School Support Center Team
KIPP LA’s School Support Center supports our schools by providing financial, operational, and fund development services.
Marcia Aaron, Executive Director - bio
maaron@kippla.org
Kevin Bechtel, Manager of School Operations - bio
kbechtel@kippla.org
Katie Braude, Director of Advancement - bio
kbraude@kippla.org
Alma Cibrian, Director of Real Estate - bio
acibrian@kippla.org
Christy Green, Data & Student Information Associate - bio
cgreen@kippla.org
Jennie Herriot, Associate Communications & Development Manager - bio
jherriot@kippla.org
David Lauck, Director of Finance & Accounting - bio
dlauck@kippla.org
Alejandra Murillo, Staff Accountant - bio
amurillo@kippla.org
Alba Ochoa, Operations Assistant - bio
aochoa@kippla.org
Archana Patel, Teacher Recruitment - bio
apatel@kippla.org
Matthew Peskay, Associate Director of Information Technology - bio
mpeskay@kippla.org
Kirsten Peterson, Administrative Assistant - bio
kpeterson@kippla.org
Lily Reyes, Accounting Clerk - bio
lreyes@kippla.org
Arielle Rittvo, Director of Operations & Planning - bio
arittvo@kippla.org
Stacey Rossley Staples, Associate 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.
Kevin Bechtel joined KIPP LA Schools after teaching kindergarten for two years in Las Vegas with Teach for America. During his time as a TFA Corps Member, Kevin acted as the Kindergarten Learning Team Leader; as an alumnus, he has been a mentor to first year teachers in the First-to-First Program. While in college, Kevin studied abroad in Ghana and twice participated in a “design-build” workshop, where he and a team designed and built a structure to house a women’s market in a rural village. Kevin holds a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and a BA in Architecture from Miami University, Ohio.
Before joining the School Support Center staff, Katie Braude served as a consultant to KIPP Academy of Opportunity for three years, where she directed the school’s fundraising and community engagement efforts and raised close to $2 million. Katie worked as an independent fundraising and public affairs consultant for over ten years, and served as the Executive Director of the Palisades Charter Schools Foundation. She has many years of varied experience that took her from the US Department of Education, to political and public affairs campaigns at the national, state, and local level, and to non-profit fundraising and management. Katie holds a BA in Government from Smith College, a Master of Arts in Aesthetic Education (Music Emphasis) from American University, and Masters of Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles.
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.
Christy Green's bio coming soon.
Jennie Herriot comes to KIPP LA from Katie Braude & Associates, where she provided fundraising and communications services to KIPP Academy of Opportunity for two years. Prior to joining KBA, she held internships at Edelman Public Relations, US Sen. Dianne Feinstein's District Office in Los Angeles, and the United States Mission to the United Nations. She has tutored high school students in SAT reading and writing, as well as college students in academic writing. Jennie holds a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she also earned a minor in French.
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.
Before coming to KIPP LA, Alejandra Murillo worked as a as a staff accountant for a social service agency in Southeast Los Angeles where she also provided financial analysis and contract compliance support for state, city, and local grants. She has worked on both administrative and direct services at several non-profits in Los Angeles for the last six years. Alejandra received her BA from the University of California, Berkeley.
Prior to joining the KIPP LA School Support Center team, Alba Ochoa managed the office at the FRANK design firm in Miami, Florida. In addition, Alba has held office management positions at Urban Assembly, a New York-based nonprofit organization; Urban Assembly Media, a public school in NYC; and at Bronx Prep, a charter school in the Bronx, NYC. Alba has worked for charter schools since 1993. She is fluent in Spanish, and graduated from both the Katherine Gibbs School in New York and Miami Lakes Tech in Miami.
Archana Patel comes to KIPP LA from RISE Academy, a KIPP school in Newark, NJ, where she taught fifth grade social studies and served as the Grade Level Chair for fifth grade. Prior to teaching at RISE Academy, Archana was a Program Manager at IndiCorps and the Manager and Co-Creator of the India Service Initiative in India. At India Service Initiative, she helped create Teach For India, a program that’s now under Teach For America’s umbrella organization, Teach For All. Archana began her career in education as a Teach For America Corps Member in Bronx, NY. She holds a BA in English and Psychology from Boston College and is currently pursuing a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Southern California.
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.
Kirsten Peterson is a recent graduate of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the institution, she interned with the 826 Valencia Writing Center, a nonprofit organization that provides free tutoring and writing programs to underserved youth in San Francisco. While at 826, Kirsten worked extensively with the Development Director of 826 National to seek out and pursue fundraising opportunities, and assisted the Executive Director of 826 Valencia in creating profiles for the California Cultural Data Project.
Before arriving at KIPP LA, Lily Reyes worked as a Project Assistant at Chrysalis in Pacoima, California, securing employment for clients by aiding them in updating their resumes and completing applications. Lily’s fluency in Spanish allowed her to translate for clients as necessary, as well as conduct mock interviews with job seekers in both English and Spanish. Lily holds a Bachelors of Science in Finance from California State University, Northridge, and a Degree in Marketing from Central American University in El Salvador.
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.
