Leadership

Chad Soleo

Chad Soleo

President & Chief Executive Officer, Green Dot Public Schools National

Chad Soleo serves as the President & Chief Executive Officer at Green Dot Public Schools. He has also served as the Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of Advancement, an Area Superintendent, prior to which he was the founding principal of Ánimo Pat Brown Charter High School, and an assistant principal at Locke. Ánimo Pat Brown became a California Distinguished High School under his leadership. Chad began his career as an English language arts teacher at Alain Leroy Locke High School through Teach for America. At Locke, Chad ran a college preparatory program that lead to a significant increase in college awareness and graduation rates, while pursuing his graduate degree in Secondary Education at Loyola Marymount University. Chad has also taught within the charter school leadership cohort for Loyola Marymount University’s School of Education administrative credentialing program, and has lead professional development in Los Angeles Unified School District, within the Southern California AVID community, and within the Teach for America organization. Chad earned his undergraduate degree in English Literature from the University of Arizona.

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Dr. Cristina de Jesus

President and Chief Executive Officer, Green Dot Public Schools California

Cristina is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Green Dot Public Schools California, a non-profit network of public charter schools. She has helped build the foundation of Green Dot’s success with a role in nearly every initiative and undertaking to boost student achievement across the network having originally joined Green Dot as the founding principal at Ánimo Inglewood Charter High School in 2002.  As CEO, she oversees our twenty-two middle and high schools across Los Angeles serving 11,500 students. She plays an integral role in the collaboration with Green Dot’s Teachers’ and Classified Employees Unions and she is part of the core team working on Green Dot’s national expansion work.

Before being named President and CEO, she was Green Dot’s Vice President of Curriculum and Instruction for two years before serving as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Academic Officer. Prior to joining Green Got, Cristina was an English and History teacher for seven years in the Santa Monica/Malibu School District and earned National Board Certification in Early Adolescent/English Language Arts. Cristina has earned a Masters of Education, a Masters of Education Administration, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from UCLA.

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Jocquell Rodgers

Executive Director, Green Dot Public Schools Tennessee 

Jocquell Mitchell Rodgers is excited for the opportunity to serve as the Executive director for Green Dot Public Schools TN, GDPST. A Memphian with a history entrenched in the academic landscape of Memphis, she is a product of Memphis City Schools K-12, a classroom teacher for nine years and instructional leader for over 15 years. Jocquell has a B.A. of English from the University of Memphis, and an M. Ed from Freed – Hardeman University for Curriculum and Instruction.

Before being named as the Executive Director, Jocquell wore many hats with GDPST. She has been with Green Dot Public Schools TN since 2014, serving first as a Literacy Instructional Coach, the Director of Community Engagement and Communications, and the Chief of External Affairs. She hopes to continue shaping partnerships in education that offer equitable access and opportunities for Memphis communities, while also building sustainable pathways to economic stability.