Board of Directors

 

Chair

 

 

David Gidlow’s involvement with Camino Nuevo Charter Academy began in 2013 when he volunteered to work in the College Center at our Dalzell Lance High School. David mentors seniors through the college application process. As a result of this work, he was invited to join the CNCA Board of Directors in 2016, and became Secretary of the board in 2018. In addition to his work our high school, in 2016 David began volunteering as a college counselor with the program College Match, which serves gifted high school students in underserved communities throughout Los Angeles. As the College Match counselor for Dalzell Lance, David has supported students in their journey to colleges such as, Harvard, Brown, Stanford, Middlebury, Wellesley, Tufts, UCLA and Berkeley. Recognizing that the journey to college does not end with high school graduation, David maintains connections with former CNCA students and serves as an informal mentor during and after their college experience. David is also an active member of the CNCA Scholarship committee.  
 
David is a retired executive in the apparel industry where he specialized in product development and supply chain management.  He has worked for a mix of large corporations including Warner Bros. and Macy's as well as smaller, entrepreneurial companies such as BUM Equipment and Babystyle. He has traveled extensively in Asia, Latin America, and Europe. A native of St. Louis, David earned a B.A. in Political Science from Occidental College, and an MBA in Marketing from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA. 

Treasurer 

 

 

Gil Flores is a Vice President, Senior Relationship Manager for City National Bank’s Commercial Banking Group. Gil leads a team of financial specialists who deliver credit and treasury management solutions for privately held companies with revenues ranging from $20 million to $300 million annually. Gil is a seasoned relationship manager with over 20 years in the banking industry. He is an effective problem solver focused on delivering tailored financial solutions to growing companies. Prior to joining City National Bank, Gil was employed at Bank of America and prior to that was employed at Wells Fargo Bank. Gil is active in his community, volunteering at various food banks throughout Greater Los Angeles and through City National Bank is a member of the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership. Gil grew up in Los Angeles near the mid-Wilshire area after emigrating as a teenager from Nicaragua. He graduated from the University of Phoenix in Los Angeles, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business-Accounting. He resides in Upland, CA with his wife and three sons.

 

 

 

Celia Garcia Alvarado has been working in the field of education for 20 years and is the Executive Vice President of Education for the Cesar Chavez Foundation. She began her career as an educator in the Los Angeles Unified School District and in 2003 was named Teacher of the Year. She has served as Vice President of Corps Member and Alumni Impact for Teach For America and before that was the Executive Director of the Western Region for Education Pioneers. Currently, Celia is an adjunct faculty member at Loyola Marymount University’s Graduate School of Education. She earned her B.A. from Stanford University, her Ed.M. from Harvard University and Ed.D. from UCLA.

 

 

 

 

Lida Jennings is the Executive Director of Teach For America (TFA) Los Angeles. She joined TFA in 2010 with 20 years of experience in the higher education and corporate retail sectors. Most recently, Lida served as assistant dean at the RAND Corporation, following nine years as the director of the full-time MBA Program at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. Before relocating to Los Angeles for graduate school, she held a series of leadership roles at Macy’s and The Gap in San Francisco. At TFA, Lida has held multiple roles on the leadership team, including Managing Director of Strategy, Talent, and Operations, and Managing Director of District and School Partnerships. Lida earned her BA in psychology from Smith College, MBA from USC Marshall School of Business, and Doctorate in Education from the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. Lida has extensive experience volunteering for nonprofit organizations throughout California.

Elena Lopez
Secretary

 

Elena Lopez has been working in the field of education for nearly 20 years and is currently the Senior Manager of Professional Learning for the California Science Center Foundation. She began her career in the field of early childhood education as an educator and director for private and state preschools and later extended her career experience as a bilingual elementary teacher. Elena received a Bachelor's of Science degree and a teaching credential from the University of California, Fullerton.

 

Jazmin Ortega is currently a Director of Fiscal Service for San Gabriel USD for over 2 years. She previously worked as an Auditor for over 6 years at Clifton Larson Allen, LLP. She was part of a team that focused in providing services to Non-Profits, Higher Education, and most importantly, Charter Schools. This led to her passion for education and assisting those organizations that need guidance in finance and accounting. Jazmin earned her B.A. in Business Administration: Accounting from CSU San Bernardino and is currently an M.B.A student at Cal Poly Pomona.

 

Since her retirement from work in marketing and market research 25 years ago, Tamara Powers has focused her non-parenting efforts on championing education and children’s well-being. In addition to her work with the Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, Ms. Powers also supports the work of other local nonprofits. She has been actively involved for over 20 years with The Children’s Partnership, a children’s advocacy and research organization. She also is active with the Richstone Family Center, an organization that focuses on preventing and treating child abuse. Ms. Powers has served on the board of The Wonder of Reading, a literacy organization that helped build over 200 libraries in local public elementary schools. She also was on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of the Los Angeles Harbor, Get Lit-Words Ignite, and Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. In 2013, she chaired the Grant Screening Board for the Everyday Foundation, a women’s foundation that makes a $1 million grant each year to a child-based organization in the LA area. Ms. Powers holds a bachelor’s in economics from Stanford and an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.

 

 

Founder and Board President Emeritus

 

Dr. Philip Lance is a nationally recognized leader in the field of community development with extensive experience in community organizing, fundraising, and nonprofit management. In addition to being a founder of Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, Philip served as its Board President for 16 years. He also founded and led Pueblo Nuevo Development, a non-profit community development corporation, from 1993 to 2016. In this capacity, he raised $32 million from private philanthropy to help build the Camino Nuevo school facilities. Philip is an ordained minister in the Episcopal Church and currently works as a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice.

Co-Founder and Board Emeritus

 

Paul Cummins has devoted his life to creating opportunities for children from all backgrounds to have access to quality education that engages them, respects them, and inspires them to develop a lifelong passion for learning. In 1971, he co-founded Crossroads School in Santa Monica and, under his leadership, the school became one of the most successful educational institutions in Los Angeles and a national model for innovative, independent schools. In 1995, Mr. Cummins stepped down as Headmaster of Crossroads and formed New Visions Foundation (now Coalition for Engaged Education) to offer opportunities for Engaged Education to all youth. Mr. Cummins has since implemented a number of innovative programs to help children at risk. He earned a B.A. from Stanford University, his MAT from Harvard, and his doctorate from the University of Southern California. He has served as a trustee on over 20 boards. Mr. Cummins and his wife Mary Ann reside in Santa Monica. They have four daughters and five grandchildren.

 

Ronnie Arenas is a Senior Associate Attorney in the Los Angeles Office of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP. He devotes his practice to defending employers in complex wage and hour class actions and single-plaintiff actions alleging discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and other employment-related matters. Ronnie also counsels employers regarding California and federal employment law and provides effective bilingual employment and safety training programs

At his prior law firm, Ronnie represented public employers and municipalities, where he focused his practice on public safety and public education. As such, Ronnie has significant experience representing public school districts, community colleges, and universities in labor and employment matters.

Ronnie is a child of Guatemalan immigrants, a first-generation attorney, and a first-generation college graduate. He holds a juris doctorate from Southwestern Law School and a bachelor’s in political science and urban planning from the University of California, Irvine.

Coming Soon

Coming Soon