CEO / President

Yolie Flores

Yolie has dedicated her career to improving the lives of disadvantaged children and families. Throughout her 30-year career, she has held various leadership, management, consultant and policy positions in city and county government, non-profit organizations, philanthropy, and in elected office. In every position, Yolie has committed herself to lifting up parents and helping ensure that all kids —  most especially children from low-income families — grow up with opportunities to lead rich and fulfilling lives.

Born in El Paso, Texas and raised in Los Angeles, Yolie attended schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) – the same schools she represented as an elected member of the LAUSD Board of Education, where she served for four years, and the kinds of schools and students that she helped bring attention to as CEO of Communities for Teaching Excellence (2010-2012), focused on ensuring an effective teacher for every student, in every classroom, every day.

Upon graduation from Huntington Park High School, Yolie went on to be the first person in her family to attend a four-year university, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Redlands, and a Master’s degree in social welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Yolie began her career as a social worker at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, where she created and led DWP Family Care, a nationally recognized employer-supported child care and family support program. She later became the Director of Child Care Policy and Planning for the City of Los Angeles. After serving as a policy consultant to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Yolie served as CEO of the Los Angeles County Children’s Planning Council, the nation’s largest children’s partnership network. For almost a decade, she led an ambitious change agenda that focused on strengthening families and improving outcomes for children through large-scale reform, family and community engagement, and data-driven planning and policy development. Some of her key accomplishments include establishing community partnerships through the Los Angeles County Service Planning Area Councils, the development of a “safe surrender” policy, and the launch of Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors, the nation’s first evidence-based parent leadership program for Latino immigrant parents with children 0-5 years of age.

Between 2007 and 2011, Yolie served as a member and Vice President of the LAUSD Board of Education, the second largest school district in the nation. She was elected to serve students that were reflective of her own experience as an English learner and child of immigrants. It was through this lens and her deep concern that, for too long, too many children of similar background have been denied a quality education, that she championed some of the most significant reforms at LAUSD. During her tenure, Yolie led efforts that challenged the culture of failure and that denied too many children a quality education. These efforts included the “Parents as Equal Partners in the Education of their Children” resolution – the district’s most robust plan to ensure parents a meaningful role in their children’s education, and the “Public School Choice” resolution, creating a sense of urgency for change, challenging the status quo, and demanding quality education plans for newly built schools and underperforming schools. Her focus on improving outcomes for English language learners,
improving quality and access to the District’s early education programs, and increasing dual language programs from preschool through grade 12 reflected Yolie’s commitment to challenging the structural inequities in public education for children from low-income families and children of color.

Prior to her role at Families In Schools, Yolie served as the National Campaign Director for Parent Nation, a project of the TMW Center at The University of Chicago. Together with Dr. Dana Suskind, Yolie laid the groundwork to mobilize parents to demand a society that supports them in doing the most important job there is: raising children. Prior to Parent Nation, Yolie served as Chief Learning Officer with the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading where she led the Successful Parents initiatives and supported more than 350 communities across the nation in their efforts to ensure early school
success for more children from economically-challenged families.

Vice President of Strategy & Partnerships

Dr. Jessie Cuadra

Dr. Jessie Cuadra was born in El Salvador and at the age of 4, traveled with her maternal grandmother and younger sister through Guatemala into Mexico to cross the US border into California to be reunited with her immigrant parents. Unable to enroll into preschool programs, Jessie began her public education journey in kindergarten and had to learn to navigate the school system as an English language learner. Her parents never sought, nor received, any public or community assistance for the fear that it would unveil their immigrant status or impede their naturalization process in some way, so they worked multiple jobs to provide for their five children.

It was while reflecting on the institutional inequities that she and her parents had been confronted with, and continued to be pushed up against, that Jessie made a commitment to align her education and professional endeavors to serving children, families, and communities that have been historically excluded. Throughout her 20-year career, she has honed her ability to build relationships to engage parents, community partners, and program staff in the design and assessment of program services.  She is excited by standing in the gap of where an organization is and where it wants to go, and has employed hybrid project management approaches to respond to – and lead others through – change. Jessie is passionate in championing the work and developing the skills of organizational employees, modeling and providing many of the experiences she in turn expects them to provide the children, families, and communities they serve.

Prior to joining Families In Schools, Jessie served as the Family Engagement Manager of the Child Care Resource Center Head Start Birth to Five and State Preschool program. In this role, she worked closely with parent leaders in their growth as thought partners in guiding early care and education program services. She designed and delivered trainings to program staff on evidence-based practices for engaging families that are culturally responsive, and trauma-informed.

Jessie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child and Adolescent Development with a minor in Child Care Administration from California State University, Northridge and a Doctor of Psychology with an emphasis in Organizational Management and Consulting from Phillips Graduate University.

Director of Advocacy

Sandy Mendoza

I advocate for underprivileged families whose lives are often overwhelmed by circumstances of peril, poverty, and race. All families have a right to see their children grow up healthy, and receive a quality education that prepares them to graduate, college and workforce ready.

My passion for social justice was ignited when as one of thousands of Los Angeles Unified students, we walked out in protest of the treatment by teachers and administrators because of our Mexican heritage.

Director of Training and Capacity Building

Lindsay Dumas, M.Ed.

Over the last decade, Lindsay’s work in higher education and non-profit organizations has been in advancing educational equity. She has several years of experience in creating brave spaces for intercultural dialogue through trainings, facilitations and workshops on inclusion, compassion, cultural humility and restorative practices. She is constantly pursuing ways she can be a better anti-racist leader, and enjoys challenging the status quo and empowering others to expand their worldview and perspectives as it relates to issues of intersectional justice. Lindsay holds her Master of Education in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership with an emphasis on diversity and equity from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Operations Manager

Victory Onyekwere

Victory Onyekwere leads the organization’s internal operations – overseeing the overall functioning of business operations, including finances, staffing, policies, marketing, and goal setting. Victory received a BS in Public Health Sciences from the University of California, Irvine, with a focus on community organization and sustainability. During this period, Victory developed a deep admiration for the nonprofit sector as she began to realize how instrumental nonprofits were in their ability to improve the quality of life for the community. This awareness has empowered Victory to join the nonprofit sector to play a behind-the-scenes yet, very instrumental role in community and educational restructuring.

In this position, she plans to uncover the needs within Families In Schools, define and set policies/ guidelines, oversee and streamline financial information while working closely with HR to hire, train and support new employees. Furthermore, as a big-picture critical thinking leader, Victory will liaise within Families In Schools to ensure that the organization’s ongoing success remains sustainable for the next generation of leaders.

Program Manager

Silvia Torres

I am the program coordinator for the SKILLS Grant and the School2Home partnership. I am also part of a team that provides various professional development at various schools and agencies. I began my professional journey with Families in School as the program coordinator for GEAR UP Project STEPS. As a student I was part of the first GEAR UP Project STEPS grant at North Hollywood High School where I also graduated from. After graduating, I attended California State University Northridge, where I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Central American Studies. While earning my Bachelors I worked as a consultant working directly with students and parents.

Training and Capacity Building Program Manager

Meryah A. Fisher, MA, MPA, MAPP

Meryah A. Fisher, MA, MPA, MAPP (pronouns: they/she) earned a Master’s of Cultural Studies and a Master’s of Public Policy from Claremont Graduate University, a Master’s of Public Administration from Cheyney University. Additionally, they earned a dual BA in Africana Studies and Sociology with a Women’s Studies minor from Cal State Dominguez Hills. They are a current lecturer in the Department of Africana Studies at Dominguez Hills and a post-coursework fellowship student at Claremont Graduate University pursuing the school’s first interfiled Ph.D. in Cultural Studies and Policy/Politics. Meryah is a small-town South Jersey native who has worked for years as the Volunteer Coordinator for the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference, founded a small New Jersey-based homeless-to-work initiative, and has a long history of case management for disabled persons, those suffering with mental health, and families impacted by homelessness. Additionally, they are an ambitious underground neo-soul singer-songwriter. Meryah’s academic and personal passions include challenging human rights and social justice threats through intuitively bridging sociopolitical gaps created by disparities, marginalization, systemic oppression, lackadaisical and radical self care, and lost or intentionally muffled voices. Their research interests have focused on the impacts and implications of policy and political institutions on minoritized groups, with emphases on placed on racialized groups and sexual/gender minorities. Among the many awards they have received over their years of service and dedication to community uplift and engagement, recently Meryah was the recipient of the 2018 Marilyn Brady Award for Distinguished Service at CSU Dominguez Hills, a student nominated award for their dedication to queer and trans identified students of color, and the 2019 Ella Josephine Baker Outstanding Faculty Service Award for critical service and mentorships to students.

Training and Capacity Building Program Manager

Daniela Hernandez

Daniela was born and raised in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico; her bicultural and bilingual approach to life has always been a key component of her identity and it has allowed her to be curious and open to learn. At the age of 16, she migrated to the United States and witnessed many barriers in the education system that were designed to make her fail. However, with perseverance, resilience, grit, and support from her family and mentors, she was able to attend Crafton Hills Community College and transferred to California State University of San Bernardino (CSUSB) where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts, in Liberal Studies and a minor in Spanish.

She recently graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) with a master’s degree in Education, Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship with a concentration in Higher Education. During her time at HGSE, she was one of the leaders for the affinity group Comunidad Latinx, where she coordinated the Harvard-wide Latinx graduation.

Throughout her journey she has worked in a non-profit organization that is dedicated to create more equitable, and inclusive systems for communities. In this position as the Training and Capacity Project Manager II with Family In Schools (FIS), Daniela is committed to continue building pathways for equitable, anti-racist, anti-biased family, and community engagement systems.

In addition to her passion for working with communities and families, she envisions supporting transfer students in their transition from community college to a 4-year university. As a transfer student herself, she understands the importance of creating spaces that promote students to experience a sense of belonging; through partnerships with universities, a culturally responsive curriculum by creating welcoming and brave spaces for students.

Her hobbies include photography, running, and hiking. She is always ready for an outdoor adventure!

Project Manager

Eliana Morales

Advocacy Manager

Sarah Garcia

Sarah Garcia (she/her) holds a BA in English with a Creative Writing Concentration and a Minor in Gender Studies from UCLA and a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from Mills College. Her undergraduate creative writing thesis earned her Departmental Highest Honors, and her MFA thesis project was awarded the Amanda Davis MFA Thesis in Fiction prize. Her fiction has been published in FEM Newsmagazine, The Fairy Tale Magazine, BreakBread Magazine, and The Ana, and she has written articles for FEM Newsmagazine and Families in Schools. She has worked as a graduate assistant for the Place for Writers and as the managing prose editor for 580 Split’s 25th issue, “Fever Dreams.” Currently, she is volunteering as the Reading Series Coordinator for the nonprofit BreakBread Literacy Project.

For two separate stories in 2021 and 2022, Sarah won honorable mention and then first place for the Marion Hood Boess Haworth Prize in Children’s and YA Fiction. She also received first place for the Melody Clarke Teppola Prize in Fiction in 2022.

Whenever she can, Sarah loves to write fantastical stories, read the strange and unusual, and watch all things horror. She’s an avid Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast and enjoys iced coffee and Takis with an undying passion.

Communications Associate

Cynthia Perez

Cynthia Perez is a creative digital media and communications strategist with experience developing and executing multiple campaigns for diverse audiences to increase brand awareness and engagement. She loves working for Families In Schools because they have a long history of advocating and providing parents and family members the training and opportunities to help their children succeed while simultaneously supporting educators through professional development trainings in meeting their family engagement goals. She wholeheartedly believes in this non-profit and its mission and vision.