

Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor and founding Executive Director of the Center for Equity for English Learners in the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University. Her K-12 teaching career includes serving as a Bilingual Paraprofessional, Elementary Bilingual Educator, and as a K-12 English as a Second Language Teacher Specialist. She has held various leadership positions as President of Californians Together, California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE), the California Association for Bilingual Teacher Education, and the California Council on Teacher Education. Her work is published in numerous articles, chapters and books, including Questioning our Practices: Bilingual Teacher-Researchers and Transformative Inquiry and Latino Civil Rights in Education: La Lucha Sigue, co-edited with Anaida Colón Muñiz.

Erica Lim is a Senior Program Officer at The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, managing the Skills for the New Economy portfolio to equip Los Angeles youth with the skills and experiences necessary to thrive and achieve upward economic mobility. Erica previously served as the Senior Advisor to the Chief Academic Officer of the Los Angeles Unified School District, advising on strategic planning and policy. She is a National Board-certified teacher and former High School Dean of Curriculum and Instruction with Uncommon Schools in Brooklyn, NY, where she launched the AP Capstone Diploma program across the network’s high schools and consulted for the College Board on program development. Erica began her career as a Teach For America corps member in rural South Louisiana. Erica holds a Doctor of Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, an MA in Teaching from the Relay Graduate School of Education, and a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.