Shawn Benjamin, Principal, LPS-Richmond Campus
Shawn Benjamin is the Principal of LPS-Richmond. Ms. Benjamin has been with LPS for three years. In 2006, Ms. Benjamin was the Assistant Principal at LPS-Hayward and in 2005, the Principal Elect at LPS-Richmond. Ms. Benjamin has been a Resident Principal with New Leaders for New Schools, a national Urban Principal Training Program. Prior to joining LPS, Ms. Benjamin obtained a Principal License while completing her Master's work at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. During her year at Harvard, Ms. Benjamin was a Principal Intern at both a Boston Public High School and a K-12 Charter School in Cambridge, MA . Ms. Benjamin has taught for over 13 years in experiential and outdoor settings. She was with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) for over ten years leading glacier mountaineering courses in Alaska, India, Wyoming, Mexico and Chile. She also worked as Lead Educator at the Shackleton School, an expeditionary learning high school. Ms. Benjamin earned a Masters in Education degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley.
Lauren Klaffky, Principal, LPS-Hayward Campus
Lauren Klaffky, the Principal of LPS-Hayward, brings tremendous experience and expertise to the position. Prior to joining LPS, Ms. Klaffky served as the Assistant Principal at Oakland High School where she led the design team for 9th grade learning academies. Prior to her position at Oakland Senior High, she served as the New Leaders for New Schools Resident Principal at College Preparatory and Architecture Academy, a small school at the Fremont campus in Oakland. Her focus at Architecture was on professional development and professional learning communities, with particular attention to the needs of English Learners. Ms. Klaffky was an English teacher for six years, including three years at Mt. Eden High School in Hayward, where she also served as an ELD instructional coach. Ms. Klaffky has also served as the Teacher Training Coordinator for the University of California at Berkeley's Puente Project in Hayward.
Lisa Haynes, Principal, LPS-College Park Campus
Ms. Haynes, the Principal of LPS-College Park, brings her experience in the field of secondary educational leadership for literacy strategic planning, student achievement analysis, curriculum innovation and instructional leadership. Prior to becoming Principal, Ms. Haynes served as Academic Intervention Coordinator for LPS-College Park. She began her working career as an accountant and then a behavioral science counselor for juvenile offenders. She was a teacher for the California Department of Corrections and then went on to become a literacy coach and English teacher for the past 15 years. Ms. Haynes holds a B.A. in Behavioral Science and Business Administration, a Masters in English, and is currently a PhD candidate pursuing her doctorate in Human Services Administration as it relates to Family Services and Educational Interventions.
Larry Vilaubi, Principal, LPS-San Jose Campus
Mr. Vilaubi, the Principal of LPS-San Jose, brings a unique combination of qualifications and a broad range of experiences to the position. In his thirty-five years as a classroom teacher and administrator he has had a significant positive impact on both the Mountain View /Los Altos District and Fremont Union High School District. At the core of Mr. Vilaubi's personal philosophy is a commitment to creating equity for all students and opportunities for those students so often left behind by most educational institutions. Mr. Vilaubi is the child of immigrants and was born and raised in East Los Angeles. He spoke no English when he started school and has a deep understanding of the issues of growing up as an outsider in a mainstream school system. Mr. Vilaubi earned his B.A. in English Literature from California State University, Long Beach, his Masters Degree in Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University and is an alumnus of Stanford's Prospective Principals Program. He has also served as Interim Director and Coordinator of the Prospective Principals Program.
