Leadership Team
Marcia Aaron, Executive Director - bio
maaron@kippla.org
Margarita Florez, Founding School Leader, KIPP Comienza Community Prep – bio
mflorez@kippla.org
Mike Kerr, Founding Principal, KIPP Empower Academy - bio
mkerr@kippla.org
Angella Martinez, School Leader, KIPP LA Prep - bio
amartinez@kippla.org
Nickia Ross-Greene, Principal, KIPP Academy of Opportunity - bio
ngreene@kippla.org
Amber Young, Founding Principal, KIPP Raíces Academy - bio
ayoung@kippla.org
Alma Cibrian, Director of Real Estate - bio
acibrian@kippla.org
Mikara Davis, Chief Academic Officer - bio
mdavis@kippla.org
Eric DeSobe, Associate Director of Teaching & Leadership Development – bio
edesobe@kippla.org
Keishia Kemp, Director of KIPP Through College - bio
kkemp@kippla.org
David Lauck, Director of Finance & Accounting - bio
dlauck@kippla.org
mpeskay@kippla.org
Arielle Rittvo, Managing Director of Talent, Operations & Planning - bioarittvo@kippla.org
Stacey Rossley Staples, Director of Development - bio
sstaples@kippla.org
About Our Team
Prior to being named Executive Director of KIPP LA, Marcia Aaron was the founding Board Chair of KIPP LA and the Board Chair of KIPP Academy of Opportunity in LA. Previously, she worked as a Senior Analyst at Pacific Growth Equities, and as a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank and Montgomery Securities. She is currently a member of the University of Oregon Alumni Center Campaign Committee and the All Stars Helping Kids’ Board of Directors. She previously served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Oregon Foundation and the University of Oregon Journalism Advancement Council. Marcia holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Oregon.
Margarita Florez's bio coming soon.
Angella Martinez's bio coming soon.
Nickia Ross-Greene's bio coming soon
Amber Young is the founder of California’s first KIPP elementary school, KIPP Raíces Academy. Most recently, she served as the Interim Principal at Ralph J. Bunche Elementary School, her original placement school through Teach for America. Prior to becoming principal, she served as a resource teacher. In this position, she coached teachers and oversaw the categorical budget, among other responsibilities in and out of the classroom. At Bunche, she also taught second grade, served as grade level chair, and created the school’s “College Bound” program. During her six-year tenure at Bunche, she played an integral role in transforming the school from low-performing to Compton Unified’s first California Distinguished School. Amber received her BA from Amherst College as a double major in History and Sociology. She also holds a Masters of Arts in Elementary Education and a Masters in School Administration from Loyola Marymount University. Amber was one of 13 Fisher Fellows selected out of approximately 550 applicants for the prestigious and rigorous KIPP School Leadership Program.
Alma Cibrian comes to KIPP LA from Pacific Charter School Development (PCSD), where she served as a Project Manager. Responsibilities included overseeing the development of KIPP LA Prep's current facility in Boyle Heights, a $3.2 million conversion of a tortilla chip factory into a school. Prior to her tenure at PCSD, Alma was a Research Director at Bentley Forbes and a Commercial Real Estate Appraiser and Consultant at Norris Realty Advisors. Alma holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from UC Berkeley and a Master's in Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California, where she was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
Mikara Davis's bio coming soon.
Eric DeSobe's bio coming soon.
Keishia Kemp's bio coming soon.
David Lauck comes to KIPP LA from Babson Capital Management, where he served as Director of Portfolio Management and Research for three years. Prior to his tenure at Babson, David worked as an analyst for a number of prominent banking firms, including Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch. David holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Darden Graduate School at the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Science with Distinction in Commerce from UVA's McIntire School of Commerce. In addition, David is an avid runner and has competed in multiple marathons, including the 2003 and 2006 New York City Marathons.
Matthew Peskay joined the KIPP LA team in the summer of 2009 after working at Edmunds.com and supporting its corporate IS infrastructure. Before moving to Los Angeles, he held the position of Manager of IT at the Teachers College, Columbia University. While in New York, Matthew also worked as a consultant for the FUND for the City of New York, developing and supporting technology for a wide range of non-profit organizations. Matthew holds a Master's degree in Philosophy and Education from the Teachers College, Columbia University, and has a background in theater, directing and co-producing the play In The Wire, a play chronicling the journey of an e-mail message across the internet.
Arielle Rittvo joined the KIPP LA team first as Director of Operations and Finance at KIPP LA Prep from 2006 to 2008. Before coming to KIPP, she worked in the communications department at Oakland Unified School District. As the Associate Director of Community Outreach at the New York City Department of Environment Protection, she designed and implemented six major citywide programs such as a $10 million benefit fund that created environmental education programming throughout West Harlem public schools. She also served as Operations Manager of REACH Charter School, Policy Analyst at The After-School Corporation, and a Coro Fellow. Arielle holds an MBA from University of California, Berkeley, and a BA in Urban Studies from Columbia University.
Prior to joining KIPP LA, Stacey Rossley Staples was an Associate at the Joseph Drown Foundation, a grant-making agency whose primary funding focus is education. She has worked for several other education and non-profit organizations in Los Angeles, including a college access program called College Match. Stacey holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts from Amherst College.
