Our Board
GPSN's board brings together leaders from across greater Los Angeles who are committed to the belief that every student deserves a great public education.
Lindsey Kozberg founded Koz + Effect, LLC in 2024 to put her three decades of experience in the public, private and nonprofit sector to work for philanthropists and nonprofits looking for strategic counsel. She was most recently with The Smidt Foundation, a private charitable foundation supporting courageous people building, repairing and making communities safe. Lindsey has led strategic communications and government relations at the nonpartisan RAND Corporation and at Truth Initiative, the public health foundation dedicated to ending tobacco use. During the George W. Bush Administration she was Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Education and a White House special assistant responsible for advancing national service and civic engagement. Lindsey supports the growth of excellent and equitable schools and systems by serving on the boards of ExED, GPSN, the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, and Coro Southern California.
Brian Bauer is the founding Executive Director of Granada Hills Charter School, a TK-12 independent charter school serving approximately 6,000 students. [more] Mr. Bauer began his career at Granada in 2000 as the high school’s principal, and led the school’s successful conversion to an independent charter school in 2003. Mr. Bauer began his teaching career in the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1991, teaching ESL, English, and Spanish at Bell and Manual Arts High Schools, and then as an Assistant Principal at Locke and Franklin High Schools. Mr. Bauer served on the California State Board of Education’s Advisory Commission on Charter Schools (ACCS) from 2008 to 2018, and as its chair since 2009.
Oscar E. Cruz, chief executive officer of Citizen Schools, has more than 20 years of non-profit experience. [more] Most recently, Oscar served as chief operating officer at United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Previously, Oscar was the president and chief executive officer of Families In Schools. He also served as a program director for Community Partners, and as senior program manager at the Center for Civic Education. He holds a Master of Arts in Latin American studies from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and Latin American studies from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Ari Engelberg has expertise in educational leadership and fundraising and has been teaching and coaching at Harvard-Westlake School for the past 14 years. [more] He was also the Executive Director at Bright Star Schools from 2007 to 2015. Prior to being a teacher at Harvard, he co-founded Archive and served as its SVP of Corporate Development. Ari holds a B.A. in Political Science and Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, a JD from the UCLA School of Law, and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA.
Magaly Lavadenz, Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor and founding Executive Director of the Center for Equity for English Learners in the School of Education at Loyola Marymount University. [more] Her K-12 teaching career includes serving as a Bilingual Paraprofessional, Elementary Bilingual Educator, and as a K-12 English as a Second Language Teacher Specialist. She has held various leadership positions as President of Californians Together, California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE), the California Association for Bilingual Teacher Education, and the California Council on Teacher Education.
Erica Lim is a Senior Program Officer at The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, managing the Skills for the New Economy portfolio to equip Los Angeles youth with the skills and experiences necessary to thrive and achieve upward economic mobility. [more] Erica previously served as the Senior Advisor to the Chief Academic Officer of the Los Angeles Unified School District, advising on strategic planning and policy. She is a National Board-certified teacher and former High School Dean of Curriculum and Instruction with Uncommon Schools in Brooklyn, NY. Erica holds a Doctor of Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Azad is the Co-Founder and former CEO of Global School Leaders (GSL), a non-profit that strengthens school leadership to improve learning outcomes for marginalized students across the Global South. [more] A seasoned leader in venture philanthropy and systemic reform, Azad previously served as the founding Executive Director of the Central Square Foundation (CSF) in India. He serves on the Boards of Global School Leaders, the Congressional Hunger Center, and the International Foundation for Social Impact, and holds a Master’s in Public Affairs from Princeton University.
Archana Patel is the Vice President of Parent Programming for Jeremiah Program. [more] She is also an executive coach who works with senior and executive-level leaders of color to help them define their personal brand of leadership. Archana’s over 20 year career in education and postsecondary success started in K-12 schools, where she taught, led, and supported school systems across the country, most recently as the Senior Director of the Broad Academy Program, with the Broad Center. She serves on the boards of GPSN and Citizens of the World Charter Los Angeles.