At-Promise Student Story: Belen’s Journey to Stability and Success

Christina Dickason - Board Member

Cristina Angelica Dickason has dedicated over twenty years to the field of education, working across both traditional and non-traditional school settings with a strong focus on supporting at-promise students. She has proudly served John Muir Charter Schools in multiple capacities, beginning as a teacher and currently serving as the Southern Regional Director, where she helps ensure that teachers are supported, schools run effectively, and students especially those most at risk have the opportunity to succeed and graduate. Cristina earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, as well as her Single Subject Teaching Credential, from the University of La Verne, and later obtained her Administrative Services Credential from California State University, San Bernardino. As a first-generation college graduate, she is deeply proud of her upbringing in El Monte, CA, and her Mexican heritage. Cristina brings a strong commitment to equity, advocacy, and educational access, and is especially passionate about uplifting marginalized communities through leadership and systemic change.

Pamela Gibbs

Executive Director of Governmental Relations
Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE)

Pam Gibbs is the Executive Director of Governmental Relations for the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE). Since 2005, Ms. Gibbs successfully led advocacy efforts to improve funding and programs for the state’s incarcerated youth and has worked with the state’s education leaders to improve education opportunities for all of California’s children. With LACOE as a co-sponsor of the California At-Promise legislation, Ms. Gibbs successfully lobbied with co-sponsor SIATech for passage of AB 413 (Jones-Sawyer). Other efforts include enacted early childhood education legislation and legislation to provide grants to school administrator candidates.

Before joining LACOE, Ms. Gibbs worked for the Office of Legislative Counsel, where she drafted education legislation and wrote legal opinions on education-related issues. She served in Governor Gray Davis’ Administration where she worked on elections and labor legislation and numerous special projects, including serving as coordinator of the 2000 Electoral College proceedings in the Governor’s Office. Prior to her tenure in the Governor’s Office, Ms. Gibbs worked in the California State Senate and Assembly serving as committee and personal staff to northern and southern California legislators.

Ms. Gibbs earned her undergraduate degree from the University of the Pacific in Communication, with an emphasis in rhetoric and public address. She earned her law degree from Lincoln Law School of Sacramento. Ms. Gibbs is President of the University of the Pacific Alumni Board of Directors. She also mentors students and enjoys judging and volunteering to support the local high school and college speech and debate team tournaments.

Dan Sackheim

Statewide Program Lead
California Department of Education

Dan Sackheim is statewide program lead for the California Department of Education for several types of educational options schools and programs for at-risk/at-promise students, including community day schools, continuation education and opportunity education, and for restorative approaches in behavioral interventions and supports and reducing absenteeism. He serves on state boards, interagency workgroups and boards of professional organizations that focus on youth development and resiliency, student mental health, workforce development, and the elimination of racial disparities and disproportionality. These include the California Association of Supervisors of Child Welfare and Attendance, California Continuation Education Association Plus (including community day schools and other types of educational options schools), the California Association of Youth Courts, the California Career Resource Network, and the Pupil Personnel Services Coalition. He is a strong supporter of inviting and listening to the direct wise input of youth. He is a former elementary school teacher and has served as policy analyst and legislative representative for several state education agencies and organizations. He is honored to be a Freedom Writer Teacher.

Serette Kaminski

Legislative Advocate
Association of California School Administrators

Serette Kaminski joined the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) in 2021. Serette has worked on education policy since 2011 and brings a wide range of state, national, and international expertise from both the labor and management perspective. Her ACSA issue areas include educator recruitment and retention, charter schools, juvenile justice, adult education, career and technical education, and health. Prior to joining ACSA’s team, Serette led teacher and administrator recruitment and support efforts for the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association and also worked at a national teachers’ union where she analyzed data from high-performing countries and developed international comparison tools for education stakeholders. She was also assistant investigator for a federal Investing in Innovation (i3) grant that was focused on supporting the implementation of rigorous and comprehensive teacher development and evaluation systems in 10 districts across New York and Rhode Island. Serette served in the U.S. Peace Corps, where she worked with a local mayor in Niger, West Africa on community needs assessments that involved formally marginalized citizens and on programs that boosted school enrollment among young girls. Serette earned a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Science in Political Science from Suffolk University and earned a B.A. in Administration of Justice, minoring in Philosophy.

Catalina Cifuentes

Director, College and Career Readiness
Riverside County Office of Education

Catalina Cifuentes is executive director of College and Career Readiness for the Riverside County Office of Education. She is a governor-appointed commissioner and chair for the California Student Aid Commission and Cradle to Career System Governing Board. A passionate educator and fierce advocate, she has demonstrated the power behind effective school counseling, college affordability, and higher education advocacy on behalf of all students. Catalina serves on the PPIC Higher Education Center Advisory Council, and she is also a member of various local, regional, state, and national committees. She was the recipient of the Visionary Award from the California College Guidance Initiative; the Western Association for College Admission Counseling 2018 Joseph P. Allen Human Relations Award; the 2018 Inclusion, Access, and Success Award from the National Association of College Admission Counseling; and the 2019 Riverside County Office of Education Certificated Administrator of the Year. As a first-generation college graduate, she strives to show the impact that can be made when educators have high expectations for all students and when students pursue their post-secondary dreams regardless of the odds against them.

Pagee Cheung

Founder & Executive Director
College Persistence Coalition

Pagee Cheung is the co-founder of MESA Charter High Schools, a network of standalone charter high schools in Brooklyn, NY. Since opening its doors in 2013, MESA has celebrated a 94% graduation rate and set academic standards that sent students to Ivy Leagues and other elite institutions while leading cutting edge work in career-connected learning and postsecondary pathways. MESA founded Alumni Lab in 2021, a program that now helps over 200 opportunity youth from district and charter schools across the city access career mobility by providing them with the necessary skills to successfully re-enroll back into college or enter workforce programs. Pagee Cheung is also the founder of the College Persistence Coalition, which runs design labs between K-12 and higher education leaders to pilot innovative solutions that increase college persistence and graduation rates. She has authored articles in the 74 Million, Chalkbeat, and Crain’s. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Biotechnology through the University of Southern California and her Master of Arts in Secondary Mathematics Education through Teachers College, Columbia University.

Dr. Jorge Ruiz de Velasco

Deputy Director and Senior Research Associate
The John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at the Stanford Graduate School of Education

Dr. Jorge Ruiz de Velasco is Deputy Director and Senior Research Associate at the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. Prior to his appointment at Stanford, Jorge served as Director of the Justice Earl Warren Institute’s Program on Education Law and Policy at the UC Berkeley School of Law . The focus of his work is on the study of change and improvement in public schools, the implications of education reform for disadvantaged students, education law and policy, and the experience of newcomer youth in U.S. schools and communities.

Jorge has also served terms as a Program Officer for Educational Opportunity and Scholarship at the Ford Foundation and as a Senior Program Officer at both the James Irvine and William & Flora Hewlett Foundations. Additionally, Jorge served as a Senior Research Associate at The Urban Institute (1997-2002) and as a lawyer and policy analyst for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (1987-1992). Jorge is a graduate of Harvard College (1984), and earned advanced degrees in Law (U.C. Berkeley, 1987), Public Education Policy and Administration (Stanford, 1994) and Political Science (Stanford, 1999).

Javier Guzman

CEO
Center for Powerful Public Schools

Javier Guzman has served youth for over three decades in multiple capacities. Most recently, he became the third CEO of Center for Powerful Public Schools, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit committed to transforming public education through learner-centered approaches, community-embedded strategies, place-based learning, and social justice practices. Prior to that, he held numerous roles, from after-school director, middle and high school teacher, literacy coordinator, assistant principal, founding principal of Big Picture Learning schools in New York City and Los Angeles, and Regional Director for Big Picture Learning (BPL). While at BPL, he led the growth of Big Picture Learning schools and BPL-inspired schools in California, beginning with just six schools in 2016 to over forty in 2021. Specifically, this has led to schools, districts, and county offices of education to institute internships, mentoring experiences, and other transformative school practices.

At the core of his work is the belief that every student has talents and passions that need to be nurtured and cultivated. One example is the Upstream Collaborative, an initiative he created to redesign alternative education schools in California for equity and student success. That led to working with districts and schools across the Southwest to help transform learning for students furthest from opportunity and disengaged from school.

Javier also served as the Director of Program Strategy and Convenings for the Deeper Learning Equity Fellowship, a partnership between Internationals Network and Big Picture Learning and funded by the generous support of several foundations.

Dr. Jacquelyn Ollison

Director of Center for Research on Expanding Education Opportunity
Berkeley School of Education

Dr. Jacquelyn Ollison is an equity-focused education expert in improving teacher retention in high-poverty schools by addressing teachers’ compassion fatigue. She is a featured TEDx speaker on educators’ compassion fatigue, and she knows the impact compassion fatigue has on educators because it happened to her, and she left the classroom. She is the Director of the Center for Research on Expanding Educational Opportunity (CREEO) at UC Berkeley and an instructor at the UC Merced Extension Teacher Preparation Program.

Julian Cuevas

School Board President
Dixon Unified School District

Julian Y. Cuevas is the son of Mexican immigrants and has built his career at the intersection of policy, community, and civic engagement. With more than a decade of experience spanning philanthropy, education, government, advocacy, and nonprofit leadership, he has dedicated his work to advancing equity and opportunity across California.

Julian previously served as Director of California Strategy at PolicyLink, where he helped shape statewide efforts to strengthen coalitions and campaigns focused on racial equity, inclusive economic development, and governance.

Julian’s career includes serving as Director of Policy & Governmental Affairs at the Inland Empire Community Foundation, Director of Education Programs at the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, and Director of Government Affairs at the California Department of Education under appointment from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

In addition to his professional roles, Julian is deeply rooted in local service. He serves as Trustee of the Dixon School Board and the Dixon Library Board, and is a member of the Solano County Democratic Central Committee.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science/American Politics from the University of California, San Diego, and his master’s degree in Public Administration and Policy from American University. Julian lives in Dixon with his wife, Jessica, a speech language pathologist, and their three children – Mateo, Sofia, and Camila.

Greg Lippman

Founder & CEO
Groundswell Network

Before founding Groundswell Network in 2023, Greg established the Campaign for Highest-Need Students, a national coalition of education leaders who are successfully tackling some of education’s most intractable challenges and are animated by the opportunity to elevate excellence and break through the obstacles and disincentives that thwart progress and work together toward a public school system that truly serves all children. This work has fueled his optimism about the future of public education, especially the opportunity for the alternative school ecosystem to provide great schools for the students that need them the most.

Greg spent over 22 years leading innovative charter schools, most recently as the founder & CEO of ACE Charter Schools in San Jose, a unique network of middle and high schools focused exclusively on serving struggling students.

Prior to launching ACE, Greg was the co-founder and founding principal of Downtown College Prep (DCP), the first charter school authorized in Silicon Valley, whose mission was to help students become the first in their family to graduate from a four-year college. Greg also worked for 8 years as an English and ESL teacher. He received his BA in English Literature from Princeton University and his Masters in the Arts of Teaching from Stanford University.

Dr. Garth Lewis

Superintendent of Schools
Yolo County

Dr. Garth Lewis serves as the Yolo County Superintendent of Schools. He was elected to his first term as county superintendent in 2018 and was re-elected to his second term in 2022. He is the first African American to be elected as county superintendent in Yolo County. In 2022, he was named to the Sacramento Bee’s list of the ‘Top 25 Black Change Makers’ in the Sacramento area.

Dr. Lewis has served as an educator in Yolo County for 20+ years and has a 29-year career in K-12 education. Superintendent Lewis has served as a para-educator, teacher, site and district administrator, and county administrator.

Dr. Lewis earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University, Sacramento, and his doctoral degree from the University of California, Davis. He holds a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential and a K-12 Administrative Services Credential.

Ashley Lugo

Policy Advocate
California County Superintendent of Schools

Ashley Lugo is a Policy Advocate with the California County Superintendents. She grew up in San Bernardino and attended UC Davis, where she earned a degree in Political Science with a minor in Communications, before joining the organization in 2018. Her passion for advocating for students and advancing policies that support their success is reflected in her portfolio, which focuses on student programs including foster youth, students experiencing homelessness, youth in the juvenile court system, and community schools. Ashley lives in Sacramento with her cat, Moo.

Dr. Ari Malka

Senior Vice President of Research & Evaluation
New Ways to Work

Dr. Ari Malka is Senior Vice President of Research & Evaluation at New Ways to Work, where he leads efforts to design and implement evaluations, conduct applied research, and strengthen workforce systems that serve youth, transitional age youth, and adults. Trained as an industrial and organizational psychologist, he has built his career at the intersection of research and practice, applying rigorous methods to help organizations and communities better align workforce services with equitable outcomes. His work spans program and systems evaluation, survey research, and the development of evidence-based frameworks that translate data into actionable strategy.

Prior to joining New Ways to Work, Ari held senior research and consulting roles in workforce development, organizational effectiveness, and human capital. He has led multi-year evaluation projects for public agencies, conducted applied research with community-based organizations, and contributed to initiatives aimed at improving training, leadership development, and employee well-being in both nonprofit and corporate settings. In addition, he has taught management and organizational behavior at Rice University, California State University Northridge, and George Mason University. Drawing on both academic expertise and applied experience, Ari brings analytic rigor, strategic insight, and a commitment to social equity to the design and evaluation of workforce systems. Ari holds a PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from the University of Houston.

Adonai Mack

Chief Executive Officer
Child Action, Inc.

Adonai Mack is the CEO of Child Action, Inc. Child Action, Inc. is a resource and referral service for families seeking child care, child care subsidies for qualifying families, and a recruitment and professional development program for the child care workforce. As CEO, Mr. Mack leads a team that promotes the education and social welfare of children and families and advocates on their behalf.

Mr. Mack has most recently been leading efforts to reform childcare reimbursement rates and ensure additional resources for children in California as the Senior Director for Education at Children Now, whole-child research, policy development, and advocacy organization.

Before Children Now, Mack was the Senior Director of Equity Services for the Association for California School Administrators (ACSA). As Sr. Director of Equity Services, Mack focuses on increasing diversity and awareness and providing relevant equity leadership training to build capacity in cultural proficiency and educational equity.

Prior to this position, Mack was the Senior Director of Federal Relations where he led ACSA’s federal advocacy activities. In addition, Mack has also served as the Director of Political Affairs and Strategy leading ACSA’s efforts to select candidates for endorsements and investments in political campaigns. Mack directed ACSA’s Political Action Committee (PAC), which has supported Democrats and Republicans, incumbents and new candidates. Mack also led ACSA’s legislative advocacy for members during ACSA’s Legislative Action Day. Mack has advocated of members of ACSA in the areas of the state budget, special education, transportation, pupil services, and preschool other areas for just under a decade.

Prior to joining ACSA, Mack was a legislative advocate at the California School Boards Association, where he focused on the issues of charter schools, facilities, retirement and professional development. He has also worked as an advocate for the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O’Connell and for Governor Gray Davis in his Office of the Secretary for Education.

The son of former longtime Sacramento-area superintendent, Dr. Carl Mack, Adonai has been interested in education most of his life. He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta before returning to the Sacramento area.

Mack has three children, 2 adult children, a college freshman and 3 grandchildren. He spends his spare time serving on the board of a nonprofit that advocates for closing the achievement gap for African-American children and on an advisory committee for a nonprofit that specializes in advocating for children with mental health needs.

Khieem Jackson - Managing Director

Khieem Jackson is the Managing Director of the Reaching At Promise Students Association (RAPSA). Khieem has committed his life to serving others and supporting future generations of youth spanning ages zero through adult learners. In his role at RAPSA, he supports educators and school systems to help At Promise and Opportunity Youth students have access to safe and supportive educational environments and shape equitable education policies. Khieem’s service to others in the TK-12 education space blends his support for the next generation and shaping policies that increase education investments now.

In 2019 Khieem was appointed as the CA Deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruction at the California Department of Education. In this role the Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Equity and Access Branch, he led a robust body of work developing state policy and implementing state programs that included but were not limited to Equity, STEAM, professional development, Career Technical Education, Adult education, educational options, the State Special Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, school health and safety, literacy, civics education, charter school oversight and government affairs. Khieem is the CEO and Founder of Mission Strategy Group. Khieem is a resourceful decision-maker and efficient problem solver emphasizing common sense and evidence-based solutions with 30 years of proven ability to excel in fast-paced environments, particularly in “trial by fire” situations. A team player, well-versed in policy, communication, government agency engagement, military/veteran, and business communities.

Khieem develops and supports governmental organizations, school board trustees and superintendents who think big, adapt quickly, and can translate atmospherics and strategy into action. Khieem provides effective and evidence-based training to achieve greater early childhood education and TK-12 student success. Khieem has served our country and students at many levels through his career as a former USMC Deputy Director Office of Legislative Affairs to the US House of Representatives, Director of Government Affairs for San Diego Unified School District, California Deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and as the California Commissioner for the National Military Interest Children’s Compact Commission.

Carma Lacy - Board Member

Carma Lacy is a seasoned leader in workforce and economic development, a career coach, and a social impact strategist with a deep commitment to at-promise youth. As a former foster youth who aged out of the system, Carma brings lived experience and a passion for breaking systemic barriers that hinder economic mobility for underserved communities.

With over two decades of experience, Carma has led workforce initiatives, business development programs, and youth employment strategies across Ohio and California. She has developed innovative programs for justice-involved individuals, foster youth, and disinvested communities, creating pathways to education, entrepreneurship, and career advancement.

Carma is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Opportunité, a faith-driven social enterprise focused on economic empowerment, business solutions, and workforce development. She also played a key role in launching several nonprofit organizations and for-profit businesses across various industries, including childcare, healthcare, home improvement, restaurant, retail, manufacturing, logistics, and tech

Carma’s expertise in policy, program development, and leadership makes her a valuable asset to RAPSA, where she advocates for inclusive education, trauma-informed workforce strategies, and sustainable career pathways for at-promise students.

Celia Garcia - Board Member

Celia Garcia has been a dedicated talent promoter for 30 years, championing the growth and success of Latino and underserved communities. Her vision has shaped more than 40 bilingual personal and business development programs, empowering individuals with the skills needed to thrive.

As the Founder and CEO of the Job Skills Institute, Celia has devoted her career to workforce development, designing job training programs that provide bilingual instruction to generations of workers. Through her efforts, countless individuals have gained critical workplace skills, identified career paths, and been inspired to pursue higher-paying opportunities.

Beyond her professional work, Celia has served in numerous civic organizations and national associations focused on improving economic conditions for families. Her leadership has supported initiatives in workforce development, financial education, and self-sufficiency programs.

Tony Simmons - Board Member

While working with national recording artists as an entertainment lawyer, Tony met David “TC” Ellis and assisted him in the formation of Studio 4 / High School for Recording Arts. He co-founded Another Level Records, the first national student-operated record label. Tony is the Executive Director of the High School for Recording Arts, Co-Founder / Co-Director of the New School Creation Fellowship and Co-Founder of the Center for Love and Justice both at the High Tech High Graduate School of Education.Tony is also co-founding director of 4 Learning which supports schools and districts in creating recording arts studios and programming within their learning communities. Tony has served as board member to such leading national school reform organizations as Education Evolving, Reaching At Promise Students Association (RAPSA), Coalition of Independent Charter Schools and Edvisions, Inc. He has also consulted with the Black Alliance for Education Options. His association with RAPSA led to his contribution to the report, “Seizing The Moment: Realizing the Promise of Student-Centered Learning” and to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools report “Over-Age, Under-Credited Students and Public Charter Schools.” He was also a part of the working group that lead to the National

Association of Charter School Authorizer report on alternative accountability and has been a member of the Black Alliance for Educational Options. Tony has been a member of the Saint

Paul School District Quality Review Team and a peer reviewer for the Minnesota Department of Education for Federal Charter School Program grants. Tony has keynoted or made major presentations to educators across the United States and internationally in Bangkok, Xian, Vancouver, Montreal, Oxford, and Copenhagen. He attended Howard University and Pace University and also earned a Juris Doctorate from Rutgers University School of Law.

Dr. Rudy Cuevas - Board Member

Dr. Cuevas firmly believes that good schools can rebuild and sustain our democracy. His present day preference for highly collaborative work settings emanated from the realization that while individual resilience needs to be validated, such resilience should be secondary to the kind of democratic collaboration we need in both our schools and communities.

Inspired by the above framework, Dr. Cuevas works as the Superintendent and Chief Collaboration Officer at YCSC, where he currently collaborates with a network of 14 YouthBuild programs that are partnered with YouthBuild Charter School of California. Via this unique collaboration with YouthBuild programs, Dr. Cuevas has facilitated the development and implementation of an innovative youth development school model that features the kind of project based learning to support young people moving into college and career pathways.

To support the above collaboration with YouthBuild programs, Dr. Cuevas has also facilitated the development of quantitative and qualitative metrics that reliably and uniquely measure the success of YouthBuild program participants, students, staff, and stakeholders.

Dr. Cuevas has spent the last 21 years working in various capacities in education from high school social studies teacher, dean, track coach, principal, director of curriculum/instruction, and now Chief Collaboration Officer. Dr. Cuevas is a founding board member of the LMU School of Education Alumni Association and an inaugural fellow of the Executive Latino Leadership Association.

Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong - Board Treasurer

Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong, author of Intersectional Leadership: Strategies for Building Resilient Workforces, began her educational career as a public school teacher in the Puyallup School District (WA) and has since devoted over two decades to various roles in elementary, middle, and high schools, with a focus on leading and supporting staff. She serves as Deputy Superintendent in Vancouver, Washington. Dr. Armstrong’s previous roles include cabinet-level Chief Academic Officer in Portland Public Schools (OR), Executive Director of Equity and Public Relations in Edmonds School District (WA), Assistant Superintendent in Tamalpais Union High School District (CA), and Associate Superintendent in Santa Rosa City Schools (CA). Her leadership journey includes serving as principal at Kenmore Junior High and later at Mount Miguel High School (CA).

Dr. Armstrong earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication from California State University East Bay, Masters in Business Administration from City University of Seattle and later obtained a Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with a Washington State Superintendent Certification from the University of Washington.

As a first-generation college student who attended Abraham Lincoln High School and City College of San Francisco, Dr. Armstrong is passionate about promoting advancement, nurturing a growth mindset, and developing resilient workforces for employees across the United States. Inspired by her own experiences, she is determined to create an environment that is adaptable, supportive, and empowers individuals to thrive as their authentic selves.

Jonathan Brack - Board Secreatary

Jonathan Brack is the Director of the Collaborative Impact Program at the Foundation for California Community Colleges. Through this program, Jonathan leads the Foundation’s efforts to incubate, scale, and sustain creative endeavors to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for all Californians. For the past 20 years, Brack has worked at the intersection of youth development, education, and workforce development throughout California. Jonathan began his career as the founding director of the long-term, academic mentoring program Berkeley Scholars at Stiles Hall. He then served as Director of Workforce Development at the California School-Age Consortium (CalSAC) and was also on the founding team of CODE2040, a San Francisco-based nonprofit focused on removing barriers preventing Black and Latinx people from participation in the innovation economy. Most recently, Brack served as the Capacity Building Manager at Tipping Point Community, where he led the organization’s efforts to provide talent management and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) resources to the nonprofits that Tipping Point supports.

Liz Brenner - Board President

Ms. Liz Brenner has been a champion for At-Promise youth for over twenty years. She started her career in education in California at the San Diego Job Corps Center where she taught youth aged 16-24 who were disconnected from school. She led efforts to promote a more Trauma Informed environment in this space and is dedicated to promoting equity for all students by providing access to a standards-based education that includes the supports needed to meet students where they are and to achieve their goals. She has been a Charter School administrator at the site and charter level and currently serves as the Superintendent and CEO of Compass Charter Schools.