students of every age. She has received a number of administrative excellence awards, has been named Woman of the Year and Educator of the Year by several civic and professional organizations, was named California Professor of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators in 2002, and, in 2007, received the California Charter Schools Association Hart Vision Award as California Volunteer of the Year.
Dr. Adams' passion is education - teaching and learning - a lifelong commitment reaffirmed by her license plate which reads "Love for Learning".
Now, semi-retired, Dr. Adams devotes much of her time to University Charter Schools as founder, Board member, and chair of the schools' capital campaign for constructing a permanent PreK-8 facility on the CSU Channel Islands campus. She enjoys the opportunities to work in a variety of school, district, and non-profit settings afforded by her education and management consulting firm, The Adams Group, as well as both professional and personal international travel with husband and retired English teacher, Ron.
Dr. Adams continues her high level of support and dedication to the vision and mission of PUC schools and applauds the extraordinarily creative and productive energy and tireless efforts of Co-Founders, Jacqueline Elliot and Ref Rodriguez on behalf of children.
John D. Biroc, Ph.D.
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Dr. Biroc received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at the University of Southern California. Currently, Dr. Biroc is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, CA. He also has a Private Coaching/Therapy Practice in Encino, CA.
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Ed A. Palmer
Senior Vice President, Industrial Services Group at Grubb & Ellis
Ed Palmer has been associated with the Grubb & Ellis Company since 1978 where he primarily has been involved in the sale and leasing of major industrial/commercial type properties in Los Angeles and East San Fernando Valley. He is currently the Senior Vice President of the Industrial Services Group at Grubb & Ellis. Mr. Palmer is a long-standing member of the America Industrial Real Estate Associate, and Los Angeles Board of Realtors. Mr. Palmer attended Arizona State University where he served as a page at the Arizona State House of Representatives.
Jacqueline Elliot, Ed.D
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
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Dr. Elliot has been dedicated to public school reform since 1986 when she first became a teacher in Pacoima, California. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology, a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential, an Administrative Credential, a Master's degree in Educational Administration and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Change. As a former LAUSD employee, Jacqueline Elliot was driven by an intense desire to improve the state of public education. She first became acquainted with the charter school movement in 1994 while serving as a teacher leader at Montague Elementary when she co-authored the school’s petition that converted Montague to charter
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status. Dedicated to creating high quality charter schools for the students in Pacoima, she founded Community Charter Middle School (CCMS) in 1999. The school was the first charter middle school to serve students in Los Angeles and was so successful and well received by the community, that Dr. Elliot subsequently founded three more schools to serve the same geographic area. Dr. Elliot began collaborating with Dr. Ref Rodriguez in 1998. Together they have collaborated and supported each other's efforts while co-founding and operating Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC) which now has a total of 12 schools. In addition to serving as CEO of PUC, Dr. Elliot currently serves as an elected representative to the California Charter Schools Association Membership Council and also serves on the Association's 501C4 board. In addition, she serves on the board of the Multicultural Learning Center, a charter school in Canoga Park, California. Dr. Elliot is also an adjunct professor in the Education Department at Loyola Marymount University.
Ref Rodriguez, Ed.D
President & CEO, Partners for Developing Futures
Co-Founder and Corporate Treasurer
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Dr. Rodriguez is President and CEO of Partners for Developing Futures (Partners). Partners is a social venture investment fund that primarily invests in high-potential, early-stage minority-led charter schools and charter school networks that serve underserved students. Partners' mission is to efficiently identify, recruit, and support leaders of color in creating and growing high-quality charter schools and charter school networks.
Prior to joining Partners, Ref was Co-Chief Executive Officer of Partnerships to Uplift Communities (PUC), a charter school management organization serving communities in the Northeast San Fernando Valley
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Angeles. During his tenure, PUC developed 10 schools and became a well regarded charter management organization in California. Ref's original inspiration for starting a charter school was to offer high quality learning experiences for youth in the predominantly Latino working class community where he grew up. His outrage for being considered "fortunate" for having graduated from college because of his socio-economic background is what drives him to create and support schools where college graduation is an expectation for all. Before joining the charter schools movement, Ref worked in the business sector and as a teacher and administrator in Catholic parochial schools. He is the first of five children of Mexican immigrants to graduate from college.
Ref is adjunct professor in the School of Education at his alma mater, Loyola Marymount University where we helped develop a Master's and Administrative Credential Program for aspiring leaders in Charter Schools. He served as a Board member of the California Charter Schools Association. He is a fellow of the Aspen Institute-NewSchools Entrepreneurial Leaders for Public Education, Class of 2007.
