Our Governing Board

Josh Kinoshita
​Board Chair

Josh Kinoshita is the Manager of Common Enrollment at Great Public Schools Now. In his role, Josh leads ApplyLA, a commonsense system that makes it easy for families to understand and apply to multiple charter public schools in Los Angeles.  Prior to his work at GPSN, Josh was the Director of Technology at Ednovate, a Charter Management Organization that operates personalized learning, college-prep high schools in Southern California. Josh began his career in education as a Teach for America corps member, teaching 6th grade math and science.
Josh holds a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Alaina Pariano
​Board Vice Chair

Alaina Pariano is the Dean of Instruction at Equitas Academy #3. In her role, she develops teachers in their leadership abilities and coaches them to provide the best education for their students. She also oversees the special education program at EQ3. Raised in a small town in rural Ohio, Alaina was the first person in her family to graduate from college. She was a Teach for America (TFA) corps member and began her career as a resource specialist at ICEF Vista Middle Academy, providing special education support to students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. She also worked as an intervention teacher and 5th grade math teacher at KIPP Academy of Opportunity before becoming the founding special education teacher at Equitas Academy #3. 
 Alaina holds a B.S. in Middle Childhood Education from Ohio University and a M.A.Ed. in Special Education from Loyola Marymount University. ​

Brent Lowry
Board Treasurer

Brent Lowry is Chief Financial Officer at AQP Property Management, Inc.  In his role, Brent is responsible for analyzing the financial performance, investor relations, and managing the accounting and finance team.  Prior to his business career, he joined Teach for America and taught 7th and 8th grade math for three years in the Los Angeles Unified School District.  
Brent holds a B.A. in Political Science and a B.S. in Economics from Texas A&M University, and an M.B.A. from Georgetown University.

Armando Guerrero Jr.
​Board Secretary

Armando Guerrero Jr., Ph.D. is a Lecturer in Hispanic Linguistics and Academic Coordinator of the Spanish as a heritage language program in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at UCLA. Dr. Guerrero, who was raised and currently lives in the city of Lynwood, brings an indispensable wealth of knowledge of the community to Soleil Academy. His research agenda seeks to promote inclusion of underrepresented minorities in higher education through critical pedagogy and research. He strives to encourage speakers of Spanish to use their linguistic repertoire to empower themselves and their communities.
​ Dr. Guerrero completed his Ph.D. in Hispanic Linguistics from UCLA where he also earned an M.A. in Spanish. He graduated with a B.A. in Spanish and Portuguese, and a minor in Education & Applied Psychology: Educational Studies from UC Santa Barbara

Jessica Lee
​Board Member

Jessica Lee, Ed.D. is the HR Business Partner to the Corporate and Technology departments at ZipRecruiter as well as the leader of HR Programs and Operations. As part of the People team, Jessica’s day to day includes a focus on talent and organizational development. Jessica is also an adjunct faculty member at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Education M.A. program for Teach for America instructors. Her focus in research and instruction is on educational technology, teaching hybrid and online and student engagement.   
Jessica holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from USC and a Masters in Education Curriculum & Instruction from Cal State Northridge.

Dr. Karen L. Semien-McBride
​Board Member

Dr. Karen L. Semien-McBride has over 27years of experience in the field of organizational leadership, business development, change management, strategic planning, public speaking, mentorship, marketing, social psychology, accounting, human resources, human equity, finance, executive coaching, compliance, entrepreneurship, consulting, business administration and higher education. 10 years of her career were spent as a C-level executive. Dr. McBride is one of the most sought-after executive trainers and business strategist for non-profit organizations and small businesses. In 2004, she founded the non-profit organization
AORW (Association of Rejuvenating Women) now the CEO Institute, which supports coaching and mentoring individuals who want to advance their professional careers, businesses, and work-life balance.
She is currently teaching a 12-month Executive Coaching program for individuals that supports professional advancement and personal growth. Her goal is to produce emotional intelligent leaders, with growth mindsets that can support their organizations to sustainability and innovation all while having a healthy personal life balance.
Dr. McBride holds two Doctoral degrees, a Master's and a Bachelor in the areas of Business Administration, Social Psychology, and Organizational Leadership.