Board of Directors
The New LA Board of Directors are volunteers who govern the school. The board meets monthly throughout the school year. Meetings are held at the school and are open to the public.
Jonathan J. López, Board Chair
In 2022, Jonathan J. López, Ed.D. took on the Managing Director, Charter Schools role at Para Los Niños. In this role, Jonathan collaborates with PLN Charter Schools Leadership to continue building upon a culture of growth, achievement, support, and holistic success for all students and staff. Prior to working at Para Los Niños, Jonathan worked in various K-16 public education settings including Arizona State University’s campus in Downtown Los Angeles, City Year Los Angeles, Camino Nuevo Charter Academy, Teach For America, and the Los Angeles Unified School District. Jonathan received a Doctorate in Educational Leadership at the University of California, Los Angeles. When he is not indulging his professional passions, he is joyously raising his daughter and admiring her warrior’s spirit.
Matt Albert, Treasurer
Matt Albert, Ed.D., founded and ran New Los Angeles Charter Schools for over a decade. The schools are independent public charter schools serving 600 students in grades K-8. The students who attend the schools are almost entirely low income and non-White. Prior to founding New LA, Dr. Albert was a school administrator and high school teacher at a highly respected independent school in Los Angeles. A well-known professional, Dr. Albert helped develop a school leadership certificate program at UCLA Extension and teaches organizational leadership in the program. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Center for Reflective Communities, a non-profit organization that develops a caregiver’s reflective capacity in order to improve the life-long developmental outcomes for all children but most especially those growing up in adverse circumstances. He has two school age children and lives in Los Angeles, CA.
Alan-Michael Graves, Board Member
Dr. Alan-Michael S. Graves serves as the Director of National Programs for the Good Plus Foundation where he focuses on a broad range of multidisciplinary activities, from research and program development to training and advocacy for policy change. Alan-Michael has worked in the human services field, with extensive experience as a manager and administrator, for both public and private agencies, for the past 15 years. He has brought these diverse perspectives to his work helping agencies develop, implement and evaluate inter-agency systems of care, family partnerships and community programming. Engaging parents to utilize effective strategies to significantly and positively impact the lives of their children is a passion of Alan Michael.
Allison Arkin, Secretary
Allison Arkin is an experienced Los Angeles litigator and special education attorney who focuses her practice exclusively on special education law. Ms. Arkin has extensive experience working with parents of special needs children with a wide range of disabilities, helping them obtain appropriate services from both school districts and regional centers. She received her J.D. from Fordham Law School, and attended Wesleyan University for her undergraduate work. As a mother of two, Ms. Arkin is passionate about every child's right to receive an appropriate education, and she works tirelessly to ensure that each child receives the best possible services.
Bari Sherman Cooper, Board Member
Bari Cooper Sherman is a co-founder of Turner Impact Capital, one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing social impact investment firms. Bari serves as Turner Impact’s General Counsel and oversees the day-to-day legal aspects of Turner Impact’s business and strategic planning as well as all fund formations and investor partnerships and negotiations. Bari has been a practicing attorney since 1990. In addition to serving on the New LA board, Bari is the board chair of LCS Support Corporation, a corporation formed to support operational, facilities, and philanthropic needs of Larchmont Charter School, a Los Angeles-based charter school operator serving TK-12th grade students.
Crystal Day, Board Member
Crystal Day is an enrollment management strategist with a solid 13-year history in both the public charter and independent sectors. Within the charter sector, she has held positions as the Director of Strategic Enrollment for Camino Nuevo Charter Academy and the Director of Admission and Community Engagement for Intellectual Virtues Academy. Crystal has also led enrollment management in the independent sector at Westerly School and Wildwood School. Crystal's extensive background in implementing best practices, providing enrollment coaching, spearheading innovative outreach and recruitment strategies, data-analysis and partnership development, is underpinned by her firm belief that full enrollment is crucial for optimal school and student outcomes. Her passion and history lie in advocating for an education that prioritizes academic growth, character development, and equity. She believes in removing barriers and creating access points for students to find an environment where they can thrive. Crystal holds a graduate degree in enrollment management and policy from USC and a bachelor's degree in sociology from California State University, Fullerton. Crystal resides in Long Beach with her two children.
Allegra Brown, Board Member
Allegra Mercedes Brown brings 20 years of experience working in culturally responsive learning and development to support innovative, equity-driven leaders as an executive coach, facilitator, and designer of professional learning. While she currently works with leaders from all sectors, she spent the majority of her career in public education. Allegra has taught K-12 students in Liberty City, Miami; Harlem, NY; and Huntington Park, Los Angeles. She also spent a decade working with educational leaders in arts-education organizations, charter networks, and traditional public schools across Los Angeles. She has worked with organizations including Harlem Children's Zone, U.S. Department of Education, L.A. County Department of Arts and Culture, L.A. County Office of Education, U.C.L.A. Math Project, and the California State University Chancellor’s Office. Allegra is currently on faculty at California State University, Dominguez Hills, where she teaches courses on the design thinking curriculum from Stanford d.school and courses on race and equity. She also serves on the board for the Arts for Healing and Justice Network. She holds a B.A. from Columbia University, an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a PCC credential from the International Coaching Federation.