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.

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.