board of directors
Children’s Community School’s Board of Directors serves our school’s community by providing responsible governance, assuring financial strength, and supervising the Head of School.
james alba
Environmental Engineer
Current Parent
It’s an honor and a privilege to serve on the Board of Directors at CCS. This is an opportunity for me to give back to a school that has meant so much to my family. My wife and I will be forever grateful for what CCS has taught and instilled in my two daughters— namely to be kind, empathetic, lovers of learning, people who collaborate well with others and, most importantly, confidence in who they are. As such, I will work hard to ensure that CCS and all it stands for will be around not only for this generation, but for many more to come.
dave hullfish bailey
Artist/Educator
Alumni Parent
At CCS learning is deeply embedded: in democratic values, in diverse community, and in the concreteness of place. From these anchors students learn to forge connections between ideas, build and navigate relationships across differences, and imaginatively connect neighborhood to globe. The world needs more kids rooted in these ways of being in it. It’s an honor to serve a community built around their emergence.
liz camacho
Land Use Attorney
I am honored to serve in support of CCS and its mission of educating for democracy by fostering critical thinking, self-determination, and respect for multiple perspectives. I am impressed by CCS’s thoughtful work to further diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, and its commitment to cultivating a community of people who care deeply for one another and harness that love to nurture our world.
FRANCESCA FARTAJ
Author
Former Crisis Management Consultant
Current Parent
CCS is a tremendously special and rare, community-based progressive school. The students are celebrated, nurtured and known for exactly who they are and where they are at throughout their formative years of early development. The curriculum and delivery is purposeful and incredibly thoughtful. Our children are truly learning the skills necessary to thrive socially, emotionally, and academically. I serve to help ensure that CCS can reach as many children as possible for generations to come. Our world will be the better for it.
ANGELA GOSS
Accountant
Alumni Parent
I am beyond excited to be coming back to CCS to serve on its Board of Directors. The school and its mission have been one of the most important facets of our family’s journey over the past two decades, both when my children were students at CCS and beyond.
Jay Goss
Board Treasurer
Healthcare Venture Capitalist
Alumni Parent
I support CCS because I fundamentally believe the way children are educated at the school is the very best way of learning. As my children have grown, I see the proof in the pudding nearly every day. They are life-long learners, and I am certain it is due to the experience they had with progressive education lovingly delivered at CCS.
Tom Henschel
Board Secretary
Executive Coach
Alumni Parent
Past Chair
Children’s Community School changed my daughter’s life and made me a better parent. I am grateful to give back to the community that enriched my life.
Michael J. Lee
Investment Professional and Finance/Operations Consultant
Current Parent
My wife and I knew that CCS was an incredibly exceptional school from the moment we first stepped on to the campus. The CCS staff do an incredible job of nurturing the students' joy and passion for learning, stimulating their natural curiosity about the world around them, and giving them the skills they need to take ownership for their own intellectual, social and emotional development. We feel fortunate and blessed that our two children get to be a part of this wonderfully vibrant and compassionate community.
Kostas sgoutas
Entrepreneur
Current Parent
I am constantly inspired by CCS’s disruptive perspective on what matters most in education, the authenticity with which this vision is brought to life, and the culture of inquiry, rigor and reflection that binds together our learning community. I feel fortunate to be part of this dynamic school where deep respect for the children and their needs is the guiding principle for all decisions, big or small, and to witness firsthand how a CCS education sparks curiosity, puts children in the driver’s seat of their education and gives them the tools to form meaningful relationships throughout their lives.
wendy wallace
Board Chair
Strategy Consultant
Alumni Parent
I support Children’s Community School because it not only educates children, but nurtures individuals. Along with learning how to solve problems and communicate well, CCS students develop a strong, solid sense of themselves. A CCS education provides a broadened perspective, enabling graduates to adapt, thrive, and contribute positively to the world, making it a better place.
David Straus
Speaker/Entrepreneur
Alumni Parent
I have been an active member of the CCS community for over 15 years, beginning in 2009 when my wife Laurie Saffian (in blessed memory) and I discovered CCS when our first son, Noah, was entering kindergarten. While no longer a parent at the school since our second son Asher became an alum in 2024, I will bring over 30 years experience working with companies as a founder and CEO and corporate coach to my role on the Board of Directors. When I’m not volunteering with CCS I can be found hiking, writing, or speaking in public forums around leadership, community building, and development.
TRÉ WRIGHT
Board Vice Chair
Executive Coach & Consultant
Alumni Parent
As soon as I sat in an All School Meeting at CCS, I was hooked. Watching children dance with zero self-consciousness and hearing everyone sing “What a Beautiful World” brought tears to my eyes. My wife Naomi and I were already in love with the school's mission and philosophy, but seeing it in action and feeling the energy of the community together was everything we had hoped for. We chose CCS for its heart-centered approach to caring for our kids and its curiosity-led philosophy to learning. We will be forever grateful for what the school has done in helping our daughter find her voice, her friends, and her confidence. It has been an incredible journey filled with joy, connection, and community and I am honored to join the Board to further my connection with the school.
irene Georgia tsatsos
Artist/Writer/Curator
Alumni Parent
I was first drawn to CCS for my child because of the school's teaching style, which supports the development of self-aware, engaged, and curious students within a heart-centered community. I grew to love CCS because of the ways it represents its lived commitment to humanistic values. CCS nurtures future adults equipped to contribute meaningfully to the collective experiment of democracy.
Alejandra Zamorano
Risk Management
Entrepreneur
Current Parent
I firmly believe that CCS is preparing leaders, innovators, and disruptors who will be committed to self-determination and democracy. Their approach to teaching critical thinking, collaborative, and problem-solving skills cultivate motivated students and lifelong curious learners who are highly prepared to excel in paths of their choosing. I am truly inspired by the way teachers help each child reach his/her/their academic potential by challenging each mind with an individualized approach. Our family is truly fortunate to belong to this socio-economic diverse community!
bert voorhees
Civil Rights and Human Rights Lawyer
Alumni Parent
As a former high school teacher and civil rights/human rights lawyer, I believe deeply in progressive education and education for democracy. For such an education to be successful, I believe it can only take place in a school community which is firmly committed to teaching and learning in a truly diverse, empathic and caring environment. CCS is the finest example I know of such an educational community in Los Angeles.
With deep gratitude to these former Board Members for their 20+ years of service to CCS:
Greg dawley
Randy myer
(1952-2021)
Olga Winbush
(1955-2020)
George Wyner
Past Chair
Bob Young