Board

Lindsey Heisser

Board Chair, Governance Committee , CEO Support & Evaluation Committee
Global Philanthropy Program Manager, Snap Inc.

Lindsey Heisser is the Global Philanthropy Program Manager at Snap Inc. where she oversees the company’s social impact and community relations. More specifically, Heisser and her team focus on initiatives that connect students from underserved communities to equitable access to education and career pathways. Before joining Snap, Lindsey was the Director of the LA Tech Talent Pipeline at Bixel Exchange, the center for Innovation and Technology at the LA Area Chamber of Commerce. She has over a decade of program design and implementation, partnership development and strategic consulting experience at the intersection of talent, education and technology.

Outside of Snap, Heisser is an active advisor to LA-based startups and mentors women and entrepreneurs of color. She is also a co-founder of nonprofit, We Are Enough, a member of TuesdayNights, a pitch coach for Women Founders Network and contributor to the US of Women Summit all supporting the education and economic mobility for women.

Catie Langston

Board Secretary, Resource Development Chair
Senior Advancement Officer, Campbell Hall Episcopal School

Catie Langston is a professional fundraiser and coach in the Los Angeles area, currently serving the Campbell Hall Episcopal School community as a Senior Advancement Officer. She began her career at Polytechnic School, a K-12 independent day school in Pasadena, CA. For 9 years, she helped build and launch the School's $93 million anniversary campaign, which included growing a broader base of donors, organizing special events, managing direct mail campaigns, and engaging in personal solicitation of major donors. Catie shared this knowledge and experience with another Los Angeles independent school by joining the Pilgrim School team in 2012 and then led them through 7 years of transformational growth, including a major capital campaign and campus renovation. Catie is a mission-driven leader who believes in transforming communities through relationships. She lives in Los Feliz with her husband, two children, and their beloved rescue dog, Maple.

Prabhu Reddy

Board Treasurer, Finance Committee Vice Chair, CEO Support & Evaluation Committee
Operator in Residence, Charter School Growth Fund

Prabhu Reddy is an Operator in Residence at the Charter School Growth Fund, a nonprofit that identifies the country’s best public charter schools, funds their expansion, and helps to increase their impact. At CSGF, Prabhu supports charter school operators to ensure that finance, facilities, and governance are enablers of their growth and success. Before joining CSGF, Prabhu was CFO at KIPP Northern California, a network of high-achieving public charter schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he helped lead the organization’s growth from seven to fifteen schools. In this role, he was responsible for developing a best-in-class finance team, financial strategy and planning, financial stewardship, and real estate financial strategy. Prior to his role at KIPP Northern California, Prabhu was Director of Finance and Operations at KIPP San Diego. Prabhu began his career as a member of the Investment Team at Pantheon Ventures. He earned a BS in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley.

Abby Alem

Committee Member, Resource Development Committee 
Founder, AMBESA, a full service creative agency

Abby “HONDO” Alem is an award-winning business thought leader, marketer, connector, cultural producer, writer, and philanthropist. He is the founder of AMBESA, a full-service creative agency specializing in branding, design, advertising, marketing strategy, content production, brand activation, business development, public relations, community development, and talent management. HONDO has a passion for honoring and moving the Culture forward by moving and inspiring people through the creative arts. He believes brands have a valuable business opportunity to fuel their next generation of growth by empowering and amplifying creators, curators, and innovators in their consumer engagement efforts. He has successfully worked with some of the largest, most iconic global brands in the consumer goods, food, beverage, and entertainment industries. HONDO is a native of Southern California with dreams of inspiring people to re-imagine and innovate our world for the betterment of society.

Oliver Bajracharya 

Committee Member, Academic Committee
Global Partnerships, Garmin, Inc.

Bajracharya works in Global Partnerships at Garmin. Previously, he was an intellectual property attorney. In his spare time, he enjoys playing soccer and cooking. Mr. Bajracharya received a BS in Mechanical (Biomedical) Engineering from Cornell University and a JD from Tulane Law School.

Joanna Belcher

Committee Member, Academic Committee
Chief External Impact Officer, KIPP SoCal Public Schools

Originally from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Joanna Belcher received her BA in psychology and Justice and Peace Studies from Georgetown University in 2003. After graduating, Joanna joined Teach For America as part of the San Jose, California corps. She then taught fourth grade and served on the leadership team at Ralph Bunche Elementary School, the first California Distinguished School in Compton, California. After witnessing the impact of school leadership at Bunche, Joanna went on to earn her M.Ed. & Principal Licensure from Harvard University in 2008 and then completed KIPP’s Fisher Fellowship. In 2009, Joanna became the founding principal of SPARK Academy, KIPP’s first elementary school in Newark, New Jersey. From 2014 to 2018, Joanna served as the Chief Academic Officer for KIPP New Jersey schools, developing a K-12 instructional program, managing school leaders, and driving significant academic gains for students. From 2018-2021, Joanna was the Executive Director of KIPP Newark, serving over currently serves as the Chief External Impact Officer for KIPP SoCal Public Schools, where she oversees advocacy and politics, development, marketing and communications, and family and community engagement. Joanna also serves as an advisory board member for the Pivotal Network at Georgetown University, an organization dedicated to forging connections among educators to support first generation college students.

Tyler Bell

Board Member, Governance Committee Chair, CEO Support & Evaluation Committee
Managing Partner, EleventoOne

Tyler Bell is the Managing Partner of EleventoOne, a creative social-impact consulting firm that provides entrepreneurs and organizations with the tools, resources and strategies needed to bring their vision to life. With over 10 years of experience living and serving at the intersection of People Operations, Education, Policy, and Technology, Tyler uniquely understands how to build community while creating sustainable change. He is an advocate, advisor, and active volunteer for several local & global social impact organizations. Additionally, Tyler enjoys spending time with loved ones, practicing mindfulness, traveling, sports, and finding the best food in every neighborhood. 

Moises Gomez

Board member, Governance Committee
Director of Economic Development, Esperanza Community Housing 

Moises Gomez, who has joined Esperanza Community Housing as the new Director of Economic Development, will be responsible for overseeing the operations of Mercado la Paloma, focusing on economic initiatives and community engagement. Moises Gomez's extensive experience, ranging from community-driven nonprofits to leadership roles in business improvement districts and the hospitality industry, positions him well for his current role in economic development and community oversight. His multifaceted background suggests a comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of the communities he serves. 

Hannah Greene

Committee Member, Finance Committee 
Investment Analyst, Capital Group

Hannah Greene is an investment analyst at Capital Group with research responsibility for non-agency and agency CMBS, as well as a U.S. aggregate generalist. She has 10 years of investment industry experience and has been with Capital Group for five years. Prior to joining Capital, Hannah worked as an associate within EMEA distribution at Artisan Partners. She holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Virginia. Hannah is based in Los Angeles.

Tom Hollenberg

Board Member, Finance Committee Chair 
Fixed Income Portfolio Manager, Capital Group

Tom Hollenberg is a fixed income portfolio manager at Capital Group. As a fixed income investment analyst, he covers interest rates and options. Prior to joining Capital, Tom worked for Goldman Sachs in London, trading interest rate options. Before that, Tom was a trader for Deutsche Bank. He holds an MBA in finance from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a bachelor's degree in economics from Boston College. Tom is based in Los Angeles.

 Outside of work, Tom enjoys spending time with his wife and two elementary-aged children. He is passionate about increasing student awareness about the value of quality education.

Sylvia Jauregui 

Board Member, Academic Committee Chair
Director of LMU Family of Schools, Loyola Marymount University

Dr. Sylvia Jauregui is a skilled educator and equity-focused leader with classroom experience in diverse, multilingual schools. Her expertise spans education policy, research, EdTech innovation, English learner advocacy, and data-driven leadership. Recognized through fellowships from the National Head Start Association and Loyola Marymount’s Center for Equity for English Learners, Dr. Jauregui is passionate about driving systemic change for equity and social justice in education.

 She holds an M.Ed. in Educational Policy and Planning from the University of Texas at Austin and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from Loyola Marymount University. Her award-winning dissertation documented the experiences of Latina parent leaders in the Local Control and Accountability Plan process. 

Roshad Lewis 

Committee Member, Finance Committee
Associate Director of Finance, KIPP Northern California

Roshad Lewis is the Associate Director of Finance at KIPP Northern California. He has been working at KIPP for over eight years. He began at KIPP as an Accounting Assistant and grew into the Assistant Controller. He then transitioned to the finance team to expand his knowledge and grow his career.He is also an alum of a KIPP school. After KIPP, he received a BA from UC Riverside. Currently, he is pursuing an MBA at St. Mary's College.

Ray McKenzie 

Board Member, Resource Development Vice Chair 
Founder and CEO, StartingPoint; Founder and Managing Director, Red Beach Advisors

Raymond (Ray) McKenzie is the Founder and CEO of StartingPoint and Founder and Managing Director of Red Beach Advisors. With more than 20 years of experience as a senior business executive and consultant leading global organizations ranging from small businesses, startups, and large enterprises. Ray has held various senior executive positions with companies such as Verisign, Neustar, State Farm Insurance, TeleSign, UltraDNS and has served in an advisory role for several start-up companies in Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. Ray McKenzie completed his studies in Management Information Systems from San Diego State University in 2001 and is a certified AWS Cloud Practitioner (CLF). Mr. McKenzie is also a certified Lean Six Sigma sensei (CLSSS) practitioner from Villanova University, is a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) from Scrum Alliance. Mr. McKenzie currently sits on the is the Board Chair for Resolute Academy Charter School in Watts, CA, on the board of directors for My Friend’s House, Inc. based in Los Angeles, CA and Students With Aspiring Goals based in Merced, CA and regularly speaks to groups of children and youth regarding entrepreneurship, leadership, and achievement.

Dakota Ortiz

Board Member, Resource Development Committee
Vice President, Endeavor 

Dakota Ortiz is the Vice President of Impact, Inclusion, and Advocacy at Endeavor. Endeavor is a global leader in sports, entertainment and fashion operating in more than 30 countries and is the parent of a number of subsidiaries, including WME, IMG and 160over90. Dakota advises on impact strategy and diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives. Prior to Endeavor, Dakota was the Program Lead at Annenberg Tech at the Annenberg Foundation. He holds a BA in History from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Carmina Osuna

Committee Member, Governance Committee
Partner, School Design Services, Transcend Education

Carmina Osuna is a local of Boyle Heights in Los Angeles, and attended college at UC San Diego and Loyola Marymount University. Carmina began her career in education as a founding Spanish teacher with Alliance College-Ready Public Charter Schools. She later helped open Camino Nuevo Charter Academy’s second high school where she served as a teacher, Dean, and Assistant Principal. Carmina joined Thrive Public Schools' innovative team as the founding Director of its secondary school. Carmina has over 10 years experience in education and 7 planning and leading professional development and building strong teams with Council at the core. Carmina is currently working on her doctoral degree at the University of Southern California.

Liz Schwandt

Committee Member, Academic Accountability Committee 
Founding Clinical Director, Alta Family Development Center

Liz Schwandt, PsyD, BCBA, is the founding Clinical Director of Alta Family Development Center where she oversees behavioral and developmental assessment and intervention for young children and their families. She is also the Senior Director of the Child Development Center at SIJCC in Los Angeles, where she directs the Parenting Center, the Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education Programs, and the Parent-Infant Mental Health Program. In December of 2020, Liz founded GOTSLA, a non-profit organization that provides targeted, mobile, primary pediatric care to underserved Southern California residents. At the intersection of her work lays the conviction to provide services in ways that do not penalize families for being economically vulnerable, having recently arrived in the US, or dealing with significant histories of trauma and mental illness.

Aditi Verma 

Committee Member, Finance Committee
Senior Manager, Business Insights & Operations, Intuit

Aditi Verma is a seasoned business finance and operations strategy professional. She is currently working as Senior Manager, Business Insights & Operations at Intuit. Before joining Intuit, she worked as a finance and operations transformation consultant for Grant Thornton. She has over ten years of professional services experience helping financial services and multinational technology clients, optimize their business performance and achieve operational goals. Her experience includes leading operational change efforts, financial planning and analysis, performance measurement, efforts prioritization, and GTM strategy.

In her spare time, she loves traveling, swimming, playing Tennis, and exploring different cuisines and restaurants.