We are in an extremely good position to bring IVA’s unique educational vision to fruition and to make a substantial and long-term positive impact on public education in Long Beach. We will highlight our capacity for success in three main areas: (1) Our founding team; (2) Research supporting our educational model; and (3) The Templeton grant project that will immediately benefit IVA at several levels.
Founders Team and Board
As indicated in our Introduction, the IVA founders team, together with committed Board members and other supporters, possesses a broad base of talent, experience, and skill relevant to the realization of IVA’s unique educational vision:
- From an education standpoint, there are seven teachers, former teachers, or administrators on the founders team. One of the teachers (J. Baehr) is a university professor who has done extensive research on intellectual character and virtues (see Baehr 2011a). One of the administrators (K. Pace) works in Student Affairs at a local university, where she oversees the student conduct process and ensures compliance with the latest legal precedents and best practices. The other administrator (M. Montiel) is an Assistant Principal and Social Services Administrator at a charter school in LAUSD. One of our Board members is a university professor with expertise in autism and special education (LeBarbera).
- From a business management standpoint, our team includes an expert in Human Resources management (S. Millsap), a Managing Principal of a fund 13 management company with expertise in real estate operation and private equity (R. Millsap), and a VP of sales at a major Los Angeles corporation (C. Covolo).
- From a finance standpoint, one of our founding members has overseen the acquisition or disposition of more than $500 million in real estate assets (R. Millsap); another provides national corporate leadership with sales, profitability, trend analysis, and cost analysis (C. Covolo). From a legal standpoint, one of our Board members is an attorney responsible for a major real estate firm’s legal operations in Latin America and the western U.S. and oversees the firm’s procurement, technology, and intellectual property legal matters globally (E. Castro).
- From a marketing and advertising standpoint, we have a marketing professional with expertise in events and merchandising (R. Irwin) and a graphic designer with extensive experience in advertising, marketing, and social media (J. Irwin).
IVA has also received offers of assistance and support from several other qualified educational professionals, particularly at Loyola Marymount University, where founding team member Jason Baehr is a professor. While there is no formal relation between LMU and IVA, three education experts at the university have indicated an enthusiastic willingness to provide helpful feedback and assistance. This includes: Bernadette Musetti, Director of LMU’s Liberal Studies Program and previous Director of LMU’s Undergraduate Teacher Preparation; Emilio Pack, Assistant Director of LMU’s Institute of School Leadership and Administration, who has done extensive work on charter schools and charter leadership development; and Darin Earley, Director of LMU’s Family of Schools program. (We also have also included a letter of support from David Burcham, LMU President and longtime supporter of Long Beach public education.) All three of these experts have already provided helpful insight, assistance, and feedback on IVA’s vision and educational program; and each one has pledged to continue doing so throughout the school’s development.