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Karisa, a Los Angeles native, has served are Catholic schools as a classroom teacher, curriculum coordinator, principal, and other roles. She is currently an academic excellence specialist for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, where she advances instructional excellence and student learning within the Solidarity Schools Initiative.
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Korey is an educational services consultant for CORE Learning and an assistant principal at The Accelerated Schools in south central Los Angeles. He is passionate about building equitable learning environments, drawing on his experience teaching mathematics across grades 5-12 and leading strategic planning for math and science teams.
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Allegra is CEO and founder of Uniquely Supported, a firm that helps schools scale inclusive practices for students with IEPs. Its mission is to establish classrooms as spaces where the rightful presence of all kinds of learners is affirmed. She also serves as part-time faculty for Alder Graduate School of Education. A first-generation college graduate, she’s the proud mom of two children and an avid gardener.
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Deonna is the founder and CEO of Deonna Smith Consulting, a firm that partners with schools and districts to create joyful, culturally responsive learning environments. She is a part-time professor at Alder Graduate School and is the author of the book Rooted in Joy, which she wrote to equip educators with the frameworks and practices to lead transformative educational spaces rooted in equity, belonging, and care.
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Sheeba is director of middle school design at Citizens of the World Charter Schools, where she supports students’ social-emotional health and humanizes their school experiences. She has two decades of experience as a teacher, school leader, coach, consultant, and curriculum developer for a variety of schools and educational organizations.
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Salinas is the first person in his family and the first undocumented student to earn a doctorate in education from Loyola Marymount University. His activism, nonprofit leadership, and personal mission focus on empowering Latinx, undocumented/DACAmented, LGBTQ+, and first-generation communities to pursue higher education.
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Cheráe's career spans educational equity and mental healthy. She's the founder of The Serenity Brand, a mental health practice and consulting firm rooted in community wellness and integrative care. She also serves as education coordinator for LAUSD’s homeless education program and is a board member of The Victoria Project.
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Alyssa is a first-generation college graduate and Los Angeles native who earned her master's of arts in Higher Education Administration from LMU School of Education. She currently serves as part of the inaugural Young Adult Programming Advisory Council at Our Odyssey, a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting young adults impacted by a rare or chronic condition with social and emotional support in the hope of improving their quality of life. Alyssa’s professional passion is rooted in helping minority communities, working with diverse populations, and mitigating the factors behind their inter-sectional struggles. She strives to act as a change agent for marginalized students in higher education and bring equitable access to every student. In her free time, she enjoys horticulture, video games, and spending time with her bird Sky.
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Jordan is a graduate of LMU School of Education’s M.A. Program in Urban Education, with a concentration in Education Policy and Administration. He currently serves in two roles with the Los Angeles Unified School District. One of those roles is a Grade Five International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme instructor at Short Avenue Elementary School in the Del Rey Community. His other role is an instructor and curriculum developer for Los Angeles Unified School District’s Intern Credentialing and Added Authorization Program where he is currently adding the new California Reading and Literacy Standards to teacher preparation courses. Jordan’s professional passion is situated in literacy as a means to liberation for all students, especially for students who experience marginalization. In his free time, Jordan enjoys traveling, cooking, and anything that involves being outdoors and enjoying sunshine.
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Armando is an accomplished educator with experience at the elementary, secondary, and higher education levels. Throughout his time in education, he has served in many roles as a teacher of English, social studies, religion, and science in addition to leadership roles as a department chair and school principal. Dr. Carvalho spent nine years in Catholic education before transitioning to public education with the Los Angeles Unified School District. He has served as past chair and is a current member of the Alumni Council of the Partners in Los Angeles Catholic Education (PLACE) Corps at LMU and currently is a Community Support Person for the program. Dr. Carvalho was a long-time student at LMU - as well as a graduate of the PLACE Corps (cohort 11), Catholic School Administration program, Technology Integration Specialist certification, and the doctoral program in educational leadership for social justice. He was also a recipient of the Graduate Library Research Award Grand Prize for his dissertation titled “The Local-executive Governance Model in Catholic Parochial Elementary Schools: Understanding Pastors’ Perspectives” in 2021.
He holds both multiple and single-subject teaching credentials, with authorizations in English, social studies, English language development, and physical education. Lastly, Dr. Carvalho holds a National Board Certification in English as a New Language (Early Adolescence through Young Adult).
In his free time, Armando enjoys earning additional teaching credentials and is currently working on his Spanish credential. He is currently an English language development teacher and department chair at Dr. Maya Angelou Community High School.
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Bio coming soon
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Erika is an Angeleno who works simultaneously as a behavior intervention developer and a statewide applied behavior analysis (ABA) agency as a clinical case manager for children and young adults with autism and learning disabilities. She has served as an LMU Regional Ambassador in San Diego from 2017 to 2019, as well as a LMU Alumni BBQ volunteer from 2019 to 2023. She is a mother and Cane Corso dog owner, who enjoys reading, training her dog, and taking drives down to the beaches of north county San Diego. She is an active parent volunteer at her children’s schools within LAUSD and a parishioner of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
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Veronica graduated from LMU in 2018 with a B.A. in Liberal Studies and in 2020 from the PLACE Corps Program with an M.A. in Educational Studies. She is currently a 2nd grade teacher at Equitas Academy #5 Charter School. Her passions in education include searching for diverse children’s books to incorporate into her lessons and teaching her students how to read.
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Lisa is a visionary leader in the field of education, currently serving as the Program Specialist of Special Programs and Assessment and Accountability at ABC Unified School District. In this dual capacity, she oversees a range of state-funded Title I college and career readiness educational programs, as well as the district’s comprehensive assessment and accountability measures. Her work in strategic leadership and data-driven program evaluation significantly enhances educational accessibility and inclusivity.
She earned a doctorate in educational Leadership for social justice from LMU, a master’s in teaching, special education from Rhode Island College, and a B.A. in intercultural communication from Pepperdine University. She also holds a professional certification in conflict management from the Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution.
Throughout her career, Lisa has been a staunch advocate for data disaggregation and has led the implementation of equity audits, contributing to significant educational reforms. Her scholarly contributions include work on the "National AAPI Equity Audit of PK-12 Public Education Systems in the U.S.” and "The State of Khmer Americans" report. Additionally, she is the co-founder of Andy's Cafe, an initiative that uses technology to enhance employment opportunities for peope with disabilities.
Recognized for her commitment to disabilities and community outreach, Lisa continues to make a significant impact in the field by championing educational accessibility for individuals with disabilities. She remains actively engaged in research, advocacy, and leadership, driven by her vision to create a world where everyone has the opportunity to realize their full potential.
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Mary McCullough, Ph.D., Ex-officio for Faculty