Board of Trustees
BOARD CONTACT INFORMATION
If you would like to contact the PUC Schools Boards of Trustees, please email [email protected].
BOARD MEMBERS
DR. JUANA MARIA VALDIVIA, BOARD CHAIR
Director of Student Outreach and Recruitment, California State University, Northridge
Juana Maria Valdivia was born in Pacoima where she currently resides. She is the youngest of nine children raised by hard working parents who migrated from Guanajuato, Mexico. Though her parents did not speak English and only completed some grammar school, they knew an education would make a difference in the lives of their children. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts and a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy studies from California State University Northridge (CSUN), where she currently serves as the Director of Student Outreach and Recruitment. She has worked in the field of higher education for more than 18 years, promoting college awareness to students and parents. She is a proud parent of a current student at PUC Triumph Charter High School as well as an alumna of the same school who now attends university.
MS. SARAH GRAMS, BOARD VICE PRESIDENT
Executive Vice President of Education, Cesar Chavez Foundation
Sarah Grams is a former middle school teacher, PreK-12 teacher coach and high school administrator, with education roots in Baltimore, Milwaukee and Los Angeles public schools. Sarah received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her M.A. in Education from the Johns Hopkins University. Sarah specializes in teacher coaching and instruction, with deep experience in equity-focused educational leadership. Sarah currently works as the Executive Vice President of Education at the Cesar Chavez Foundation, responsible for overseeing the organization’s growth across the Southwest providing programs that educate students’ hearts and minds, from afterschool programs to PreK-8 curricula and teacher trainings. Sarah lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three amazing children.
DR. MONICA MONGE-GARCIA, BOARD SECRETARY
Dean of Student Learning, Moorpark College, Moorpark, CA
Monica Monge-Garcia is a native of the San Fernando Valley. Born and raised in Pacoima and San Fernando, Mrs. Monge-Garcia attended the local area public schools. She attended Los Angeles Mission College before transferring to Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s of Arts Degrees in Human Development with a specialization in Social Change. Mrs. Monge-Garcia has worked in higher education for the last 18 years. Currently, as a Dean at Moorpark College, her areas include English, Humanities, ESL credit/noncredit, Student Activities, Student Conduct and chairs the Behavioral Intervention Team. She is now ecstatic that she has the whole spectrum of education as a board member for PUC Schools. Her passion is in providing access to education to children and adults and being a board member allows her to serve her community.
MR. XAVIER REYES, BOARD MEMBER
Founder & CEO, Alta Public Schools, Los Angeles, CA
Mr. Reyes is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Alta Public Schools, open-admission, tuition-free, public, International Baccalaureate charter schools that serve inner-city Los Angeles students. Mr. Reyes previously served at the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) as the Director of School Development and Outreach. In his capacity at the CCSA, he created and administered a statewide program called Charter Launch that trained and assisted charter school development teams to start their schools in San Diego, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Fresno, San Bernardino and Oakland. Before his tenure at CCSA, Mr. Reyes worked at the LAUSD as a New Facilities Outreach Organizer concentrating in the South and Southeast part of LAUSD as part of a new schools development team. He also has over fifteen years of marketing and business development management experience.
MR. JOSH KINOSHITA, BOARD MEMBER
Education Consultant and Leadership Coach
Josh Kinoshita is an education consultant, leadership coach, and school leader with more than 20 years of experience in Los Angeles schools. He began his career as a teacher with LAUSD and later held operational and leadership roles at KIPP SoCal and Ednovate. He also directed ApplyLA, a citywide enrollment system that helped thousands of families access quality school options. Today, Josh supports schools and nonprofits with strategy, enrollment, leadership development, and data. Most recently, he has served as Interim Executive Director of Soleil Academy, a TK–5 charter school in Lynwood. He is a proud UCLA graduate and lives in Los Angeles with his family.