Governing Board

A passionate advocate for education and Larchmont Charter School, Ali Baird is a founding parent who has taught multiple grades in both public and private schools including 1st grade and middle school English and Social Studies. She left teaching to work for the non-profit Engaging Schools, which helps schools develop improved discipline practices, better engage students and implement advisory programs, and supports schools with programs on bullying, peer mediation, conflict resolution and diversity.

Ali is currently a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a Master’s in Applied Psychology from Antioch University. She has counseled adults, children, couples and families at The Southern California Counseling Center and supervised teenagers at TeenLine, a peer-to-peer crisis hotline. Ali graduated from Groton School in Massachusetts, and she received her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Trinity College in Hartford, CT, where she focused on the effects of social justice and diversity on education.

Jesse Noonan - Board Vice Chair

Jesse Noonan is the Chief Academic Officer for Ednovate Charter Schools, a network of high performing personalized college preparatory high schools in South LA, East LA, and Santa Ana.

Jesse has over 20 years of experience in education, working in a variety of roles all focused on ensuring equitable academic outcomes and closing opportunity gaps for all students. She holds a BA from Barnard College and a Masters of Arts in Teaching as well as an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from Loyola Marymount University. She lives in Echo Park with her husband and two sons.

Frances Hoge - Board Secretary

Frances has over 20 years experience as a Brand manager, combining strong marketing and management skills to create profitable and compelling consumer brands. Her senior executive roles include Communications, Business Development, Creative Content, and Corporate Strategy, and span Fortune 500, mid-range and entrepreneurial settings. Most recently, Frances led the marketing team for Quickoffice, the highest-grossing worldwide app on the iPad, which was subsequently acquired by Google. She continues to run an Independent Marketing firm, partnering with clients who want to seize market opportunity and achieve results in a rapidly evolving environment. Her non-profit work includes serving on the Board of multiple youth sports organizations, focusing on increasing access and opportunity for urban youth. Frances graduated from UCLA with Honors with degrees in Communication and Psychology, and received her MBA from Wharton.

Jeremy George - Board Treasurer

Jeremy George is an assurance partner in PwC's Asset & Wealth Management (AWM) practice, where he serves as an engagement partner and business adviser for alternative investment funds and SEC registered investment companies. He also has experience serving PwC's higher education clients, which maintain significant endowments that invest in a variety of strategies, and has national practice roles leading PwC's AWM staff learning and development program, overseeing its AWM-specific standardized audit programs, and in certain people and technology transformation initiatives. Jeremy is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in California and New York. He has two daughters attending LCS Hollygrove.

Collette Williams Alleyne - Board Member

Collette Williams Alleyne, Senior Director of Education, has 18 years of experience in alternative and arts education. Currently, she serves as the Senior Director of Education at Inner-City Arts, in which she oversees all arts instruction programs for K-12 students. Previously, Collette served as the Director of Instruction for Opportunities for Learning and Options for Youth, where she established partnerships with schools to provide students with summer programs to reduce summertime learning loss. Collette joined Opportunities for Learning in 2004 and achieved several promotions in her tenure, having served as: Academic Recovery Teacher, Area Curriculum Advisor, Assistant Principal, Regional Supervisor, and Educational Programs Project Coach.

Collette holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education with a Multiple Subject Credential from the University of New Orleans, a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Pepperdine University, and a Clear California Administrative Credential. Before moving to California, Collette was an Instructor for New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, NOCCA|Riverfront, and Adjunct Instructor at Dillard University of New Orleans.

Charity Bailey - Board Member

Charity M. Bailey is a Los Angeles native and graduate from the University of Southern California. She started her career in the music industry working on tour, marketing and promotion campaigns for acclaimed artists such as Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, D’Angelo and other Virgin Records artists. After moving to New York she soon found use for her creative assets in the luxury fashion arena. She spent 6 years at Donna Karan International. While working on marketing and advertising in the licensing department, she played a leadership role in developing and launching 20 business categories including kids, shoes, suits, swim and Jeans. While at David Yurman, she focused on experiential and brand marketing launching David Yurman Men and Eyewear. After returning to Los Angeles she re-entered the world of production, entertainment and management continuing to share her knowledge of digital and brand marketing, business strategy and management with various award winning companies including Grammy winning cellist Lynn Harrell and Emmy nominated production company Legion of Creatives.

Ben Howell - Board Member

Ben Howell is General Counsel at Caruso, a privately held real estate development company based in Los Angeles. Mr. Howell oversees Caruso's legal affairs, representing the company and collaborating with its outside counsel on business and real estate transactions and litigation and land use matters. Prior to joining Caruso, Mr. Howell was an attorney at Munger, Tolles & Olson, LLP and served as a law clerk to Hon. Harold Baer, Jr. of the Southern District of New York. Mr. Howell is a graduate of Stanford University and UC Berkeley School of Law. Mr. Howell is also on the board of The Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, a non-profit dedicated to developing urban parks and community gardens in underserved neighborhoods in greater Los Angeles.

Luciralia Ibarra - Board Member

Luciralia (Luci) Ibarra, is VP of Planning, Land Use, and Government Affairs for Caruso, working on entitlements and monitoring local, regional, and statewide policy for the company. She joined Caruso after 16 years with the City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning, having processed the City’s most regionally significant, technically complex, and more litigious development projects as head of Major Projects.

Luci was born and raised in Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, attended Pitzer College (BA), and UC Berkeley (MCP). She is a Coro Public Affairs Fellow (San Francisco - 2001) and recent participant in Coro Southern California’s Executive Leadership Network (ELN – 2023). She lives in South LA with her family.

Steven Kim - Board Member

Steven has over 17 years working in the financial industry specializing in wealth management and planning. He is currently the Senior Financial Consultant at TD Ameritrade in Beverly Hills. He grew up and went to school in Los Angeles. He attended University of Pennsylvania for engineering and then switched to complete his B.A and Licentiate in Philosophy while living and studying in Europe.

Steven has worked several years with an international non-profit organization dedicated to the education and development of youth and family. For over 15 years he has been an active collaborator in the financial education of engaged couples. He was an Officer of Military and Hospitaler Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem, a world-wide charitable group dedicated to help leprosy. Steven has served as the head of the Korean Parents Association at LCS for 3 years and is the current Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 145 (a 95 year old troop) in Little Tokyo.

An avid foodie, a semi-professional photographer, and a classically trained musician (clarinet), Steven is a 7th year LCS dad whose 3 children currently are students at Hollygrove and Selma.

Angelica McAdoo - Board Member

Angelica was born in El Salvador and came to the U.S. at the age of 5. She grew up in Inglewood, CA, where she was raised by her dad. She is the mother of 3 bi-cultural children. They all attend Larchmont Charter, are in 3rd (Hollygrove), 10th and 12th grades (LFP). For the last 15 years Angelica was a caregiver for her dad until his departure in June of 2020. Currently she is working for The City of Hope in Duarte CA. Caregiving fulfills her soul-- she will be starting a new career and will attend school to become an LVN. One of her most admirable attributes is empathy and belief in equity for all. Angelica is genuinely invested in Larchmont Charter School. She loves what it represents for the community, which is why she was attracted to the school. She is a member of the LFP Site Council, ABAR (Anti-Bias Anti-Racist) Committee, and the African American Affinity Group at LFP. She enjoys being of service to her community.

Mario Perez - Board Member

Mario Perez serves as the Director of the Division of HIV and STD Programs for the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health where he is responsible for guiding a team of more than 320 employees and managing the annual investment of more than $105 million in local, State and federal resources that support the delivery of HIV and STD services through more than 70 partner organizations. He is a leader on State, local, and national HIV policy issues, serving as a past member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS in the Obama Administration, the Board of Directors of the National Minority AIDS Council, a member of the National Council of STD Directors, a member of the AIDS United Public Policy Committee and a member of the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV. Over the last 20 years, he has testified before Congress, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the Los Angeles City Council to address a range of HIV/AIDS issues, including the need for scientifically-proven interventions, adequate resources, and increased accountability.

He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from UC Berkeley and a Master of Public Health degree from UCLA. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and lives with his wife Karly and two sons Luca and Milo.

Arri Shelton-Edwards - Board Member

Arri Shelton-Edwards is a professional who prides herself on providing a fresh approach to traditional roles. With nearly 20 years of experience in education and the nonprofit sector, she has cultivated a diverse skill set encompassing various areas such as overseeing after-school programs, college counseling, socio-emotional counseling, program design, non-profit management, and executive leadership. One of the highlights of her career was serving as the Executive Director of Lean In Girls for the esteemed Sheryl Sandberg and Dave Goldberg Family Foundation. Through this groundbreaking initiative she spearheaded as its architect, she brought together girls to enhance their leadership skills while equipping them with strategies to navigate gender bias. Before joining SGFF, Arri was the Managing Director of Programs at iMentor—a non-profit organization that leverages mentorship relationships for positive impact. She also worked with KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) and Derek Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation.

In her most recent endeavor as an entrepreneur, Arri ventured into opening Los Angeles' first Black-owned UPS Store. Through her varied experiences across different sectors, Arri has consistently demonstrated her ability to drive change and make meaningful contributions toward creating a more equitable society. Her commitment to reshaping existing paradigms and championing new approaches sets her apart in any professional setting. With each opportunity that comes her way, Arri continues to bring innovation, inspiration, and transformation in all areas she touches.

Arri completed her undergraduate studies at Spelman College, where she obtained a Bachelor's degree in Child Development. Later, she pursued further education and earned a Master's in Educational Psychology from New York University.

In addition to her academic achievements, Arri has been actively involved in various organizations. She served as the President of the NY National Alumnae Association of Spelman College and the board for over ten years. Arri is also an engaged member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated.

Alongside her professional life and community involvement, Arri is a wife, mother to two daughters, a dog Ali, and a spin enthusiast.

We are profoundly grateful

to our former Board Chairs for their

exemplary leadership and unwavering

commitment to our community:

Heather Boylston

Danny Corwin

Kriste Dragon

Alicia Lara

Paulette Light

Susan Lee

Ben Paul

Octavio Pescador, PhD