Board Members
Charles Taylor Kerchner
Charles Taylor Kerchner is Research Professor in the School Educational Studies at Claremont Graduate University, and a specialist in educational organizations, educational policy, and teacher unions.
He is currently studying schools where students "learn differently": those unconventional settings that may hold the key to organizing the emerging institution of public education.
In 2008, he and his colleagues completed a four-year study of education reform of the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second largest public school district and other large city systems. The results of that research can be found in The Transformation of Great American School Districts and in Learning from L.A.: Institutional Change in American Public Education, both books published by Harvard Education Press.
For more than 30 years, he has studied the implications of teacher unionization for teachers, administrators, and public education. Along with Julia Koppich and Joseph Weeres he wrote United Mind Workers: Unions and Teaching in the Knowledge Society. Most recently he has advocated nogotiating student achievement goals, in the American Journal of Education and using charter school charters as a vehicle for employee engagement and self-representation, in The Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy.
Before coming to Claremont in 1976, Kerchner was on the faculty at Northwestern University, where he received his Ph.D, was a member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education staff, and was on the staff of the St. Petersburg (Florida) Times in a number of editorial and managerial positions. In addition to his doctorate, he holds a BS and MBA from the University of Illinois, Urbana.
Dr. Evangelina Stockwell, Secretary, Assistant Superintendent (Retired), Los Angeles Unified School District
Dr. Evangelina R. Stockwell is a retired Assistant Superintendent for the Office of lntergroup Relations in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The major goal of this office was to assist in and oversee the implementation of multicultural and human relations educational practices. She served an eight-year tenure as Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Regions B and G, which included 100 schools with diverse student populations.
Dr. Stockwell first began her career in public education as a Teacher in 1962. Her career then continued as Instructional Adviser for Elementary Language Arts and English as a Second Language, Director of Compensatory Education, Elementary School Principal, Director of Elementary Instruction, Region Administrator for School Operations and Administrative Consultant to the Associate Superintendent for School Operations.
Among her honors are the 1996 John Anson Ford award from the County of Los Angeles Commission on Human Relations, the ROSE (Recognition of Outstanding Service to Education) award from the USC School of Education, Pepperdine University Outstanding Educational Leader Award and the East Los Angeles Community Scholarship Foundation award. Eight years ago a new building was named in her honor at Gates Street Elementary School where she served as Principal from 1976-1982.
In addition to her District activities, Dr. Stockwell was hostess of the Emmy-nominated children’s program, “Angie’s Garage,” produced by KABC-TV public television and a television teacher on “‘Steps to Learning,” produced by the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Currently, she volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate and on the Advisory Committee for the Los Angeles Zoo.
She has been a member of the National Institute of Education, the State Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, the Association of Mexican-American Educators, the California Hispanic Superintendents Association, the Council of Mexican-American Administrators, and EDUCARE. She also currently serves on the Board of Center for Advanced Learning Charter School and Families in Schools. Dr. Stockwell received both her B.A. and M.A. from California State University, Los Angeles, and earned her Ed.D. at Pepperdine University.
Clara Potes-Fellow, Director, Community Partnerships, California State University – Office of the Chancellor
Clara Potes-Fellow is a nonprofit management and communication expert with proven managerial and strategic skills in the corporate, government and education fields. During her career she has successfully created communication strategies for a variety of organizations, handled multiple public relations crises, created strategic partnerships and managed civic engagement efforts with external stakeholders.
Currently, she works for the California State University system as director of community partnerships. She is responsible for implementing statewide external relations for the university system and creating community partnerships to increase college going and graduation rates among underrepresented students.
Prior to joining the CSU, Ms. Potes-Fellow worked for Southern California Edison, Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Clinton/Gore Presidential Campaign, La Opinion, and KSCI-Channel 18.
She also serves in the board of champions of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) and is finance chair for the Boy Scouts of America-San Gabriel Valley Counsel. Previously, she has served on the board of directors of HOPE, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, the Chicano News Media Association, the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, and the YWCA.
Maria Brenes, Executive Director
Maria Brenes earned her BA from UC Berkeley and Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and has worked with InnerCity Struggle since 2002. Maria began her involvement in community organizing as a high school student growing up along the U.S./Mexico border with immigration issues and continued as a student activist at UC Berkeley on Affirmative Action and Ethnic Studies issues. She also worked as a youth organizer for six years developing the leadership of multiracial youth to improve the quality of education in Oakland schools. As a staff member of InnerCity Struggle, she has also served in the capacity of Youth Organizing Director and expanded school-based youth-led clubs at all the Eastside high schools to develop the capacity of youth to lead school-change campaigns. Her expertise includes campaign development, successfully implementing grassroots fundraising strategies, coordinating organizational strategic planning processes and coalition building. Maria has developed strong relationships with local civic, community and labor leaders in the Eastside and greater Los Angeles area. Her efforts have resulted in winning new schools, increased college access and additional education funding for the Eastside community. Maria also serves on the Board of a national foundation focused on supporting youth organizing efforts and was appointed to serve on the Board of the Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health. She is a mom of a toddler and lives in El Sereno with her spouse.
Jose Huizar, Councilmember
José Huizar was elected to the Los Angeles City Council’s 14th District in 2005 and overwhelmingly re-elected in 2007 and 2011.
Councilmember Huizar has proven himself a staunch advocate for public safety, youth programs and sustainable economic development that provides jobs and services to the residents of his district and the City of Los Angeles.
He has led Citywide efforts to create a graffiti-tracking program to better prosecute chronic taggers, modified a City ordinance to allow rewards to be offered on behalf of off-duty LAPD officers attacked outside of City limits and led the effort to require all City departments to implement a Surplus Food policy to address the growing need for emergency food services.
Councilmember Huizar has been at the forefront of several key improvement projects in his district, including the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension, which links East L.A. to Downtown Los Angeles. Another priority for Councilmember Huizar is his Bringing Back Broadway initiative, an ambitious 10-year plan to renovate downtown’s Broadway Corridor, which includes restoring 12 historic theaters and returning the beloved streetcar back to downtown’s historic core.
Councilmember Huizar also utilizes his knowledge and experience in urban planning and transportation as a member of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board of Directors.
Prior to his Council election, Councilmember Huizar served as a member and President of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Board of Education. He led the successful effort to reform the district’s high school curriculum by ensuring that all students, regardless of their background, had access to the A-G courses required for admission to California’s public universities. As Board President, Councilmember Huizar also oversaw planning and implementation of the largest construction and modernization public school project in U.S. history.
Councilmember Huizar received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master’s degree in Public Affairs and Urban Planning from Princeton University and a Juris Doctorate from UCLA School of Law. In 2004, he became the first Latino to serve on the Princeton Board of Trustees.
Councilmember Huizar has been awarded numerous awards and distinctions, including profiles by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the 25 figures in the Los Angeles Area that “stand out for their potential to shape lives” and by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the “100 most influential Hispanics” in the United States.
Born in Zacatecas, Mexico, Councilmember Huizar is the first Mexican immigrant elected to the Los Angeles City Council. He resides in Boyle Heights with his wife Richelle Rios, their son Simón Luis and three daughters, Emilia, Isabella and Aviana.
Maria Elena Yepes
Maria Elena Yepes is a tenured professor of English and ESL at East Los Angeles College and Director of the Learning Assistance Center, where she provides tutoring and computer-assisted instruction services for ELAC students. For the past twenty years, Ms. Yepes has developed programs and services that accelerate the education of ELAC students, making it possible for them to move from college preparatory to college level courses. In addition, Ms. Yepes has been the community liaison for the President's Office at East Los Angeles College, participating in two education collaboratives on behalf of ELAC: the Boyle Heights and East Side Education Collaboratives. In 2008, Ms. Yepes was elected to the Southern California Central Democratic Committee, and in 2009, she was appointed by Supervisor Gloria Molina to the Los Angeles County Board of Education where she served a two-year term.