Governing Board
President
Ronae Harrison
Ronae Harrison is a Staff Assistant II for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Control (SAPC) division of Los Angeles County Public Health Department. The SAPC program leads and facilitates the delivery of a full spectrum of prevention, treatment, and recovery support services proven to reduce the impact of substance use, abuse, and addiction in Los Angeles County. Although she is a dedicated and hard worker in all that she does, her most important and rewarding job is that of mothering her two children, whom attended Arts in Action Community Charter Schools since elementary school. Ms. Harrison joined the Board in 2014, when she was elected United Parent Council (UPC) President, and saw the positive impact parents made when their voices were heard. After a year of acclimating to her additional work assignments, she returned to the board in 2016 where she is presently serving as the President.
Vice President
Nancy Flores
Nancy Flores is a school administrator at Aspire Public Schools. She has been an educator for over seven years. Previously, she has worked as a special education teacher at Synergy schools. Ms. Flores earned her academic training with BA in Political Science and Masters degree in Special Education from Loyola Marymount University. During her Master’s training she was part of the Teach for America (TFA) Los Angeles Corps. She continues her involvement with TFA through the 2017 Cohort for the OneDay Fellowship. Ms. Flores specializes in creating partnerships with parents and families to promote student growth.
Ms. Flores is very passionate about education, service, promoting student advocacy and social justice.
Secretary/Treasurer
Deborah Bronner
Deborah R. Bronner is an attorney practicing in the area of business and consumer law. She has operated a law firm as a solo practitioner in Los Angeles for close to thirty years. Ms. Bronner has extensive experience as a business owner and as an attorney specializing in business disputes and business transactions. She is committed to the founding principles of the Arts in Action Charter School. Ms. Bronner earned her BA at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, a Masters degree in Urban Studies at University of New Orleans and a J.D. at Golden Gate University in San Francisco.
Members
Dr. Bernardo Gallegos
Dr. Bernardo Gallegos has been a member of Board of Directors for over five years. He is a professor of Educational Foundations in the Sanford College of Education at National University. He has held the positions of Professor of Educational Foundations at California State University, Los Angeles; Professor in the Policy Studies Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago; and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling Psychology at Washington State University. He has also been a Mid School Humanities teacher, and a Youth Counselor.
He has published widely in the areas of History of Education, Cultural Studies in Education, Indigenous and Latino Educational/Cultural History and Performance Studies in Education. His most recent book is Postcolonial Indigenous Performances, Coyote Musings on Genízaros, Hybridity, Education, and Slavery (Brill/Sense Publishers, 2017)
He has served as president of the Society of Professors of Education, the Organization of Educational Historians, and the American Educational Studies Association. Dr. Bernardo Gallegos is committed to the goals and mission of Arts in Action and to the success of each and every child in the schools.
Maria Raffanti
Maria Raffanti joined the board during the 2018-2019 school year. Maria Raffanti is an Intervention Coordinator at Synergy Kinetic charter school, where she facilitates intervention structures in classrooms and supports teachers with instructional strategies. She has 7 years of teaching experience in special education and math intervention. Maria earned her Masters Degree at Loyola Marymount University in Special Education and is a former Teach for America corps member. In addition to her current role, Maria works closely with the advocacy organization, UnidosUS, to provide culturally relevant service learning opportunities for middle school students in her South Los Angeles school.