JULIE GREEN

Service Champion

Julie Green is a college graduate with degrees in Environmental Studies with a minor in Communication. Julie was part of the Crew Program at Options for Youth in San Juan as part of an 18- month program. She participated in college readiness classes, team-building workshops, field trips, community service events, and compete to earn college scholarships. She was awarded $18,000 Scholarship to California State University, San Marcos. Julie also has been a part of the outdoor education program, earning community service hours at Rocky Mountain Pathways Ranch, Pathway Travels. She currently works for Agilent Technologies manufacturing gas chromatography products which are used to ensure the safety, quality and purity of our food, air, water and pharmaceuticals.

Jim Griffin

JIM GRIFFIN

President, Momentum Strategy & Research
Former President of the Colorado League of Charter Schools

Jim Griffin is the founding President and leads all strategic initiatives—providing outreach to partners and participating organizations and testimony on MSR’s research results. Prior to founding Momentum Strategy & Research, Mr. Griffin was the President of the Colorado League of Charter Schools, a non-profit association of Colorado charter schools.

Mr. Griffin began with the League as a law student volunteer in 1994. At that time, Colorado’s charter law was just a few months old. Mr. Griffin spent the better part of the last 19 years shaping policy in Colorado through legislation, media work, and legal efforts in areas ranging from funding and facilities, to defining and measuring school quality and performance. He has helped launch various first of their kind efforts in areas such as: charter school accountability and evaluation, legal advocacy, facilities financing, teacher quality, group purchasing, and charter school food service.

Mr. Griffin has also been involved in starting and/or advising several national organizations that support and advocate for charter schools, including the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

NORBERT KREUZWE

Norbert Kreuzer is an experienced higher education/post- secondary school professional, with extensive experience for over 14 years. He is also an experienced audio engineer and media creative with internationally award winning production credits. Throughout the 1990’s Norbert was actively working in the music/entertainment industry in Germany, and later in Florida, where he worked with artists such as Backstreet Boys, Mariah Carey, Toni Bennet, Joe Cocker and the Beach Boys. Norbert started his career in education in 2003 as educator at Full Sail University, in Winter Park, FL where he began sharing his professional experience with students in production environments. In 2007, he took over the career services department at the Institute of Production and Recording in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and became its campus director in 2012. In 2016, Norbert relocated to New York City and is currently President/CEO of the Institute of Audio Research in New York, the oldest audio/recording school in the world, where he is responsible for all operations of the institution, including compliance initiatives, marketing and branding campaigns, and curriculum development. Norbert is currently serving as School Commissioner with the national accreditor ACCSC (Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges), where he is also a Panel Chair and Progress Committee Chair. He is also actively involved with the Coalition of New York State Career Schools and is part of an ad-hoc committee, working with New York State Education to revise current regulations.

GARY WILFERT

Gary is a native of Southern California growing up in the Eastern San Gabriel valley. He is married with two sons, three grandchildren and four grand dogs. He enjoys his family, fly fishing and especially his grandchildren.

He comes to us with over thirty years of experience in executive management and consulting; holding senior executive positions in publicly traded and privately owned manufacturing, service, construction, distribution and most recently education companies. His experience includes financial planning and control with high growth, turnaround, and multi-location companies. Gary began his professional career with Price Waterhouse in California and attained certifications as a certified public accountant, certified turnaround professional, certified insolvency and restructuring advisor and a certified forensic financial analyst. He received an undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of San Francisco and a Masters in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

AERIALL WOODHAMS

Volunteer Support Coordinator

Aeriell Lopez is currently working in Grant Management for nonprofits throughout LA County. She graduated from California State University San Marcos with a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology in 2019. She has spent the last 4 years gaining experience in the nonprofit field, specifically in volunteer management, development, and nonprofit programming. Aeriell was a recipient of the Pathways in Education CREW Scholarship in 2014 upon graduating from Options for Youth- San Bernardino.

KARIN NEWLIN

Educational Consultant

Karin is a specialist in curriculum and instruction, systemic change, teambuilding, and leadership training.  With 40+ years of experience, she has participated in all aspects of education. Most recently, Karin worked with community members in the Los Feliz area to found the Los Feliz Charter School for the Arts. Karin pushed LFCSA to be a school that is visionary and innovative, demonstrating first hand that, just as the world has changed and progressed, so must education.

Karin was a professor with the Principal Leadership Institute at UCLA, as well as an educational consultant for the Galef Institute, DesignWorld, Inc., and the Unban Learning Center, working in school districts and corporations throughout the U.S.  In public education, she worked as a teacher, counselor, and served as principal of eight elementary and junior high schools, three of which were identified as California Distinguished Schools during her tenure.

Named California Administrator of the Year and a California Distinguished Principal, Karin was a participating member of Educational Insights, a national education/corporate “Think-Tank,” which gathered leaders from around the country to solve some of the toughest issues plaguing education today.  Additionally, she served on the National Advisory Board for the J. Paul Getty Trust’s, Institute for Education in the Arts, and was a team member for the State Department of Education’s California Restructuring Project.

She received her B.S. in English Literature and her M.S. in Educational Administration from the University of Southern California, and has completed additional course work in the areas of psychological tests and measurement, counseling, and guidance.

AARON PRICE

Aaron Price is a Deputy Sheriff, and previously a Police Officer for the Tehachapi Police Department, and responsible for the oversight of The Code Enforcement Division. Mr. Price plans and organizes comprehensive neighborhood improvement projects while coordinating with multiple departments and divisions. Mr. Price has additional assignments in Patrol Division and as a School Resource Officer. Prior to his role as a Police Officer, Mr. Price has served his community as a Code Enforcement Officer for the Tehachapi Police Department and the City of Palmdale, where he was responsible for civil and criminal enforcement of Municipal Code, and other related laws. Mr. Price attended Pathways College, becoming one of the first graduates of Pathways College, with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. Mr. Price took an interest in bettering his education after getting married and having his first child. He looks forward to contributing to improve the education of others in Pathways College, and advance the goals of Pathways College’s programs to broaden opportunities for youth in the community.

FRANK COVALESKIE

Frank Covaleskie has over 40 years of professional experience. He currently is a self-employed consultant providing business operations and financial management advice and support to his clients. Twenty-five years of his professional experience has been in higher education, which includes ten years as Group Vice President with The Art Institutes (“AI”) and five years as President of The Art Institute of Philadelphia as well as senior level financial management experience with those organizations. In addition to his time in higher education he has held senior level financial management positions with other organizations. Mr. Covaleskie holds a degree in Business Administration from Philadelphia University. He has served on. the boards of the State Board of Private Licensed Schools in Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania Training Assurance Fund and the Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators. He served as a volunteer mentor for SCORE (“a national organization providing support to small businesses”) for over five years and Our Community Salutes (“an organization that each year recognizes current high school graduates who are enlisting United States Military”). He also enjoys boating, golfing, and traveling with his time.