Principals

Julio Murcia – Ánimo Leadership Charter High School

Julio Murcia was born in Villavicencio, Colombia and immigrated to California when he was eleven years old along with his mother and two younger sisters. He moved to Santa Monica, where he attended John Adams Middle School and Santa Monica High School. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Education from California State University, Northridge, and he received Masters degrees from Loyola Marymount University in Counseling and in Administration.

Julio has worked in education for over 13 years and he says that he "can honestly say that [he] loves what [he] does." He has been a tutor, a teacher, a counselor, an activities director, a bilingual coordinator, an Assistant Principal, and now a Principal. Education is his passion and he intends to continue working in this realm for many years. His ultimate goal is to work to improve academic performance among the Latino community now and in the future.
Leilani Abulon – Ánimo Inglewood Charter High School

Ms. Abulon became the principal of Animo Inglewood in 2008, and was the assistant principal from 2006 to 2008. Prior to becoming the Assistant Principal, Ms. Abulon was a founding teacher at Ánimo Inglewood, where she taught CA History, Read 180, and AP Government for four years. She also served as the history department chair for 3 years and was a mentor teacher for new teachers (first and second year) to Ánimo Inglewood. Ms. Abulon graduated with a bachelors of arts degree in Political Science, with a minor in Spanish Language, from the University of California Los Angeles. She also received her Teaching Credential and Masters Degree in Secondary Education from Loyola Marymount University. She now holds an administrative credential from the state of California.

Harris Luu – Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo Charter High School

Harris Luu's mission in life is to help young immigrants adjust to and succeed in life, as well as to help underserved communities. He first considered accomplishing this as an attorney, but after a stint as a substitute teacher immediately after college, he saw the power in changing public schools to end the gross disparity in resources.
"I really wanted to significantly change the system," says Luu. "I believe that education enables us to build a society that values and rewards the great assets and diversity that immigrants bring to this country."
He has made that difference in the classroom and as an administrator. Luu taught middle school in Hawthorne and taught education classes at Loyola Marymount University before becoming a founding teacher at Oscar De La Hoya Ánimo (ODLHA). He became assistant principal in 2005 and became principal of ODLHA in 2008.
Gordon Gibbings – Ánimo South Los Angeles Charter High School

Gordon Gibbings has served as the Principal of Ànimo South Los Angeles since August of 2007. Previously, Mr. Gibbings was an Assistant Principal at Jordan High School and before that taught elementary school for four years as a member of Teach For America. As Principal, Mr. Gibbings is responsible for serving as the instructional leader of the school; leading professional development; ensuring student and staff safety; managing the budget; evaluating teachers and staff; and working with all stakeholder groups to ensure that they all have a voice in the decision-making process. Mr. Gibbings graduated with a Masters in Educational Policy from the University of California, Berkeley and is currently completing his Doctorate of Education at the University of Southern California.
Blain Watson and Jacob Edwards – Ánimo Venice Charter High School
Josh Hartford – Ánimo Pat Brown Charter High School
Xochitl Avellán – Ánimo Ralph Bunche Charter High School

Xochitl Avellán has served as the Principal of Animo Ralph Bunche since 2008, and before that was the Assistant Principal of Ánimo Justice Charter High School since its opening in August 2006. Ms. Avellán oversaw the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at Ánimo Justice, the first program directly serving recent immigrants at any Green Dot school. Prior to working for Green Dot, Ms. Avellán worked for Los Angeles Unified School District for nine years - six years as an English teacher at the middle school level and three years as a Literacy Coach at the high school level. In addition to teaching, Ms. Avellán was an active member in numerous projects at LAUSD - Reading Program, Saturday School, School Site Council at Berendo Middle School, Community Liaison, 8th Grade Honors Coordinator, School Site Council Chairperson, Department Chair for the English Department at Stevenson Middle School, and Literacy Coach for Local District 5 assigned to Roosevelt High School. Ms. Avellán has vast experience in coordinating and presenting professional development for a variety of audiences. In 2007, she received National Board Certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards in the area of Early Adolescence English / Language Arts. Ms. Avellán received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of California at Berkeley. She received a Masters degree in Educational Administration from California State Northridge University.
Lori Pawinski – Ánimo Jackie Robinson Charter High School

Lori Pawinski has served as the principal of Animo Jackie Robinson since the school's first day in 2006. Dr. Pawinski is an adjunct professor at Loyola Marymount University in the School of Education. Her focus is educational instructional leadership and addressing the issues of race, gender and poverty in urban education. Dr. Pawinski began her teaching career at St. Bernard Catholic High School in Playa del Rey, California. During her tenure of fourteen years, she taught both science and social studies, held several administrative positions and coached the girl's basketball team to 3 state championships. Upon leaving SBHS she served as Administrative Dean at Santa Monica High School for one year. Dr. Pawinski then became an Assistant Principal at Roosevelt High School, where she was responsible for the Small Learning Community Reform effort. She worked closely with students, teachers, parents and the community to establish effective small learning communities to address the low graduation rate of the school. Dr. Pawinski received her bachelor of arts, masters degree from Loyola Marymount. In May 2007 Dr. Pawinski received her doctorate degree from Loyola Marymount in Leadership for Social Justice.
Steve Bachrach – Ánimo Film & Theatre Arts Charter High School
Bio coming soon.
Chad Soleo – Ánimo Justice Charter High School
Angela Beck – Ánimo Locke Tech Charter High School
Sue Jean Foulkes – Ánimo Watts Charter High School
Ms. Sue Jean Foulkes, pronounced “folks,” has been a part of Green Dot since 2005, joining the organization as a teacher at Ànimo Inglewood Charter High School. While at Ànimo Inglewood Ms. Foulkes taught World History, AP World History, Government, Economics, and AP Government. She was also the History Department Chair for two years, and faculty member for the Associate Student Body at Inglewood. Prior to becoming the principal at Watts II, Ms. Foulkes was a Principal in Residence for Green Dot, which was a program geared at preparing her for as a principal with Green Dot. Ms. Foulkes earned her B.A. in History and her teaching credential in Social Studies at the University of California, Irvine, and her M.S. in Education, Reading and Writing at the University of Southern California.
Peggy Gutierrez – Ánimo Locke 1 College Preparatory Academy
Dr. Peggy Gutierrez is the principal of Animo Locke 1. She has been a Principal with Green Dot since June 2007. Previously, Dr. Gutierrez spent 17 years in the Long Beach Unified School District as a math and science teacher, math department chair, math coach, and then as an Assistant Principal. Concurrently, Dr. Gutierrez served as an Adjunct Professor at Cal State Dominguez Hills designing and teaching Methods Courses to newly credentialed teachers in the School of Education. Dr. Gutierrez received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and a Masters of Arts in Linguistics from Cal State Long Beach. She also received a Doctorate Degree in Education from USC.
Rachelle Alexander – Ánimo Locke 2 College Preparatory Academy
Before becoming the principal of Animo Locke 2 in 2008, Ms. Alexander was the founding Assistant Principal of Ánimo South Los Angeles since 2004. Prior to becoming the Assistant Principal, Ms. McClendon-Alexander was a middle school science teacher for nine years for Los Angeles Unified School District. Ms. McClendon-Alexander entered the education arena as a Teach For America corps member in 1995. In this capacity, she serves as an instructional leader. As the Assistant Principal, Ms. McClendon-Alexander has many responsibilities, including but not limited to overseeing teachers and evaluations, planning and executing staff development, parent nights, student clubs, and standardized testing. Ms. Alexander received her bachelors of science degree in Biology Pre-Med, from Spelman College. She received her Professional Clear Teaching Credential from California State University. She also obtained her Administrative Credential and Masters of Science degree in Educational Administration from National University.
Taquan Stewart – Ánimo Locke 3 College Preparatory Academy

Taquan Stewart is the principal of Ánimo Locke 3. He has been a Principal with Green Dot since June 2007. Education is a second career for Mr. Stewart. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from the University of Delaware and serving for a short time as an Interior Ballistician for the United States Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory, Mr. Stewart made the decision to be an educator. He has taught Physics, Earth Science, Biology, Integrated Science, and African- American Studies.

Mr. Stewart received a Master's degree in Education & Administrative Policy Studies from UCLA, and is currently working toward a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the same institution.
Nerine Vernon-Burnside – Ánimo Locke 4 Charter High School

Mrs. Vernon-Burnside, Principal of Animo Locke 4 began her tenure with Green Dot Public Schools at Oscar De La Hoya Animo. In the changing landscape of urban education, she brings a responsive ideology that respects diversity while challenging all students to work diligently on their academic and social growth.

Mrs. Vernon-Burnside is originally from the island of Jamaica. She has a Bachelor's in Business Administration, a Masters in Computer Science Education and is currently working on her Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Her words to live by are "heights by great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight, but they while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night."

Phillip Schwenk – Ánimo Locke ACE Academy

Phillip Schwenk has been an educator in the Los Angeles area since 1996. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) with a Bachelor of Science in Economics in 1995, he moved to the Los Angeles area and began teaching. He was a social studies teacher for 11 years and has been a high school administrator for the past 5 years. He holds Master of Arts degrees from California State University, Los Angeles (Education Foundations, teaching credential) and California State University, Long Beach (Education Administration, administration credential). Phillip's passion for students and their academic success, and his interest in preparing students for college and life, led him to become part of the Green Dot family in 2008 as a Principal in Residence. In February 2009, he was named the principal of Animo Locke ACE Academy. The ACE Academy will be opening with its first group of freshman students September 2009.

Ashish Kapadia – Green Dot New York Charter School

Ashish Kapadia has spent over ten years working in the South Bronx as a high school social studies teacher, assistant principal, and founding principal of Green Dot's first school outside of the Los Angeles area.  He is a graduate of the University of Chicago, with graduate degrees from New York University and Queens College.
Green Dot New York Charter School is the product of collaboration with the United Federation of Teachers, serving disadvantaged students in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx as it prepares them for college, leadership, and life.
Veronica Coleman – Locke Launch to College Academies

Veronica ("Ronnie") Coleman began her career at Poly H.S. in Long Beach, CA teaching English and English electives. In addition she also taught RSP and Algebra. She became dean and then an Assistant Principal in Long Beach for two years before making the move to Green Dot. She has been with Green Dot since June 2007 as a "Principal in Residence" assisting the Green Dot Education Team with key initiatives . She is now principal of the two Locke Launch to College Academies. She is assisted by assistant principals Zeus Cubias and Charles Boulden.