Green Dot's
Leadership Team
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Dr. Cristina de Jesus
Dr. Cristina de Jesus is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Green Dot Public Schools, a non-profit network of free public charter schools in Los Angeles. Having originally joined Green Dot as the founding principal at Ánimo Inglewood Charter High School in 2002, she has helped build the foundation of Green Dot’s success with a role in nearly every initiative. As CEO, she oversees all of our middle and high schools across Los Angeles and plays an integral role in collaborating with Green Dot’s Teachers’ and Classified Employees Unions.
Before being named President and CEO, Cristina was Green Dot’s Vice President of Curriculum and Instruction for two years and later served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Academic Officer. Her path toward joining the Green Dot family began when she served as an English and History teacher in the Santa Monica and Malibu School District. Dr. de Jesus earned National Board Certification in Early Adolescent/English Language Arts and has a Master of Education, a Master of Education Administration, and a doctorate in educational leadership from UCLA.
Cristina is frequently featured on the CharterNation Changemakers Podcast and L.A. Downtown News, Cal Matters, ed post, the Los Angeles Daily News, and Fox11.
Dr. Cristina de Jesus is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Green Dot Public Schools California, a non-profit network of free public charter schools in Los Angeles. Having originally joined Green Dot as the founding principal at Ánimo Inglewood Charter High School in 2002, she has helped build the foundation of Green Dot’s success with a role in nearly every initiative. As CEO, she oversees all of our middle and high schools across Los Angeles and plays an integral role in collaborating with Green Dot’s Teachers’ and Classified Employees Unions.
Organizational Leaders
Annette Gonzalez
Chief Education Officer
Leilani Abulon
Chief Academic Officer
Michael Lopez
Chief Financial Officer
Ken Tyrrell
Chief Operations Officer
Dr. Gordon Gibbings
Chief of Schools
Annabelle Moskowitz
Chief of Staff
Samantha Matamoros
Vice President of People
Damon Hands
Vice President of Education
Neal Brandenburg
General Counsel, Registered In-House
Dr. Alyce Prentice
Area Superintendent
Dr. Chaleese Norman
Area Superintendent
Taiala Carvalho Regnier
Area Superintendent
Xochitl Avellán
Area Superintendent
Janneth Johnson Smith
Senior Director of Counseling and College Persistence
Kris Terry
Senior Director of African American Student Achievement and Equity
Leona Matthews
Senior Director of Literacy and ELD Programs
Dr. Susana Campo
Senior Director of Special Education & Psychological Services
Michael Garner
Vice President of Technology
Jose Jauregui
Senior Director of Information Technology
Manny A. Aceves
Vice President of Development
Bios
Annette Gonzalez
Chief Education Officer
Annette Gonzalez serves as the Chief Education Officer for Green Dot. She previously served as the organization’s Vice President of Education. Annette oversees the Chief of Schools, Chief Academic Officer, and Vice President of Education, supporting all of Green Dot’s schools. She directly leads the development of curriculum and assessments and coaching services for teachers, championing Green Dot’s vision of a highly effective teacher in every classroom.
Annette has performed many roles since she joined the organization. She has served as a Cluster Director and was both the Assistant Principal and Principal of Ánimo Inglewood Charter High School, where she was also the founding ninth grade English teacher. Annette began her career in education as an English language arts and History teacher at Lincoln Middle School in the Santa Monica and Malibu Unified School District and was Nationally Board Certified in 2001 in Early Adolescent English Language Arts.
Annette earned her undergraduate degrees in English and History from the University of California, Riverside, and her master’s degree in administrative education from California State University, Northridge.
Annette has been featured in L.A. Downtown News and is published in EdSource.
Ken Tyrrell
Chief Operations Officer
Ken Tyrrell joined the Green Dot team on March 4, 2024 as our Chief Operations Officer. He has over 15 years of experience leading high-performing operations teams throughout multiple states. Tyrrell has also led operations for some of the best public charter school systems, including BASISed, Great Hearts, and IDEA Public Schools.
During his tenure, Tyrrell contributed to the overall vision, set goals, and developed the teams who would ultimately manage those goals, including enrollment, student recruitment, information technology, and more.
Ken graduated from Virginia Wesleyan University, where he studied management, business, and economics. He grew up in a military family, but spent most of his life in the Southern California area, which he still considers home. His wife is a high-performing high school math teacher and they have two energetic daughters, Hayden (6) and Maddison (8). Ken is relocating from Texas and looks forward to watching his beloved Chargers in person!
Samantha Matamoros
Vice President of People
In her role as Vice President of People, Samantha Matamoros oversees the Human Capital Team and has taken on the role of building and managing Green Dot’s Human Resources department. Samantha joined Green Dot in 2005, serving as a Spanish teacher at Ánimo Venice Charter High School, and continued her work within that community for 10 years as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal, before taking on the role of Director of Human Capital in 2015. Samantha began her career in education as a teacher in the city of Lawndale at Environmental Charter High School.
Samantha earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in Spanish literature and public policy and her master’s degree from Loyola Marymount University.
Leilani Abulon
Chief Academic Officer
Leilani currently serves as the Chief Academic Officer for Green Dot. Prior to that, she served as Vice President of Curriculum and Programs and Area Superintendent. Leilani began her career with Green Dot as a founding teacher of one of our highest performing high schools, Ánimo Inglewood. She served the Inglewood community for 11 years in a variety of roles, including as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal before taking on the role of Area Superintendent in 2013.
Leilani earned her Master of Education from Loyola Marymount University in 2005 and her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2002. She has been featured in a variety of online publications, including EdSource and The Desert Sun.
Leilani currently serves as the Chief Programs Officer for Green Dot Public Schools California. Prior to that, she served as Vice President of Curriculum and Programs and Area Superintendent. Leilani began her career with Green Dot as a founding teacher of one of our highest performing high schools, Ánimo Inglewood.
Dr. Gordon Gibbings
Chief of Schools
As Chief of Schools, Dr. Gordon Gibbings leads the Green Dot team of Area Superintendents who are responsible for the systems of support and development for our school leaders, including hiring, onboarding, coaching, and training. Gordon and his team are responsible for ensuring all schools meet the organization’s rigorous academic and cultural outcome expectations. Prior to his six years as an Area Superintendent with Green Dot, Gordon served as the principal of Ánimo South Los Angeles Charter High School. During his time as principal, the school was awarded by U.S. News & World Report with a prestigious Silver Medal three times for being a high-performing, college-preparatory high school. As principal, he also served as a Green Dot Mentor Principal for new school principals.
Before joining Green Dot, Gordon served as an assistant principal for David Starr Jordan High School in Long Beach, California. He began his teaching career as a fourth and fifth grade teacher at Florence Bixby Elementary School in Long Beach. During his first two years of teaching, he was a member of Teach For America.
Gordon earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, his master’s from the University of California at Berkeley, and his doctorate from the University of Southern California.
Damon Hands
Vice President of Education
As Vice President of Education, Damon ensures the highest quality education for scholars on our campuses and supports the administrative and area superintendent team with student discipline, WASC, and personnel issues. Before joining Green Dot in 2009, Damon worked as a teacher in various schools, including in Anaheim and Long Beach, California, as well as Cali, Colombia, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He then transitioned into administration, serving as assistant principal at Ball Junior High School in Anaheim, California. Damon began his career at Green Dot as an Administrator in Residence and, in 2010, became the founding principal of Ánimo Jefferson Charter Middle School. In 2013, he took on the role of principal of the 9th Grade Academy at Alain LeRoy Locke College Preparatory Academy.
Damon earned his undergraduate degree in English and government from New Mexico State University and his Master of Education from National University. He grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico and lives in Long Beach with his wife Steffie and son Jake.
Michael Lopez
Chief Financial Officer
Michael Lopez serves as the Chief Financial Officer. Prior to his current role, he served as the Vice President of Operations and Finance, Director of Finance and as an Operations and Finance Manager. Michael joined Green Dot Public Schools in 2011. Prior to joining Green Dot, Michael worked in the Treasury department at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority where he worked on a team that modernized the agency’s fare system from paper passes to contactless smart card technology.
Michael earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern California and his Masters of Public Administration from California State University Long Beach.
Annabelle Moskowitz
Chief of Staff
Annabelle serves as the Chief of Staff for Green Dot. She previously served as the Director of Policy and Public Affairs for Green Dot Public Schools, where she led Green Dot’s national, state, and local policy advocacy efforts and maintained relationships with key stakeholders, including elected officials, authorizing districts, and advocacy groups.
Prior to joining Green Dot, Annabelle worked for the New York City Department of Education where she created long-term multi-year strategic roadmaps impacting nearly 2 million scholars. Her projects for the city’s largest boroughs – Queens and the Bronx – included the targeted placement of charter schools in high-need areas, the roll-out of Universal Pre-Kindergarten across boroughs, and other high-impact policy projects yielding systematic impact.
Annabelle earned a master’s degree in public administration from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service and a Master of Education Leadership from the Broad Residency. She earned her undergraduate degrees in political science and Middle Eastern studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Neal Brandenburg
General Counsel, Registered In-House
Neal Brandenburg serves as General Counsel (Registered In-House Counsel) to Green Dot Public Schools. He works closely with Green Dot’s leadership team, providing counsel on a wide range of topics, including charter school governance, labor relations, human resources, student discipline, special education, privacy, contracts, and board governance.
Prior to joining Green Dot, Neal served as Associate Counsel at the New York City Department of Education, where he focused on charter school issues. Neal’s responsibilities included providing legal counsel to the Charter School Office, the authorizer of approximately 40 charter schools, and providing legal advice regarding openings, closings, and co-locations of both district and charter schools. Before working for New York City, Neal worked as a litigator in private practice. Neal began his career as a middle school science teacher at the Cathedral School in New York City.
Neal earned his JD from Fordham University School of Law and his undergraduate degree in biology from Wesleyan University.
Dr. Alyce Prentice
Area Superintendent
Dr. Alyce Prentice serves as an Area Superintendent for five middle and high schools. She leads Green Dot’s Learning Acceleration programs and is deeply committed to Green Dot’s mission to close opportunity gaps for scholars and families. She previously served as the principal of Ánimo Leadership Charter High School, Green Dot’s founding school. Ánimo Leadership became a Gold Ribbon School under her guidance. Alyce joined Green Dot in 2007 as a teacher and continued her journey with the organization as an Administrator in Residence in 2010. Alyce began teaching in South Los Angeles and, during her first two years of teaching, she was a Teach for America corps member.
Alyce earned her undergraduate degree in English at the University of Oregon Clark Honors College, her master’s degree from the UCLA Principal Leadership Institute. She has a doctorate in educational leadership from Loyola Marymount University.
Taiala Carvalho Regnier
Area Superintendent
Taiala joined the Green Dot family in 2006 as a math teacher at Ánimo South Los Angeles Charter High School. For the past seven years, she served the community as an administrator and is deeply committed to serving all scholars while they prepare for college, leadership, and life. She currently serves as an Area Superintendent.
Taiala earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of Minnesota and her master’s degree in applied and computational mathematics from the California Institute of Technology. She also has a master’s degree in secondary education from Loyola Marymount University.
Dr. Chaleese Norman
Area Superintendent
Dr. Chaleese Norman has served in a variety of roles throughout her career in education. She was a special education consultant for district and charter schools, a professional development and professional dialogue facilitator on serving marginalized scholars across districts, a principal, and a coordinator of special education programming under LAUSD and other charters.
Chaleese helped pave the way for many new teachers and budding leaders. She served as the founding principal of Ánimo Compton Charter School and recently transitioned into her role as an area superintendent for Green Dot, where she is responsible for the oversight and support of a portfolio of schools. Under her leadership, Ánimo Compton was recently selected as a recipient of a quarter-million-dollar innovation grant to focus on student empowerment and leadership.
Chaleese completed her undergraduate degree at Howard University and earned her master’s degrees from Loyola Marymount and California State University, Northridge. She also has a doctorate in educational leadership from California State University, Long Beach.
Xochitl Avellán
Area Superintendent
Xochitl Avellán serves as Area Superintendent at Green Dot. She is responsible for the oversight and support of a portfolio of schools at Green Dot as well as the oversight of Green Dot’s state-accredited Administrator-in-Residence Program and state-accredited Clear Administrative Services Credential Program. She served as the principal at Ánimo Ralph Bunche Charter High School from 2007 to 2014, prior to which she was the founding assistant principal at a sister Green Dot school.
Xochitl is the recipient of the 2014 Principal of the Year, Green Dot Dotty award. In 1997, Xochitl began her career as a math teacher at Berendo Middle School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She then became an English teacher and served as a literacy coach at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights. Xochitl was Nationally Board Certified in 2003 in English Language Arts/Adolescence and Young Adulthood.
Xochitl earned her undergraduate degree in English literature from the University of California, Berkeley, and her master’s degree in educational leadership and policy at California State University Northridge.
Janneth Johnson Smith
Senior Director of Counseling and College Persistence
As the Senior Director of Counseling and College Persistence, Janneth Johnson Smith leads Green Dot’s School Counseling, Clinical Services’ Social Work, McKinney-Vento, Foster Youth, and College Persistence programs. Janneth and her team focus on “To and Through” strategies to ensure scholars have equitable resources to address barriers to apply, enroll, attend, and succeed in college. These strategies focus on high-quality college advising, mental health wellness, and support for college persistence.
Previously, Janneth began her career in education as an elementary and middle school teacher. She served as a school counselor at Ánimo Inglewood Charter High School and later became the Director of Counseling for all schools.
Janneth earned her undergraduate degree in anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her Master of Education and Counseling from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
She has been featured in a variety of online publications, including LA Sentinel and EdPost.
Kris Terry
Senior Director of African American Student Achievement and Equity
Kris currently serves as the Senior Director of African American Student Achievement and Equity for Green Dot. Prior to that, she served as the Director of History Programs and the Director of New Teacher Development. Kris’s career at Green Dot began as the founding assistant principal at Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo Charter High School. She later served as principal of Oscar De La Hoya Charter High School and interim principal at Ánimo James B. Taylor Middle School. Before joining the Green Dot family, Kris was a high school history teacher in both the Compton and Inglewood Unified School Districts.
Kris earned her undergraduate degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley and her Master of Education from Pepperdine University.
Leona Matthews
Senior Director of Literacy and ELD Programs
Leona Ching-Matthews currently serves as Senior Director of Literacy and ELD programs, managing and supporting English Learner Development programs, school-wide literacy programs, and English language arts programs across Green Dot schools. She coordinates the work of the literacy curriculum specialists on the literacy team to support professional development, curriculum development, and coaching for ELA teachers.
Leona also leads our English Language Development department, working with our EL Program Coordinators to celebrate and serve the needs of emergent bilinguals, provide professional development to school leaders and teachers, manage and monitor EL related compliance, and develop and refine ELD programs. Before joining Green Dot in 2010, Leona was a High School English teacher and a professional development instructional coach in Centinela Valley Unified School District and a founding teacher at Da Vinci Charter Schools. While teaching, she earned National Board Certification in English Language Arts/Adolescence and Young Adulthood, worked as a content coach for the education program at Mount Saint Mary College, and served as an instructor in the UCLA Teacher Education Program.
Leona earned her undergraduate degree in English and comparative literary studies from Occidental College and her Master of Education from University of California, Los Angeles.
She has been featured in a variety of online publications, including Post News Group.
Dr. Susana Campo
Senior Director of Special Education & Psychological Services
Dr. Susana Campo-Contreras serves as the Senior Director of Special Education and Psychological Services for Green Dot. Susana is responsible for supporting the development, implementation, and monitoring of special education support systems and compliance across our network of 18 schools. Susana leads a team of special education program administrators, special education program specialists, school psychologists, and transition support specialists who are responsible for ensuring all schools are provided with coaching and support to lead special education programs with high-quality service delivery for scholars with disabilities.
Susana began her career in education as a high school special education teacher at Los Angeles High School in 2003. She was a founding member of the teaching staff at Ánimo Pat Brown Charter High in 2006. As a member of the Green Dot Educational Team since 2008, she helped build the foundation of Green Dot’s successful Special Education program, which is known for bringing a robust system of supports to scholars with disabilities in areas of Los Angeles with the highest needs.
Susana earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and her master’s degree from Loyola Marymount University. She has a doctorate in education, with a concentration in K-12 leadership from the University of Southern California.
Michael Garner
Vice President of Technology
As Vice President of Technology, Michael oversees Data & Analytics, Information Systems, and Information Technology. Prior to his current role, he served as the Director of Data & Analytics, Knowledge Management Manager, and as the founding Knowledge Management Analyst for Green Dot in 2008.
Michael earned his BA from the University of California, Los Angeles in Sociology and Political Science.
As Vice President of Technology, Michael oversees Data & Analytics, Information Systems, and Information Technology. Prior to his current role, he served as the Director of Data & Analytics, Knowledge Management Manager, and as the founding Knowledge Management Analyst for Green Dot in 2008.
Jose Jauregui
Senior Director of Information Technology
Jose currently serves as the Senior Director of Information Technology at Green Dot. Prior to this role, he was the Senior Information Technology Manager and Network Administrator. Before joining Green Dot in 2007, Jose worked in the Information Technology department at Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Jose earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Jose currently serves as the Senior Director of Information Technology at Green Dot. Prior to this role, he was the Senior Information Technology Manager and Network Administrator.
Manny A. Aceves
Vice President of Development
Manny A. Aceves is the Vice President of Development for Green Dot Public Schools California. Dr. Aceves provides oversight for strategy and planning to secure external investments that support Green Dot California’s mission of transforming public education.
Before joining Green Dot Public Schools California, Dr. Aceves served as the Chief Program Officer for the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. As a member of the executive leadership team at the Dodgers Foundation, Dr. Aceves provided oversight, vision, and strategy in the areas of programs, grantmaking, and strategic initiatives. Previous to his leadership at the Dodgers Foundation, Dr. Aceves served as the Associate Dean for Strategic Engagement at the Loyola Marymount University School of Education where he was responsible for leading external engagement efforts, supporting relationships with existing partners, and cultivating new and mutually beneficial partnerships that support preparation, professional development, outreach, and impact. Prior to his role at LMU, Dr. Aceves was the Chief External Impact Officer at KIPP SoCal Public Schools. Dr. Aceves oversaw government relations, advocacy and community engagement, development and fundraising, and marketing and communication efforts. Dr. Aceves began his career in education as a middle school classroom teacher in Los Angeles.
Dr. Aceves is also an active leader in numerous organizations. He currently serves on the board of directors for Families in Schools, in addition to serving on the board of directors for Diversity in Leadership Institute. He is also an active member of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC). Previously, he served on the board of visitors for the Loyola Marymount University School of Education, board of directors for Brightstar Schools, WISH Charter, advisory board for Playa Vista Elementary School, and on the advisory committee for the California Educator Diversity Research Project at the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. Dr. Aceves was also a founding and former board member for the Teach for America Los Angeles Associates Board.
Dr. Aceves is a proud first-generation college graduate. He is a triple alumnus of LMU, receiving his Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership for Social Justice, Master of Arts in School Administration, and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He also holds California credentials in both teaching and administration.
Manny A. Aceves is the Vice President of Development for Green Dot Public Schools California. Dr. Aceves provides oversight for strategy and planning to secure external investments that support Green Dot California’s mission of transforming public education.
Before joining Green Dot Public Schools California, Dr. Aceves served as the Chief Program Officer for the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. As a member of the executive leadership team at the Dodgers Foundation, Dr. Aceves provided oversight, vision, and strategy in the areas of programs, grantmaking, and strategic initiatives. Previous to his leadership at the Dodgers Foundation, Dr. Aceves served as the Associate Dean for Strategic Engagement at the Loyola Marymount University School of Education where he was responsible for leading external engagement efforts, supporting relationships with existing partners, and cultivating new and mutually beneficial partnerships that support preparation, professional development, outreach, and impact. Prior to his role at LMU, Dr. Aceves was the Chief External Impact Officer at KIPP SoCal Public Schools. Dr. Aceves oversaw government relations, advocacy and community engagement, development and fundraising, and marketing and communication efforts. Dr. Aceves began his career in education as a middle school classroom teacher in Los Angeles.
Dr. Aceves is also an active leader in numerous organizations. He currently serves on the board of directors for Families in Schools, in addition to serving on the board of directors for Diversity in Leadership Institute. He is also an active member of Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC). Previously, he served on the board of visitors for the Loyola Marymount University School of Education, board of directors for Brightstar Schools, WISH Charter, advisory board for Playa Vista Elementary School, and on the advisory committee for the California Educator Diversity Research Project at the UCLA Center for the Transformation of Schools. Dr. Aceves was also a founding and former board member for the Teach for America Los Angeles Associates Board.
Dr. Aceves is a proud first-generation college graduate. He is a triple alumnus of LMU, receiving his Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership for Social Justice, Master of Arts in School Administration, and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He also holds California credentials in both teaching and administration.
