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Special Projects Manager & Board Liaison
Dr. Dawn Kurtz is a developmental psychologist with a passion for social justice issues. She believes that all children deserve access to robust emotional, cognitive, social, and concrete supports to develop the foundation necessary to thrive and flourish in life. To that end, her work has focused on various contexts that impact children’s development; namely the families, schools, and communities they develop within. Dr. Kurtz is passionate about contributing to the development of an equitable education system that supports educators and engages children and families in a culturally and linguistically relevant manner. For the past decade, she has worked in early childhood education, contributing to multiple local and state-level systems change efforts, developing programs, and advocating for resources and supportive services for very young children and their families. She was previously the director of an NIH-funded research study on the developmental impact of child abuse and neglect on adolescent development.
Dr. Kurtz brings a unique perspective to LAEP’s executive leadership team, having worked in academia, for a publicly funded grant-making agency, and in nonprofit settings. Her strengths include strategic planning, program design and evaluation, data-driven decision making, managing organizational change, and cultivating relationships within and across sectors, including with community members, elected officials, county agencies, funders, and members of the media.
Dr. Kurtz served as LAEP’s Chief Program Officer before being promoted to the role of Interim CEO, and ultimately elevated to CEO.
Dr. Kurtz is a native Southern Californian and earned her doctorate from the University of Southern California. She currently serves as a board trustee for Pacific Oaks College and Children’s School in Pasadena.
Rochelle comes to LAEP with over a decade of accounting experience and 8 years of non-profit experience. Her non-profit experience includes affordable housing and homelessness, social justice, and education and schools. Her passion for equitable education opportunities began with her own journey. As a first-generation college student, she relied heavily upon school and community resources to earn her degree and is excited to support LAEP’s vision of a liberatory education system.
Rochelle has committed herself to the community through her work with non-profits and volunteering. She has read resumes and college application essays for students, walked shelter dogs, and prepared tax returns through the VITA program, among other volunteer opportunities. Aside from volunteering, Rochelle loves trying new food and restaurants, traveling and spending time with her senior dog.
Rochelle earned her B.S. in Accounting from Bridgewater State University and her Master of Accounting from the University of Southern California.
Elsa A. Leal has over 20 years of experience in the education field. She has served in multiple leadership roles that have driven the innovation of services for school districts, early learning centers, family childcare homes and more. In her previous roles she has managed a client relations department, led a family engagement team and provided consultation to an array of clients with diverse projects.
With years of nonprofit management and social service experience, she attributes her passion for educational justice as the catalyst and foundation for the work she does now. Elsa’s career has followed a strategic path of supporting and empowering educators and families. She previously served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic Moldova, where she supported the largest social services nonprofit in the country to build the infrastructure to launch a national foster care program. She assisted in the opening of the second childcare center in the county and supported Educators, Psychologists and Social Workers with training on the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework.
Elsa resides in the San Gabriel valley and enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling and tasting different cuisines.
She received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from California State University of Los Angeles, and her Master of Arts in Human Development with a concentration in Social Change from Pacific Oaks College.
Dr. Jose Montes is a career educator with over twenty-five years’ experience in public education, helping students and families access educational opportunities. Before joining LAEP, Dr. Montes served as a teacher, instructional improvement lead, and school administrator in the Los Angeles area. Dr. Montes is passionate about creating caring and supportive learning environments that cultivate community engagement and student achievement. He believes that a world-class education and meaningful opportunities for community engagement can eliminate inequities that exist in underserved communities. He integrates his belief in equitable educational opportunities for all in his work.
Dr. Montes is a native of Southern California and earned a B.A in Psychology from the University of California, Riverside, an M.A. in Education from Argosy University, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Southern California.
John Resendez comes to LAEP after more than twenty years as a teacher and administrator serving communities throughout Los Angeles. John has built a career focused on ensuring that all students and their families have access to high quality learning that speaks to the needs and aspirations of the whole child. He believes that education is the greatest tool available to combat the systemic inequities that sit at the foundation of how this nation has historically underserved marginalized populations. John is excited to bring his passion and experience to LAEP as he works to renew the historical legacy of LAEP’s Teaching & Learning work while advancing the organization’s new STEAM initiative. In LAEP, John believes he has found his people and cannot wait to contribute to the amazing work being done to support communities from diapers to diplomas.
For over 25 years, Dr. Rosa Valdés has conducted applied research on educational programs and teaching approaches, focusing on improving educational outcomes of underrepresented people. She worked at UCLA’s Center for Research on Evaluation Standards and Student Testing, helping to improve instructional and assessment approaches and conducting school-based program evaluations. At LAUSD’s Program Evaluation and Research Branch, she directed several multi-tier, multi-pronged studies of the impact of districtwide policies and programs spanning from Kindergarten to grade 12. Dr. Valdés has mentored educational researchers, research fellows, and interns, and she has advised executive staff on leadership professional development. She was recognized for her work on school-based interventions for struggling readers at the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management and for outstanding evaluation by the American Education Research Association. She currently oversees evaluations in the areas of early education, community empowerment, teacher learning, and Early Head Start. Rosa is a native of Los Angeles and loves to explore LA neighborhoods through her love of running and hiking. She also lived in Mexico City and enjoys traveling, gardening, crocheting, and listening to her two sons’ music.
Nancy Villarreal has over 20 years of experience working with children and families in Los Angeles community-based programs. She joined LAEP in 1998, and currently oversees LAEP’s Early Head Start program in South LA, Inglewood, and Hawthorne; our county-wide child care initiative; and the Northeast Valley Best Start Community. Nancy is committed to providing empowering, strengths-based, and culturally competent services to every family and community she serves. Before joining LAEP, Nancy was a teacher assistant for LAUSD and an afterschool program coordinator for Catholic Charities. Her passion is to work with parents of children ages 0-5 years and to bring awareness to the importance of early childhood education. She is part of the Parent Organization Network (PON) Advisory Board and serves as a mentor for new Early Head Start Directors though the UCLA-PMFO New Director Mentor Program from the Office of Head Start. She resides in the heart of Los Angeles (DTLA), and enjoys walking the beach, reading, and listening to podcasts. Nancy holds a B.A. in sociology and an M.S. in counseling psychology from Mount Saint Mary’s University (MSMU-Unstoppable). In 2019 she participated in the UCLA Head Start Management Fellows Program, and she completed the DMH-UCLA Early Childhood Fellowship in 2022.
Austin is a dedicated educator and instructional leader with a passion for inspiring student academic achievement and leading learning and development experiences for teachers, school administrators, and district leaders. As a former high school teacher, non-profit director, manager of teacher leadership and development, and learning and development specialist in ed-tech, Austin brings over a decade of experience in instructional design, pedagogy, and teacher development across multiple school networks and within both the corporate and non-profit sector.
As the Director of Teaching & Learning, Austin aims to develop students into critical thinkers with a global perspective, empowered to navigate their lives with agency and self-determination; jointly, he aspires to equip educators with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets needed to hone their practice and grow their capacity for impact. A native of Southern California, Austin earned a B.A. in Political Science from Morehouse College and received his M.Ed. in Human Development Psychology and School Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Sara Noji works closely with LAEP’s Board of Directors, leadership, and administrative teams to provide strategic operational support. She was formerly the Transform Schools coordinator, where she built the tracking system of fee-for-service contracts for the department and provided crucial transition support. As a recipient of a great education, Sara believes in the power of education, and is passionate about ensuring children from underserved communities have access to high-quality education. She earned her B.A. in integrated educational studies with an emphasis in community, and a minor in dance at Chapman University. In her spare time, you can find her dancing, doing yoga, or working on a puzzle.
Dr. Eric Barela has worked as a measurement & evaluation professional for over 2 decades, helping organizations to better understand and act on their social impact. He’s currently a Senior Consultant with Raya Cooper Impact Consulting and previously worked at Salesforce, where he led efforts to measure the social impact of the company’s work with nonprofits and educational institutions across the globe. He began his career working with the Los Angeles Unified School District and with the nonprofit, Partners in School Innovation. Eric previously served on the Board of the American Evaluation Association and currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of the American Journal of Evaluation.
Eric grew up in East LA and was educated in the Montebello Unified School District. He holds a Ph.D. in education from UCLA. He loves a good road trip, with his husband serving as trusty navigator.
