Leadership
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Our Team Our Charter Management Organization works tirelessly to support the school structure, financial operations, and advancement of our schools. Our team can be reached via the Staff Directory for further questions about individual roles and responsibilities. Ari Engelberg, Chief Executive Officer Ari Engelberg is a Los Angeles native. In 1996, while attending graduate school at UCLA, he co-founded Stamps.com, which is now the internet postage leader, commanding over 85% market share. Ari was responsible for venture capital relationships, regulatory relationships, and strategic partnerships. In 2000, he left Stamps.com to co-found Archive, Inc., a data storage software company, which was sold in 2002. Ari then returned to his alma mater, Harvard-Westlake, to teach American history and coach basketball for several years before becoming Bright Star Schools’ first CEO in late 2007. Ari is a founding partner of the Los Angeles Social Venture Partners and has held positions on the boards of Ethos Water, eTeamz, and CoreObjects Software. Ari’s non-profit experience includes service on the Boards of Directors of the Jewish Venture Philanthropy Fund of Los Angeles, the Literacy Network of Greater Los Angeles, and Jewish Big Brothers-Big Sisters. Ari holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Psychology from UC Berkeley and a Juris Doctor and Masters of Business Administration from UCLA. Jeff Hilger, Cultural and Accountability Officer, Founding Principal Jeff Hilger is the Founder of Bright Star Schools. Jeff graduated magna cum laude from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 1992. There, he interned at the International Organization for Migration, and spent one summer in Kenya assisting African refugees. After graduation, Jeff joined Teach for America in 1993 and taught for two years at McKinley Avenue School in South Los Angeles. Jeff received a dual degree in law and urban planning from UCLA and, in 1998, earned a clerkship with a federal district court judge. Jeff practiced in the litigation department of Proskauer and Rose for a year and a half before returning to teaching. In 2002, he wrote the charter, and in 2003 opened Stella Middle Charter Academy. China Habte, Controller China’s strong passion for the nonprofit community is reflected in her commitment and dedication to the sector. With more than nine years experience working exclusively with nonprofits, she has gained expertise in providing solutions for the unique accounting challenges facing the sector. China began her career as a senior accountant for an international relief organization followed by a position as a controller for a local mental health agency. Making a conscious decision to find a role to serve more nonprofits, China joined a mid-size public accounting firm, where she worked for five years as a senior auditor and an audit manager. In that role, she conducted and managed audits for a variety of nonprofit organizations in the greater Los Angeles area, specializing in government contracts and compliance and evaluation of internal controls. In addition, she organized and presented several in-house trainings and seminars on how to perform audits for nonprofit organizations. China earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from California State San Bernardino. Natalie F. Adams, Director of Advancement Natalie has spent more than seventeen years as a fundraiser and nonprofit professional focusing her work on programs for urban youth and public education reform. Prior to joining Bright Star Schools, Natalie worked as a nonprofit consultant in the Los Angeles area, assisting public school districts and start-up nonprofits in the areas of strategic planning, internal communications, and all aspects of fund development. Natalie spent eight years in New York City, building her career in nonprofit fundraising by serving as Director of Development at Harlem R.B.I. in East Harlem and Vice President of Resource Development at United Way of Tri-State. Natalie also gained valuable insight into public policy reform and nonprofit management through graduate fellowships at a Lower East Side charter school and several New York City public agencies. Natalie holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from New York University's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service and a Bachelor’s Degree from Loyola Marymount University in Studio Arts and English. Marisol Naranjo, Family Services Coordinator Bio coming soon Jacky Leung, IT Manager Bio coming soon Phillip Austria, IT Help Desk Bio coming soon Ana Vargas, Human Resources Manager Bio coming soon Sunil crossed over into the field of accounting more than five years ago after a successful advertising career. Before joining Bright Star Schools, Sunil worked in the contracting industry where he gained the skills to manage the various accounting departments within a company. Prior to this, he started and managed an advertising agency in India for six years. He earned his Masters in Accounting from the University of Mumbai. Karlyn Yngve, Enrollment Specialist/Advancement Coordinator Bio coming soon |
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