Alison Suffet Diaz

- Founder and Executive Director -

Alison Suffet Diaz is the Founder and Executive Director of Environmental Charter Schools (ECS).  She is responsible for driving strategic development, as well as fundraising, fiscal and capital budget management, and oversight of administrative operations.  Alison is leading the organization at a particularly dynamic time.  The founding school, Environmental Charter High School recently celebrated its ten-year anniversary, while the second school in the network, Environmental Charter Middle School opened in fall 2010.  ECS is scheduled to open six more environmentally-themed schools in under-resourced communities in south Los Angeles over the next ten years, ultimately serving 3,000 students in grades K-12.  ECS has also developed the Green Ambassador Training Institute to support educators and organizations to replicate the best practices demonstrated at its schools. 

Alison started her career as an education attorney, representing school districts in labor negotiations, personnel concerns, and student issues.    Wishing to have a greater impact on students’ lives, she decided to pursue her passion for education and become a teacher.  Never dreaming she would found a school, she earned her teaching credential from Cal State Dominguez Hills, and began teaching social science at Leuzinger High School, where she taught for eight years.   While there, she created a “school within a school”--a California Partnership Academy called Environmental Careers Academy (ECA). 

The performance of the students in the academy soared, but Alison recognized that these gains would be best sustained by a school-wide culture of purpose.  In 1999, she began the process of developing the blueprint for what would be become Environmental Charter High School.  Alison worked part-time as a faculty member in the teaching credential program at Cal State Dominguez Hills and as an Education Specialist at TreePeople while she assembled a team of parents, teachers, and business partners to support her during the process of petitioning to establish a new charter school. The Lawndale Elementary School District approved the charter in 2000 and Environmental Charter High School was born.  Originally starting with 100 ninth grade students on a temporary, shared campus, ECHS now serves over 430 students in ninth through twelfth grades on its own campus in Lawndale, California.  ECHS has become an award-winning high school, recognized nationally for its innovative programs.

Alison holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from State University of New York, Albany, and Juris Doctorate from Temple University Law School, where she participated in a program called LEAP, teaching inner city youth about their constitutional rights.

She currently serves on the Hermosa Beach School District Charter School Steering Committee and UCLA Extension Education Advisory Board.

Jenni Taylor

- Principal -

Jenni Taylor has been a part of the ECHS community since the first year of the school’s inception in 2002. She has worn many hats at ECHS, including several years of service as a math and science teacher and three years as the assistant principal. Jenni obtained her Administrative Services Credential and Masters in Educational Administration from Pepperdine University, where she is currently working on her Doctorate in Educational Leadership Administration and Policy.

Jenni is a National Board Certified Teacher and received her Teaching Credential from Cal State University Long Beach. Her background in science and education began at UC Santa Cruz, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Earth Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies. Prior to her years at ECHS, Jenni was an instructor with Naturalists at Large, where she led students on adventure trips throughout California while teaching environmental principles. She also coordinated the Life Lab program for an elementary school in Santa Cruz, California.

Mandy Breuer

- Student Services Director -

Ms. Breuer is responsible for school-wide student leadership development, 9-12 college preparation program development, counseling and parent outreach. She joined ECHS in 2006 and previously served as a Counselor and 11th Grade College Preparation Instructor.  

She holds an M.A. in Counseling from Loyola Marymount University, where she received the Dean’s Award for her work in social justice. 

Earlier in her professional career, she worked in television marketing at FOX Broadcasting Company.  She also holds a B.A. in Public Relations from Texas Tech University.

Kami Cotler

- Principal, Environmental Charter Middle School -

Kami Cotler will serve as the Principal and main site administrator of Environmental Charter Middle School. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Kami Cotler attended the University of California at Berkeley, where she graduated with a degree in Social Sciences and then received her teaching credential. Ms. Cotler began her teaching career in a small, rural district near Charlottesville, Virginia where she taught in ALPHA, an interdisciplinary, alternative program for at-risk high school students. When she returned to California she took a position as ninth grade team leader at Environmental Charter High School in Lawndale, California. While exploring education options for her own children, Ms. Cotler learned about Ocean Charter School and worked on various committees in the year before the school’s opening. In August 2004, she accepted the job as co-director at the Ocean Charter School. After serving as co-director for three years, Ms. Cotler began an educational consulting business, working with developing charters and homeschooling families.

Her experiences outside education include running a boutique travel company, an internship at IBM, managing a café in San Francisco, and as a child, acting on the television series “The Waltons”. She has been a member of the Board of the American Montessori Society and currently is Vice-Chairperson on the Ocean Charter School board of trustees.

Suzanna Martinez

- Assistant Principal -

Suzanna Martinez is responsible for state-data, assessments, student scheduling, and internships. She joined ECHS in 2004 as a math teacher and returned in 2009. She has previously served in Administration at schools and district-level as well as responsible for Federal & State-funded Programs. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Leadership as well as an Administrative Credential. Earlier in her professional career, she worked as a teacher from Elementary- Adult education.

Dawn Pellerin

- Special Education Coordinator -

Dawn Pellerin is the Special Education Director for ECHS/ECMS.  She has been teaching in special education since 2001.  She has worked for several districts in Southern California and has been at ECHS since 2007. She graduated from USC with a degree in Fine Art, then earned her credential and Masters Degree in Special Education.  She used her art experience to develop an art therapy program at a school in San Gabriel for students with behavioral problems. She also created a sports program that incorporated occupational therapy with yoga.  She currently serves on the South West SELPA Transition Committee to help design transition services for all local schools within the SELPA.  Dawn has also served as the Assistant Girls Basketball Coach at ECHS. 

Quynh Tran

- Director of Operations -

For the past 10 years, Quynh Tran has played an integral role to the development of ECHS, and helped found the school.    Mr. Tran is responsible for ongoing supervision of grounds, facilities, Systems Administrator/Network Administrator, Human Resources, office administration, Security, and Emergency Preparedness.  He recently managed the school’s transition to its new campus and is responsible for various projects such as plans to build more classrooms and convert facilities to “Green” buildings.  As a member of the Facility Committee, he also works on the future developments of ECHS.   This includes plans to create Environmental Charter Schools (ECS), a new network of Charter Schools, for which he will be responsible for ensuring school sites are fully functional.

Rachel Ruffalo

- Founding Faculty and Grant Writer -

Rachel Ruffalo was a founding faculty member of Environmental Charter High School (ECHS) and served as a teacher, Director of Special Projects, and as Assistant Principal.   Rachel played a key role in building the foundation for the school in its developing years, including guiding the school through its first two accreditation processes, developing a school-wide assessment system, and helping to draft the strategic plan for Environmental Charter Schools. 

Prior to coming to ECHS, Rachel taught a variety of social science courses at two comprehensive high schools and spearheaded the effort to start and open two independent charter high schools in northern California, aimed to provide a college preparatory education to under-served students.  Through this effort as the Director of Charter School Development for the Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA), she negotiated charter agreements with two school districts, secured start-up funding, developed the educational program, led the strategic planning process, and hired the founding faculty team at both schools.  Since 2006, Rachel has served Environmental Charter Schools and other organizations as a grant writer, strategist, and program developer.  Rachel earned a B.A. from Stanford University and a Masters in Education from Harvard University.

Ken Deemer

- Board President -

Ken Deemer is a founding partner and Chairman of Los Angeles Social Venture Partners a group of business professionals who contribute their time, money, and expertise to promote philanthropy in L.A., and to help nonprofits expand their capacity and effectiveness. The organization currently focuses on organizations addressing the environment and education, especially charter schools.  Mr. Deemer was also a co-founder and former Chairman and President of the Tech Coast Angels, (www.techcoastangels.com), one of the largest and most active angel investor groups in the country.

Mr. Deemer is an active private investor and has over twenty years of venture capital experience as a General Partner of InterVen Partners, a firm that he co-founded in 1985.   He has invested in and served on the boards of numerous public and private companies in technology, manufacturing and specialty retailing. Earlier in his career, he was a co-founder of a direct marketing company, My Favorite Charities, marketing manager of a computer peripherals company and a systems engineer with Hughes Aircraft Company.

Mr. Deemer holds BS degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering from MIT and an MBA, with distinction, from Carnegie-Mellon University. He is a Certified Director by the Directors Institute at UCLA.

Carlos Cortez

- Board Member -

Carlos Cortez is currently Director of the Department of Education at UCLA Extension. He also serves as adjunct faculty for the University of Southern California.

Dr. Cortez worked in education at the P-12 level as a classroom teacher, administrator, and researcher for fifteen years before joining UCLA Extension.   His experience spans the public, private, and charter school sectors in Washington DC, Houston, New York City, and Los Angeles.   Most recently, Dr. Cortez served as Principal of New Village Charter School in Los Angeles.  Prior to that, he served as Assistant Principal at Grape Street Elementary School and as Principal at STAR Prep Academy in Culver City.  In these positions, he was known for his dedication to teachers and students, for developing innovative programs and services, and for sound management.  His commitment to social justice drives his passion for urban education reform.

Dr. Cortez’s educational background includes a bachelors degree in History and Sociology from Georgetown University; a masters degree in Race and Gender Politics from New York University; and a doctor of philosophy in Education Policy and Administration from University of Southern California.   He has earned a Tier I and II California Administrative Credential as well as Teaching Credentials from both New York and California.

Tom Feegel

- Board Member -

ECHS recently welcomed Tom Feegel to its Board of Directors. Feegel is the founder of GreenMyParents - a youth movement to seed the green economy, earn over $100 at home and save the Planet.  Feegel is also CEO of Brand Neutral, an eco-consulting firm advising business leaders on brand strategy, content creation, and revenue growth.

As Chief of Staff for Al Gore's Global Concert Event in 2007, Tom oversaw sponsorship, and worldwide marketing. He created a popular consumer handbook on surviving the climate crisis and championed an on-the-road greening guide for celebrities and artists. Other organizations Tom has worked with include Disney, NBC, Dell, Ford, Phillips, Smart Car, Pepsi, National Geographic, Healthy Child Healthy World, Girl Scouts of the USA, Kiva.org, National Wildlife Federation, Energy Star, and the Vatican. 

Bruce Greenspon

- Board Member -

Bruce Greenspon has been a Board Director of ECHS since 2002.  He is a Manager for Raytheon, a leading aerospace firm, where has worked since 2002 in various contract management positions.   Earlier in his career he worked at Hughes Aircraft Company, where he was responsible for negotiation and administration of Defense Department contracts, and involved in security programs for the company.

He has been an active volunteer, leader and member of numerous local civic and non-profit organizations including Big Brothers, Junior Achievement, and the Raytheon Management Club.   He serves on the Hermosa Beach City Counsel/School Board Project Forward Committee, a civic advisory group involved in planning for the Hermosa Beach City School district.  He holds an M.A. Honors in Conflict Management and Negotiation from CSU Dominguez Hills, and a B.S. from Western Illinois University.

Uduak Ntuk

- Board Member -

Uduak Ntuk is currently a Petroleum Engineer with the City of Long Beach. He is responsible for performing complex petroleum engineering work pertaining to new well development, production operations, subsidence control, and other waterflooding related work at the Wilmington Field. Over the past 9 years, he has worked in various engineering positions for Earth Tech, General Electric, and Chevron.

Committed to protecting the environment and promoting sustainability, Uduak has volunteered with the non-profit Alliance for Climate Protection since 2006. He was personally trained by Nobel Laureate Al Gore to deliver dozens of public presentations on the science and solutions to Global Warming. In 2008, he was selected as a Startingbloc Fellow for the Institute for Social Innovation at the London Business School where he studied sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and social entrepreneurship. This past year Uduak was part of Green for All’s leadership development program which is working to build an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty. He also serves on the Center for Engineering Diversity Industry Advisory Board at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering.

Mr. Ntuk holds a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from California State University, Long Beach and an MS degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Southern California. He is a parent of an 12-year-old daughter and drives a Hybrid.

Uduak Ntuk has been a Board Director of ECHS since 2011.

William Robertson

- Board Member -

Broadly skilled real estate project executive with substantial experience advising clients from various industries including, finance, technology, medical, entertainment, and law. Adept at evaluating complex requirements and challenges in order to enable practical and thoughtful execution of team goals.  Considered a proactive and constant problem solver with excellent business judgment and robust negotiating skills.   Recognized for exceptional oral and written communication skills and a talent for consistently mastering new challenges.  Employs a collaborative leadership style that mitigate risks and enables value for projects of all types.
 
Advise and represent clients on all aspects of real estate development, including, valuation, asset acquisition, program development, design, construction, and leasing. Responsibilities include strategic development planning, financial due diligence, project management, and green building consideration; formation and tracking of budget, schedules, and project duties; negotiation of development agreements, contracts for design team, engineering team, FFE vendors, general contractors, and technology vendors; team leadership and documentation of weekly project meetings, scope development and procurement of entitlements.   

Libby Vracin

- Board Member -

Libby Vracin is a special education professional with over 30 years of teaching and administrative experience. She is strongly committed to quality instruction and student achievement.

As an educator, she has been responsible for providing the highest possible level of excellence in diagnostics, curriculum, therapy and parent education.  She has served as vice principal for Los Angeles County Office of Education and as a program coordinator for Pasadena Unified School District.  As the Director of Special Education for Lawndale Elementary School District, she is responsible for establishing systems that support teachers efficacy in the classroom, as well as collaborative relations with the Lawndale families, in order to help all students realize their academic and social potential.