Our board of Directors

Articles of incorporation can be found here

Bylaws can be found here

Isabel Acosta, Vice President, Programs, The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation

Isabel has long been an advocate for high quality public schools, previously serving as a Director at the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, where she co-managed the foundation’s policy work. Isabel has worked as a legislative intern for the Texas House Committee on Higher Education in Austin and as a researcher at the University of Texas Charles A. Dana Center. She served as a research assistant for the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives in Austin, a research team leader for Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas, and a policy intern for the Education Trust-West, where she researched and co-authored briefs on teacher quality and a standard curriculum for all California high school students. Isabel was raised in Los Angeles. Her dedication and passion for education equality comes from being the daughter of an immigrant, a graduate of the UC systems and a mother of two young children.

Monique Earl, Senior Manager, Accenture LLP

Monique Earl is a Senior Manager at Accenture LLP, where she leads local government initiatives focused on organizational change management, transportation, and infrastructure. She brings more than 20 years of experience driving results at the intersection of public policy, civic systems, and institutional leadership.

She served in senior leadership roles for the City of Los Angeles, including Deputy Mayor of Budget and Finance, Chief Deputy Controller, Executive Officer at the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, and Chief Diversity Officer at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. She led budget strategy, strengthened organizational performance, and advanced large-scale institutional transformation across complex public agencies.

A proud Angeleno, Monique holds a Master of Public Administration from American University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from California State University, Northridge. She serves as a board member and active leader with the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative, the Los Angeles Urban League, and the Leimert Park Jazz Festival.

Sophia Echavarria, SEED DC Alumni

Sophia is a SEED School of Washington, D.C., graduate who currently works in the education field in Los Angeles. After graduating SEED, she went on to Princeton University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 2009. Currently, she is a writer and production assistant at Ripple Effects, which is a personalized software to address non-academic barriers to school success. The company provides affordable, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, personalized, evidence-based, digital tools for delivery of social-emotional behavioral supports and training for both students and staff. We are thrilled that a SEED graduate will serve on the board of directors.  

Rod Hamilton, Real Estate Consultant and Attorney

Rod brings significant real estate expertise to the SEED LA board. Prior to joining WRH Advisors, a real estate firm, he was a New School Construction Development Manager with LAUSD from 2000-2010. He was in charge of locating property in the southeastern portion of the district and the San Fernando Valley, to build new schools to relieve decades of overcrowding on campuses. He came to LAUSD after serving as a Vice President for Southern California Development of Catellus Development Corporation. He is an attorney and prior to focus on real estate development was Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at MCA, Inc. Rod is a long-time board member of the Los Angeles Educational Partnership. He has a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a JD degree from Harvard Law School.  

Samuel Herod, CASA of Los Angeles Board Member and J. Paul Getty Trust, Retired

Samuel Herod concluded a remarkable 35-year career in the Entertainment Industry and Art museums in Los Angeles when he retired from the J. Paul Getty Trust in 2012. Notably, his journey took a meaningful turn in 2003, when he became a valued volunteer at CASA of Los Angeles. Through his dedicated service, Samuel garnered numerous accolades for his exceptional contributions to the welfare of youth in care communities.

Samuel influence is perhaps most profoundly seen in the realm of education, where he addressed the sobering statistic of only 50 percent of young people graduating from high school. His involvement allowed him to witness the joy of 15 high school graduations and one college graduation among the youths in the CASA program, a testament to his transformative influence.

Karly Katona, Managing Director, Trifiletti Consulting

Karly leverages more than two decades of public sector experience to advance catalytic community development and infrastructure initiatives across the region. With expertise spanning land use, transportation, and housing policy and large-scale capital delivery, she brings a strong foundation in cross-sector collaboration and complex project management. Prior to joining Trifiletti Consulting, Karly spent over 15 years working in local government, serving both the Second Supervisorial District of the County of Los Angeles and the 10th Council District of the City of Los Angeles, where she coordinated across multiple municipal departments to oversee capital projects and advance policy initiatives. Her work included delivery of the 13-mile Park to Playa Trail, renovation of the 100-acre Magic Johnson Park, numerous redevelopment projects in South Los Angeles, and the creation of thousands of affordable housing units. Today, she continues to advise public and private clients on community development, transportation, and housing initiatives. Karly holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles. She also serves on the Coro California board and as Chair of the MLK Health and Wellness Community Development Corporation.

Jackie Kimbrough, Ph.D., Founding Director of The Children’s Collective, Inc.

Dr. Kimbrough is Founding Director of The Children’s Collective, Inc., a non-profit organization which has provided comprehensive educational and family support services to children and families in Los Angeles since 1972. Adjacent to the SEED LA site, the Children’s Collective serves more than 13,000 children, youth and adults in child development, youth development, family support and health programs. For the past 30 years, she has directed child development and family support programs for low-income African-American and Latino families in South LA. Prior to founding the Children’s Collective, Dr. Kimbrough was a research psychologist at the RAND Corporation examining the impact of federal education programs. Jackie Kimbrough has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and a doctor of philosophy degree in psychology from UCLA.  

Jennifer Price-Letscher, President and CEO, The Ralph M.Parsons Foundation

Jennifer joined the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation in 2011 bringing more than 15 years of nonprofit and philanthropic experience, including leadership and capacity-building roles at the Sterling-Dorman and Whitecap foundations and various positions in arts, education, journalism, outdoor leadership and youth development. She holds a Master’s degree in positive organizational development and change management from Case Western Reserve, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon, and professional certifications in appreciative inquiry, business sustainability, coaching and college counseling. Currently a trustee at the Westside Neighborhood School, Jennifer previously served on the boards of Hill & Dale Family Learning Center and Diavolo Dance Theatre and on the membership committee of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations.  

Ruth Stalford, Founder and Executive Director of Make Good, Inc.

Ruth has been the constant, driving force for starting a SEED school in Los Angeles for more than 15 years. She has been a Hollywood producer, led a very successful annual event called What a Pair! to raise money for breast cancer research, and most recently Ruth started Make Good, Inc. to get books into the hands of underserved students. The Make Good, Inc. nonprofit organization has grown beyond the founder’s expectations. It has given away over 85,000 books and expanded on its holistic vision of literacy to include a shop where transition age foster youth can come shop for clothing and basic necessities free of charge. Ruth brings significant knowledge about the LA County child welfare system and knowledge of philanthropy to address the needs of foster youth, to the SEED LA board of directors.

Mark Wilson, President and CEO, Coalition for Responsible Community Development

Mark Anthony Wilson, Jr. co-founded the Coalition for Responsible Community Development (CRCD) in 2005 and now serves as the agency’s President and CEO. Raised in South Los Angeles, Mark previously served as the Director of the Youth Empowerment Project with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference/Martin Luther King Legacy Association, and the Director of Community Development with the Dunbar Economic Development Corporation.

As the President and CEO of CRCD and CRCD Enterprises, Mark provides leadership on local and national levels to improve the policies, systems, and long-standing neighborhood conditions that impact young people’s lives. In a high-poverty community, Mr. Wilson spearheads effective collaborations with residents, businesses, nonprofits, community colleges, government, and foundations to create real opportunities for youth to stabilize and pursue their dreams and to bring workforce development and affordable housing options to residents of all ages.

Robert Escalante, Founding Attorney, ACLIENT PC

Robert Escalante serves as the founding attorney for ACLIENT PC, a law firm primarily serving individual and institutional clients in California. For over 14 years, his practice has focused largely on areas of business litigation, wage and hour class actions, and traditional labor, handling cases before the National Labor Relations Board, Public Employment Relations Board, and state and federal courts. Robert began his career at Proskauer Rose, where he supported clients in a wide array of industries, including finance, telecommunications, banking, aviation, healthcare, education, and entertainment. From there, Robert transitioned to his previous role as the General Counsel for the largest network of charter schools in Los Angeles. He is also a Captain in the United States Army Reserve.

Approved Charter Authorized by Los Angeles County Office of Education