Board of Directors

The New LA Board of Directors are volunteers who govern the school. The board meets monthly throughout the school year. Meetings are held at the school and are open to the public.

 

Jonathan J. López, Board Chair 

In 2022, Jonathan J. López, Ed.D. took on the Managing Director, Charter Schools role at Para Los Niños. In this role, Jonathan collaborates with PLN Charter Schools Leadership to continue building upon a culture of growth, achievement, support, and holistic success for all students and staff. Prior to working at Para Los Niños, Jonathan worked in various K-16 public education settings including Arizona State University’s campus in Downtown Los Angeles, City Year Los Angeles, Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, Teach For America, and the Los Angeles Unified School District. Jonathan received a Doctorate in Educational Leadership at the University of California, Los Angeles. When he is not indulging his professional passions, he is joyously raising his daughter and admiring her warrior’s spirit.

 

Matt Albert, Treasurer 

Matt Albert, Ed.D., founded and ran New Los Angeles Charter Schools for over a decade. The schools are independent public charter schools serving 600 students in grades K-8. The students who attend the schools are almost entirely low income and non-White. Prior to founding New LA, Dr. Albert was a school administrator and high school teacher at a highly respected independent school in Los Angeles. A well-known professional, Dr. Albert helped develop a school leadership certificate program at UCLA Extension and teaches organizational leadership in the program. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Center for Reflective Communities, a non-profit organization that develops a caregiver’s reflective capacity in order to improve the life-long developmental outcomes for all children but most especially those growing up in adverse circumstances. He has two school age children and lives in Los Angeles, CA.

 

Alan-Michael Graves, Board Member

Dr. Alan-Michael S. Graves serves as the Director of National Programs for the Good Plus Foundation where he focuses on a broad range of multidisciplinary activities, from research and program development to training and advocacy for policy change. Alan-Michael has worked in the human services field, with extensive experience as a manager and administrator, for both public and private agencies, for the past 15 years.  He has brought these diverse perspectives to his work helping agencies develop, implement and evaluate inter-agency systems of care, family partnerships and community programming.  Engaging parents to utilize effective strategies to significantly and positively impact the lives of their children is a passion of Alan Michael.

 

Allison Arkin, Secretary

Allison Arkin is an experienced Los Angeles litigator and special education attorney who focuses her practice exclusively on special education law. Ms. Arkin has extensive experience working with parents of special needs children with a wide range of disabilities, helping them obtain appropriate services from both school districts and regional centers. She received her J.D. from Fordham Law School, and attended Wesleyan University for her undergraduate work. As a mother of two, Ms. Arkin is passionate about every child's right to receive an appropriate education, and she works tirelessly to ensure that each child receives the best possible services.

 

Bari Sherman Cooper, Board Member

Bari Cooper Sherman is a co-founder of Turner Impact Capital, one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing social impact investment firms. Bari serves as Turner Impact’s General Counsel and oversees the day-to-day legal aspects of Turner Impact’s business and strategic planning as well as all fund formations and investor partnerships and negotiations.  Bari has been a practicing attorney since 1990. In addition to serving on the New LA board, Bari is the board chair of LCS Support Corporation, a corporation formed to support operational, facilities, and philanthropic needs of Larchmont Charter School, a Los Angeles-based charter school operator serving TK-12th grade students.  

 

Maria Gabriel, Board Member

As principal and founder of Gabriel Projects, Maria brings 15 years of experience and a unique skill set to project management. Prior to founding Gabriel Projects in 2012, Maria worked as a Senior Project Manager at boutique project management firm, Enter Environments, and as an architect at award winning firms Marmol Radziner and Associates in Los Angeles and Outerbridge Horsey Associates in Washington, DC. Entering the project management field after 11 years as an architect brings a keen sense of design and detail along with an understanding of what it takes to execute a successful project from various team member perspectives.

 

With a focus on clear communication and collaboration, Maria’s thoughtful leadership successfully delivers projects on-time and on-budget. The level of service that Maria provides has resulted in her becoming an executive team member involved in real estate decisions, project planning, and corporate design vision for numerous repeat clients. Given her diverse project management experience, from creative office spaces to broadcast studios to meticulously detailed multi-million dollar private residences, Maria is able to understand the unique challenges of each project and manage the budgets, schedules, teams, and  communication accordingly. Maria previously served on The City School’s Board, and is a parent of a New LA Middle School student and a CLIC student. 

 

Paulina Lopez-Velazquez, Board Member 

Paulina Lopez Velazquez was born in Oaxaca Mexico where she spent the first 12 years of her life. In 1994 her father decided to move her whole family to Los Angeles California after opening the now iconic Guelaguetza Restaurant in Koreatown. Paulina’s family has always been a proponent of the Oaxacan Culture in Los Angeles.  She was involved with the Oaxacan Community in Los Angeles at a very young age. Participating in various organizations like Folkloric Dance Groups, community groups and Oaxacan Cultural Organizations.

 

After attending Middle School and High School, at age 19 years old Paulina decided to return to Mexico for college and to get back in touch with her roots and culture. She attended Universidad Anahuac Sur in Oaxaca, Mexico then transferred to the Mexico City Campus where she studied International Business Administration.  

 

When she came back to Los Angeles after college, Paulina took over Guelaguetza Food Products a family company that was dedicated to the import of  Oaxacan food products with distribution across the country. In 2010 Paulina along with her siblings Bricia and Fernando took over Guelaguetza Restaurant a Prestigious Oaxacan Restaurant that has recently been awarded  the James Beard Award as an American Classic, the biggest honor among the culinary world. Paulina is in charge of the Back of the house operations, Human Resources and Finance Department of the company.  

 

In 2015 Paulina and her sister Bricia launched “Super Mamas Podcast” a judgment free space where new, experienced and expecting mothers can come together to not only exchange knowledge but more importantly, provide support for one another during the emotional ups and downs of motherhood. Paulina currently lives in Koreatown with her husband and her two daughters Krista and Sabina.