Team

Dr. Louise Waters, Superintendent and CEO

Louise Waters comes to LPS from the Stupski Foundation where she headed research on districts that have accelerated the performance of students of color and poverty. Her work at Stupski built off of her experience in the Oakland Unified School District. As Associate Superintendent of Student Achievement in Oakland, Dr. Waters led the instructional reforms from 2001 – 2004 that resulted in district achievement gains that out-paced the State. She was also responsible for Oakland’s exit from two long-standing Office of Civil Rights oversight decrees related to bilingual education and disparate academic opportunities for African American students. As a principal in the New Haven district (Union City), she designed award-winning assessment and extended day programs. Prior to her career in district administration, Dr. Waters led the state’s first new teacher program, a partnership between Oakland and the California State University, East Bay. As a professor of Teacher Education at the university, she was head of a number of urban teacher preparation programs.

Mark Kushner, Founder, J.D., Ed.M.

Mark founded and was the initial CEO of LPS from 2002-2008. A former attorney, high school English teacher and Principal, he previously founded the first urban startup charter high school in California, which has one of the highest graduation rates for African Americans and Latinos in the state. He founded and continues to serve as a member of the California Advisory Commission on Charter Schools, which advises the California State Board of Education on all charter matters. He teaches a course on School Choice at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business and School of Education, and continues to serve on a number of nonprofit boards, including the boards of San Francisco University High School and the Town School for Boys. Education honors include the Harvard Club of San Francisco's Secondary School Educator of the Year and the Hart Vision Award for School Site Administrator, the highest award given to charter school educators in California. Mr. Kushner received a B.A. from Wesleyan University and completed graduate work in literature, law and educational administration at the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (affiliated with Keble College, Oxford University), University of San Francisco (J.D.) and Harvard University (Ed.M.). He is married to Dr. Mimi Winsberg and has two children.

Jonathan Faustine, Chief Operating Officer

Mr. Faustine serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Leadership Public Schools. Prior to joining LPS, Mr. Faustine spent five years as a strategic consultant and executive coach. He was one of the Founding Trustees of the Bay School of San Francisco and is active in many community groups. Mr. Faustine spent 20 years in the technology field as a senior executive in a software company, a CTO of a Fortune 500 company and as an Associate Partner at Accenture where he founded and led the internet practice known as ICE.

Edie Hoffman, Vice President of Human Resources

Edie Hoffman is the Vice President of Human Resources for Leadership Public Schools. She has worked as Human Resources Director for various organizations including Jewish Community Federation, more.com, and Peet's Coffee & Tea. She has internet and retail business start-up experience along with Peet's successful expansion. At Edgewood Children's Center, she managed hiring, credentialing and compliance. She began her career as a high school teacher on a path to school leadership. Ms. Hoffman has a Master of Educational Administration from San Francisco State University. She is Treasurer for East Bay Labyrinth Project, a member of Berkeley Partners for Parks, an avid gardener and photographer.

Martin Procaccio , Vice President of Education

Martin Procaccio is the VP on Instruction and brings more than thirty years of experience including a devoted career designing, leading and evaluating high achieving and high performing public and private high schools to Leadership Public Schools. Mr. Procaccio began his career as a United States History and Religious Studies teacher at a small Catholic high school in Northern California . In addition to his teaching career, Mr. Procaccio is an accomplished Track, Cross County and Football coach who has been fortunate to mentor several nationally ranked athletes. He has served as an Athletic Director, a Vice Principal, a Principal, a Director and founder of a nationally recognized Special Education Program and a dedicated counselor to many at risk youth. Mr. Procaccio has even displayed a little musical talent as the Band Director at a Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose . He has worked in post secondary education at San Jose State University as an Associate Director of the Disabled Students program and has engaged in lecturing at his alma mater, Santa Clara University where he earned his undergraduate degrees and his Master of Arts degree in Special Education. He has additional coursework in counseling and educational administration. He is a devoted father and husband to a family of educators. His wife is a middle school math teacher, his daughter is an elementary school teacher and his son is a one on one aide in a high school for autistic children. He remains dedicated to the philosophy that all students can achieve. It is the responsibility of education to find the methods to instill a passion for learning in the minds and hearts of each student.

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 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, Shawn obtained a Principal License while completing her Master's work at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. During her year at Harvard, Shawn was a Principal Intern at both a Boston Public High School and a K-12 Charter School in Cambridge, MA . Shawn 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 BA in Psychology and Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley.

Andrew Gordon, Principal, LPS College Park (Oakland) Campus

Mr. Gordon is the Principal of LPS College Park. He brings a wealth of experience as an instructor and as a principal to LPS College Park. He is a resident of Oakland, and has served as an educator for the last sixteen years in New York, Hayward and Oakland. His career has been devoted to developing and implementing systems that promote equity, high expectations and academic excellence for all students. Mr. Gordon most recently served as the principal of Bret Harte Middle School in Hayward. Under his leadership, the school's similar school ranking grew from 1 to 6 in two years and the API grew almost 70 points. Mr. Gordon earned his Bachelor degree in African/African-American Studies from Carleton College in Minnesota, his Master of Educational Leadership from California State University, East Bay, and is the process of beginning his doctoral study at CSUEB. Mr. Gordon is excited to lead the LPS College Park. He states, “Our goal at LPS College Park is to be nothing less than a high performing school in the city of Oakland, featuring high performing classrooms and high performing students. Our commitment is to be fierce advocates for every student, every day and in every way.”

Brian Greenberg, Principal, LPS Hayward Campus

Mr. Greenberg is the founding principal of LPS Hayward and previously served as principal of LPS Richmond. He has worked in the education and non-profit sector for the last eleven years. An English teacher at heart, Mr. Greenberg taught all grades of high school English during several years working for the Los Angeles Unified School District. In addition to teaching, Mr. Greenberg worked in politics on several statewide campaigns, in higher education at Carnegie Mellon University, and in the non-profit sector as the Vice President of Development for a community development organization in Trenton, New Jersey. Mr. Greenberg earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from Dartmouth College and his Master of Education degree from Harvard University. While at Harvard, he worked as the principal intern at two high schools in Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. Greenberg is extremely proud of his students at LPS Hayward and the school's focus on academic excellence.

Joe H. Pacheco, Principal, LPS Campbell Campus

Prior to coming to LPS, Joe worked for Partners In School Innovation serving as a principal coach and school reform consultant for two downtown San Jose schools. Joe served as Principal of Campbell Middle School in the Campbell Union School District for 10 years until 2003. Joe has worked for the Santa Clara County Office of Education as a Program Specialist for Special Education and more recently as a Program Evaluator for IIUSP schools. Joe's career in public education began in the Oak Grove School District where he worked for 12 years in Special Education. He received his undergraduate degree from San Jose State University and his Master's in School Administration from the University of San Francisco.

Larry Vilaubi, Principal, 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 in both the Mountain View /Los Altos District and Fremont Union High School District , his instructional leadership has left a lasting and significant positive impact on both districts. 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. Born and raised in East Los Angeles , the child of immigrants, Mr. Vilaubi 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 Bachelors degree 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. Additionally, he was later appointed as Interim Director and Coordinator of the Prospective Principals Program. Mr. Vilaubi is truly excited to be leading LPS San Jose and he and the staff at LPS San Jose share the common goal of creating the highest performing school in East San Jose.

Julie Christensen, English/ Language Arts Coach

Julie Christensen is the English/Language Arts Coach for Leadership Public Schools. She recently completed a Master's degree in Education with an emphasis in Reading through Santa Clara University , and will soon be a certified Reading Specialist. Julie has taught English, Language Arts, and Social Studies at both the middle and high school levels since she earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California , Davis . At the core of her educational philosophy is the belief that literacy creates self-efficacy, opportunity and equity for all students, and she feels proud to be part of a team that is committed to developing the literacy of all LPS students.

Jennifer Cole, Curriculum and Instruction Coordinator/ BTSA Coach

Jennifer Cole serves as the Curriculum and Instruction Coordinator and BTSA Coach for LPS. She has a Bachelor's degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Social Change, a Master's Degree in Education with a focus on urban leadership, and an administrative credential, all from San Jose State University . Originally a social worker for Santa Clara County , her passion for equity and education lead her to become a high school English teacher and ELL Coordinator. She has previously served as a Literacy Liaison, Understanding by Design site mentor, WASC Visitation Coordinator, and Professional Development Coordinator. She is excited to be a part of the LPS family.

Gabriel Crotti, College Counseling Coordinator

Mr. Gabriel Crotti is serving as the Network College Counseling Coordinator. He brings 37 years of high school administrative and teaching experience with him. He recently retired as principal of Archbishop Riordan High School , where he worked for 35 years. During his tenure, he wore many hats, including principal, assistant principal, teacher and guidance director. Among all of these roles, his true passion has always been and always be college counseling. After completing his masters in school counseling, he served as Guidance Director for over 20 years all the while still teaching his favorite class, Basic Drawing. Under his leadership, he developed an effective college program which served many first generation college students. He firmly believes in providing all students with the access and opportunity for higher education. He also believes that it is essential to guide all students to find the college and career pathway that best meets their individual needs. As a long standing member of NACAC [National Association of College Admissions Counselors], he keeps abreast of current college information, resources and networks. Mr. Crotti looks forward to working with counselors from each school and students, especially 12 th graders, as they move onto higher education.

Christina Malley, Project Manager, Academic Affairs/Special Education

Christina Malley serves as a Project Manager with an emphasis in Special Education for all LPS school sites. She is a graduate of the University of California , Santa Cruz with a degree in biology and a candidate in the BCLAD Multiple Subjects teaching credential program at San Jose State University . She volunteered mo st recently with Citizen Schools teaching a mo lecular biology class to middle school students. Ms. Malley makes her home in San Jose with her husband and her adorable dog.

Todd McPeak, Mathematics Instructional Coach

Mr. McPeak came to LPS from the SEED Public Charter School in Washington DC , with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Washington , and CA teaching credentials in Mathematics and Economics from Chapman University . As a math teacher and intervention specialist for the past nine years, Mr. McPeak has had the opportunity to work with students, coach teachers, and develop curriculum targeting traditionally underserved populations. Specializing in CAHSEE preparation and the strengthening of foundation skills, the focus of Mr. McPeak's work is on quickly closing the achievement gap that separates students entering LPS from the goal of rigorous college-level mathematics.

Casey Mirch, Technology Manager

Casey Mirch is the Technology Manager for Leadership Public Schools. He spent five years as an information technologies and database specialist for Junior Achievement of the Bay Area, where he received the Frances Hesselbein “How to Be” award and participated in the Center for Excellence in Nonprofits' Wired for Good program. Mr. Mirch holds a Bachelor of Arts from New College of Florida.

 

Joyce L. Montgomery, Director of Finance

Joyce L. Montgomery, Director of Finance comes to LPS from a successful career in both for-profit and non-profit financial leadership roles. Ms. Montgomery has finance and operations management experience in education, advertising, high tech and banking. As a school executive she has served as the Chief Financial Officer at Crystal Springs Uplands School where she was responsible for managing all operations units: business and finance, physical plant and deferred maintenance plans, food service operations, legal affairs, human resources, and construction. She was also the Chief Financial Officer at the Howard School in Atlanta , Georgia. Ms. Montgomery is active in many community organizations and serves as the Vice Chair of the Finance Commission for the City of Belmont.

 

Kelli-Ann M. Nakayama, Development Officer

Kelli-Ann Nakayama is the Development Officer for LPS. Mrs. Nakayama has an extensive background in fundraising and held numerous leadership fundraising positions at organizations which include Legal Services for Children, Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley, and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center. In addition, she is a fundraising consultant specializing in board and volunteer development, major gifts, and institutional giving. She received her Certificate of Fund Raising Management (CFRM) at The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, MA from San Francisco State University, and BA from the University of California at Berkeley. Mrs. Nakayama currently serves as the Vice President of the Bay Area’s Development Executives Roundtable board of directors. She and her husband live in San Francisco with their young son and two rescue dogs.

 

Tasha Nesbitt , Human Resource Associate

Tasha Nesbitt serves as the HR Specialist recruiting exceptional and dedicated teachers for Leadership's public schools. She is a Bay Area native and carries a Bachelors degree in Communications and Visual Arts from California State University , Chico . Prior to joining the staff at LPS, she co-wrote and produced a feature film which had long been her dream. Ms. Nesbitt attributes commitment, responsibility and respect as part of the foundation of her success. Ms. Nesbitt believes that because these same core values are being taught in LPS classrooms, students will have the confidence and focus to reach their personal goals and fulfill their own dreams.

Soo Zee Park, Director of Operations

Prior to comng to LPS, Ms. Park previously worked with the non-profit Unity Council and Fruitvale Development Corporation. While there she served as the project manager for the $68MM mixed-use Fruitvale Transit Village adjacent to the Fruitvale BART Station. She also worked on a $2MM Fruitvale Streetscape Project with the City of Oakland. Ms. Park has over seven years of experience in architecture and construction administration working on a variety of residential, mixed-use, university and museum projects including the award winning Tenderloin Elementary School in San Francisco. Ms. Park holds a Master of Business Administration from John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA, as well as a Bachelor degree in architecture from North Carolina State University . She is a board member and facilities committee chair of Lighthouse Community Public Schools in Oakland and a mother of two.

Vimal Patel , Staff Accountant

Vimal Patel joined LPS as a temporary Staff Accountant in June 2006 and full-time in October 2006. He holds a BA in Finance and Accounting from San Francisco State University . He enjoys spending time with his family.

Ann Reidy, Development Director

Ann Reidy is the Development Director for Leadership Public Schools. Prior to joining LPS, Dr. Reidy worked as a fundraising officer in the External Resources Department of the secretariat of Transparency International, a global NGO located in Berlin, Germany. She brings extensive education experience to LPS, having served as the History Department Chair at the Branson School in Ross, CA, and as an Assistant Professor at Wellesley College. Her commitment to quality public education led her to LPS as a volunteer in 2003. Dr. Reidy received her PhD from Harvard University, where she received numerous teaching distinctions and awards, and a BA from the University of California at Santa Cruz. In addition, she has studied extensively in Europe and Latin America. She is passionate about the LPS mission of promoting academic excellence and high expectations among so many deserving and committed students.

Diana Schneider, Communications Manager

Diana Schneider is the Communications Manager for Leadership Public Schools. She has over 10 years of experience in communications and strategy roles in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Prior to coming to LPS, she managed the D.C. Government City Administrator's strategic planning and performance measurement program. She has also held communications and outreach positions at The George Lucas Educational Foundation and Stanford University . In addition, she is a member-volunteer with Full Circle Fund and serves on the steering committees of several community groups and parent organizations. She received a BA from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from The George Washington University.

Jill Schepmann, Operations Coordinator

Jill Schepmann is the Operations Coordinator at the Home Office of Leadership Public Schools. Jill brings three years of teaching experience into her role at LPS. Most recently, Jill taught 8 th grade English Language Arts at KIPP Summit Academy in San Lorenzo . Prior to that, she taught 9 th , 10 th , & 11 th grade English literature and composition classes and was the Assistant Debate & Forensics coach at Shawnee Heights High School in Topeka , Kansas . Jill worked her way through her teaching credentialing program at Washburn University as a legal assistant in an attorney's office in Lawrence , Kansas . Before returning to school, Jill worked as a Marketing Manager promoting scientific and scholarly journals at a small, family-owned publishing company. Jill graduated with a B.A. in English and a B.A. in Psychology, receiving Honors from the English department at the University of Kansas for her senior thesis on the history plays of Shakespeare and Marlowe. When she's not at LPS, Jill enjoys writing poems and short stories, cooking feasts for fun people, playing defense on her soccer team, and walking her dog through the streets of San Francisco.

Marvella Smith, Human Resources Specialist

Marvella Smith is the Human Resources Specialist for Leadership Public Schools. Prior to joining LPS, Ms. Smith spent over three years in various corporate and start-up staffing departments, including PG&E Corporation and United Parcel Service. While at PG&E, Ms. Smith worked with senior executives and board members recruiting MBA candidates from across the country (at Wharton, Tuck, University of Chicago, MIT and Berkeley) for the Leadership MBA program. She holds a Master of Industrial / Organizational Psychology from Golden Gate University, as well as a graduate certificate in Conflict Resolution. She also holds a Bachelor in Psychology from the University of Toledo. Ms. Smith is a volunteer massage therapist at hospitals and East Bay high schools for teen mothers, and mother to a precocious four-year-old son and newborn daughter.

Tara Young , Enrollment & Outreach Director

Tara Young recently worked as the Assistant Director of the Cross-Cultural Center at UC Davis where she managed interns, anti-bias and cultural awareness programs for underserved, underrepresented and marginalized communities. Previously, Ms. Young  served a year as an Administrative Fellow at Harvard University where she managed projects for the Business School, Native American Program, and the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations in 05-06.  Ms.Young worked at the California Alumni Association at UC Berkeley on student-to-alumni mentoring, support to ethnic/LGBT alumni clubs, and a scholarship for students who overcame immense difficulties. Also she had been at the University of Michigan and involved in anti-bias training and multiracial identity development. Additionally she  received her MA in Higher Education with a concentration in Student Development and Academic Affairs in 1997 at University of Michigan; and her BA in Sociology in 1990 from New York University .