Board of Directors

Vincent (Vince) Gonzales is a Partner and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager at Capital Group, where he joined in 2012. Mr. Gonzales earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a bachelor's degree in management science & engineering from Stanford University. Before joining Capital Group, Mr. Gonzales was an associate at Newstone Capital Partners and an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs. Throughout his academic and professional experience, Mr. Gonzales has volunteered with several youth mentoring and education organizations. As a Los Angeles native and graduate of the local public school system, and a first-generation college graduate, he is passionate about increasing student and parent awareness of higher-education opportunities and financing alternatives. Mr. Gonzales joined the board in March 2014 and previously served as the Finance Committee Chair and Board Vice-Chair. Contact this Board Member at [email protected].

Naya Bloom is an Executive Coach and Independent Consultant at Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE), a national nonprofit leadership development organization working to end the injustice of educational inequity by inspiring and supporting a diverse set of leaders with classroom experience to engage civically and politically. Naya's coaching work focuses in the areas of policy, advocacy and non-profit management. Prior to LEE, she spent ten years in senior leadership roles at Teach For America most recently as Vice President of Social Innovation Alumni Leadership Development. Before this, Naya served as the Executive Director of Norwood Healthy Start Family Resource Center, a school-based non-profit in South Los Angeles for six years. Naya began her career as a teacher in Washington DC Public Schools as a Teach For America Corps Member. Naya holds a BA in Latin American Studies and Latin American Literature from Smith College and a master's degree in Educational Leadership from Pepperdine University. She joined the board in January 2014. Contact this Board Member at [email protected].

Lee Chu is a Partner and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager at The Capital Group. Earlier in her career at Capital, Lee held the position of Investment Analyst with research responsibilities across various sectors. Lee began her career at Capital as a participant in The Associates Program, a two-year series of global assignments in various areas of the organization. Prior to joining Capital, she spent time in South Korea on a Fulbright Scholarship, awarded by the U.S. Department of State. Lee is a board member of several non-profit organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from Brown University, graduating magna cum laude. Over the course of her career, she has been an advocate for women in investment management and a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion within the asset management industry. Lee and her husband are proud parents of three children. Chu joined the Value Schools Board of Directors in 2023. Contact this Board Member at [email protected].

Kate Farrar has spent nearly 3 decades as an education and non-profit leader. She began her career as a middle school English/ELD teacher in the Compton Unified School District and continued as a teacher and guidance counselor in the Los Angeles Unified School District, and as a charter school principal in Los Angeles. In the non-profit sector, Kate has served in multiple roles for Teach for America and also at Leadership for Educational Equity, a nonprofit leadership development organization inspiring and supporting a network of civic leaders to end the injustice of educational inequity. Kate is currently the Chief of Staff at Equitas Academy Charter Schools. Kate has proudly served as a Value Schools Board Member since 2017. Contact this Board Member at [email protected].

Jeffrey Garcia is a Partner at the Capital Group Companies, where he is responsible for coverage of Latin American equities. Before joining Capital, Mr. Garcia graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Management Science and Engineering. Passionate about access to high-quality education, Mr. Garcia has worked at the Los Angeles Fund for Public Education and as an educator at Stanford College Prep. Mr. Garcia began his involvement with Value Schools as a volunteer tutor at Central City Value High School, and was invited to join the board in June 2012. Contact this Board Member at [email protected].

Erika Martinez is the proud mother of a Downtown Value School student and a Central City Value High School graduate. Ms. Martinez has been an active member of the Value Schools community, having served at Downtown Value School as PTO Treasurer and a member of the School Site Council. She currently volunteers her time teaching computer classes for Downtown Value School parents. Originally from Mexico, Ms. Martinez has lived in Los Angeles for the past 20 years. A graduate of Manual Arts High School in South Los Angeles, Ms. Martinez is Accounts Manager at D'Alessio Law Group’s Los Angeles office. Contact this Board Member at [email protected].

Jose Ramos Jr, MSW/MBA, is the Chief Program Office/Vice President for Los Angeles County at the Child Care Resource Center (CCRC), where his responsibilities include strategic planning, fiscal oversight, staff oversight and collaborative networking, grant writing, and representing CCRC in Los Angeles communities. Mr. Ramos has collaborated closely with community leaders to strengthen the community and to make positive changes to the lives of families. He holds a Master of Social Work degree from California State University at Long Beach and Master in Business Administration from California State Monterey Bay, has worked for the CCRC since 2022, and has more than two decades of experience working in the child welfare field. Mr. Ramos also shares the immigrant experience, having been born in Ecuador and coming to the United States at the age of 10. Mr. Ramos joined the board in June 2011. Contact this Board Member at [email protected].