MYRA SALINAS, BOARD CHAIR

Myra Salinas is the Senior Director of Learning and Support Services Larchmont Charter School. Prior to this she served as their Director of Special Education. Originally from the Philippines, Myra immigrated to Los Angeles when she was eleven. She is fluent in Tagalog and can converse in Spanish. Myra received her BA and MA in Education from the University of Southern California. As an educator, she served as Director of School and Program Compliance for Camino Nuevo Charter Academy from 2003 through 2007. From 2002-2003 she served as co-Principal for the Camino Nuevo Charter Academy - Harvard site. Before that Myra worked in LAUSD at the Foshay Learning Center as a middle school teacher, testing coordinator, and reading coordinator. She helped develop and implement a 6th Grade Reading Program at Foshay, which boosted 6th Grade Reading scores on the Stanford 9 Test.

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AMY DRESSER HELD, Vice Chair

Amy Dresser Held has dedicated her career to public education.  Amy is currently the Executive Director of Larchmont Charter Schools, leading the academics and operations at four school sites serving over 1,400 TK-12 students.  Previously, Amy served as CWCLA’s Executive Director from July 2010 until July 2014.  During that time, Amy was in charge of all aspects of launching and running three elementary schools.  This included overseeing academics, outreach, human resources, finance, fundraising, facilities, legal and communications.  Over those four years she grew the organization from one school of 100 students to three schools serving nearly 1,000 students.  Under Amy’s leadership CWCLA schools scored academically among the top 10% of public schools in LA, had top parent and staff satisfaction rates and raised more than $2m.   Prior to joining CWC, Amy served as Executive Director of Palisades Charter High School, a diverse, high performing charter high school of more than 2,700 students and 200 staff.  In her capacity as Executive Director, Amy oversaw academics, finance (a $22 million annual budget), facilities, labor relations, legal, and communications. Prior to joining Pali High in 2006, Amy worked for several years at the Los Angeles Unified School District on the staff of then-School Board President Caprice Young, then as a Special Assistant to Senior Deputy Superintendent Maria Ott, and finally as Director of Policy and Communications with then-LAUSD School Board President Marlene Canter. Amy began her career as a Teach for America corps member, teaching a bilingual fifth grade class in Phoenix, followed by a position with Kaplan and completion of the Coro Public Affairs Leadership Training Post-Graduate Fellowship in Los Angeles. Amy received her B.S. in Humanities in International Affairs from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.  Amy is passionate about human growth and development and ensuring everyone in the schools she leads is growing and learning together.  Amy is a language aficionado and a world traveler who has lived abroad in France and Mexico.  As a mother of three young children and a veteran educator, Amy is deeply committed to ensuring schools nurture and develop in children not only exceptional academic achievement but a strong sense of self, grit, compassion, a deep appreciation of the rich diversity of our society and a commitment to be of service to the local community and the larger world in which we live.

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HAZIM RABADI, Secretary
Hazim Rabadi is a uniquely qualified designer, architect and LEED Accredited Professional at TSK Architects, with more than 16 years of experience in the design and management of educational facilities in Southern California. Especially adept at overseeing complex projects, Hazim makes sure that all project goals, deadlines and budgetary parameters are strictly observed and that construction documents and specifications are accurate and concise, ensuring a smooth Bidding Phase with clear expectations for all contractors. His capable leadership takes a project from design concept through punch-list completion with a focused, efficient work effort that elicits the best from his fellow design team members.

 

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MELANIE SAUER, Treasurer

Ms. Sauer is a respected business and community leader. Melanie Sauer is currently  the Chief Financial Officer for the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center. She was previously the Chief Operating Officer of Pacific Oaks College as well as the Finance Leader for Southern California Public Media/KPCC where she served for over a decade.  In addition, Ms. Sauer provides consulting services for non-profit organizations advising on financial and strategic planning.  Her current interests are developing new business models for and assuring the long-term sustainability in the social sector. Ms. Sauer received her undergraduate degree in Accounting from Whitworth University, M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Azusa Pacific University and an MBA in Finance & Strategy from the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.  For a number of years, Ms. Sauer was a dedicated professional in higher education administration at such prestigious institutions as Claremont Graduate University, Scripps College, University of Southern California, and San Diego State University.  Melanie has also taught Finance and Accounting for SGU's MBA program. This adds to her experience as instructor in leadership, educational psychology and organization development for various Southern California universities.  

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ANNE LEE, Founder and Board Member

Anne Lee currently serves as the Vice President of Development at the Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena. She is an attorney and has spent a lot of her career advocating for parent rights. 

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