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UPA’s founding team
members
include public school administrators with over one-hundred
combined years experience operating public schools, including
schools that served disadvantaged and troubled youth. Our
founding team also includes community leaders and life-long
residents of the San Jose area, and a business professional
with significant financial management experience.The UPA
founding board of directors and developers bring a wealth
of experience (over 100 combined years in the education
field), passion, and expertise necessary to accomplish UPA’s
stated goals on behalf of its targeted population. The founding
board, many of whom have an extensive background working
with San Jose’s underserved students, has invaluable
experience in curriculum, instruction and assessment, business
management and financial operations, public school administration,
planning and development, and legal and governance matters.
Developers and founding board expertise
The developers/founding board members consist of the following
individuals:
•
Mr. Joe Coto: California State Assemblyman, Former
Superintendent of East Side Union High School District
Skills: Public School Administration, Education, and Governance
• Mr. Dan Ordaz: Education Consultant,
Retired Assistant Superintendent of East Side Union High
School District
Skills: District Charter School Evaluator, Charter School
Finance and Budgeting, Public School Administration, Education,
Governance, Personnel, Categorical Programs and Funding,
Curriculum Development
• Ms. Jacklyn Guevara: Retired Executive
Director of East Side Union High School District
Skills: District Administration, Teaching, Assessment, School
Administration, WASC Accreditation, Budgets, Staff Development
Trainer, and Alternative Education
• Ms. Dorothy Westerhoff: Education
Consultant, Retired Educator/School Administrator of East
Side Union High School District
Skills: Curriculum and Instruction, School Administration,
Assessment, Counseling, Mentoring, Budget, WASC accreditation,
and Alternative Education
• Mr. James Romero: Engineer
Skills: Business Development/Administration, Technology
• Mr. Patrick Dunkley: General Counsel
for Stanford University
Skills: Legal, Corporate Governance
• Dr. Loren Lee: President of Strategy
One Consulting
Skills: Strategic Planning, Psychology, Mentoring, Education,
Child
Behavior, and Organizational Development
• Mr. Kurt Foreman: Director of Operations
for Cathedral of Faith
Skills: Business Administration, Facilities, Project Management
and
Accounting
• Mr. Richard Phaff, Retired Director
of Financial Aid, San Jose State University.
Skills: Finance, Financial Aid, College Admissions.
Developers and founding board commitment to our targeted
student population
The developers have demonstrated a lifetime of service to
young people, and have committed to a minimum of 5 years
to UPA, thus ensuring a solid foundation for the school’s
beginning. Collectively, this group of individuals has operated
successful public schools, including traditional and alternative
schools in the San Jose area and has worked with students
from backgrounds and educational experiences similar to
those of UPA’s targeted student populations.
Founders Jacklyn Guevara and
Dorothy Westerhoff have administered alternative
education programs and have implemented curriculum and instructional
methodologies tailored to the specific needs of this under-served
population. Ms. Guevara supervised seven Alternative Schools
with similar populations and has worked in collaboration
with the County Probation Department and California Youth
Outreach. Ms. Westerhoff worked extensively instituting
college preparatory programs such as AVID and other small
group student advisory programs, as well as expanding Advanced
Placement course offerings and enrollment opportunities
for all students to participate. Ms. Westerhoff started
two Alternative Schools and has worked collaboratively with
other community-based organizations such as California Youth
Outreach, the Probation Department, and church youth groups.
Daniel Ordaz served as Assistant Superintendent
of Human Resources and also as Assistant Superintendent
of Educational Services for the East Side Union High School
District. As Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services,
Mr. Ordaz was responsible for administering the curriculum
and instructional program of the district, including developing
curriculum, selecting and purchasing instructional materials,
testing and evaluation of students, providing career education,
administering compensatory education programs, implementing
professional development programs for teachers and administrators
and managing the district’s special education program.
Mr. Ordaz managed a budget of approximately $8,000,000.
Mr. Ordaz has also worked extensively with the school board
and developed board policies for consideration of the board.
Mr. Ordaz has also served as director, high school principal,
counselor and teacher. Mr. Ordaz is involved with his community
and has served as Chairman of the Board for the California
Student Opportunity and Access Program of San Jose. He also
serves as a College Scholarship Committee member in granting
funds to deserving students.
Kurt Foreman serves
as the CFO and board member for California Youth Outreach,
a nationally-recognized non-profit organization that serves
at-risk youth in our community. Mr. Foreman also serves
as the CFO for Reaching Out, one of northern California’s
largest emergency food programs.
Three of the four developers worked together in the East
Side Union High School District for 25 years as teachers,
school administrators and district administrators. The fourth
developer worked in partnership with ESUHSD for 7 years
providing the school facilities used by the East Side Cadet
Academy, an ESUHSD community day school, for students in
grades nine through twelve. All four developers worked together
with this partnership.
Upon retirement from their school district roles, Ms. Guevara,
Ms. Westerhoff and Mr. Ordaz have joined with Mr.
Foreman to found the UPA charter middle/high school
designed to meet the needs of under-served students in Santa
Clara County, who
dream of a college education and graduation, but
require a small school environment, coupled with
rigorous academics, high expectations and a strong
support system in order to realize that dream. The
UPA academic program will be built upon best practices
that educational research, outstanding charter schools
and personal experience have shown to serve the needs
of our student population and open doors for academic
success for each student. All four developers are
committed to serve on the UPA governing board for
5 years in order to insure the stability, success
and vision of UPA.
