Despite a favorable environment that promotes school choice, Arizona has a shortage of high-quality school options in local communities where the highest-need students live. These students, who are typically of color and experiencing poverty - are disproportionately concentrated in geographic areas where low-performing schools are prevalent.
We believe every child, in every neighborhood, should have access to a high-quality school.
While recognition of systemic inequities is growing and momentum for bold change is building among education, business, and other key leaders in Arizona, there is much work to be done to ensure high-quality education is available to students in their own backyards. With the right organization, leadership, and support, the promise of a more equitable and accessible education system can be a reality.
We offer meaningful solutions by maximizing expertise, experience and unique perspectives. This is accomplished through collaboration among a wide variety of stakeholders, including districts, charters, experts, funders and policymakers.
We bring together diverse partners to manage resources and execute strategies that will increase high-quality educational options across our state.
Funders have already provided support to launch this organization, proving a belief in our vision and a meaningful commitment to improving education in Arizona.
Julia Meyerson is the Founder and CEO of Vista College Preparatory Charter Schools, an organization of five K - 8 tuition-free, public charter schools in Phoenix Arizona. Vista College Prep is committed to redefining what is possible in education by ensuring every student has access to an exceptional teacher, as well as the beliefs that all kids can succeed and demographics do not determine destiny.
Julia attended the University of Southern California for her undergraduate degree and then Pace University where she received a Master's in Education while working as a Teach for America teacher in the South Bronx. Recognizing the impact of state and local legislation on education, Julia worked for both the political and finance teams of the Democratic Governors Association, later serving as the Policy Director. In this capacity, Julia was able to work with governors, business leaders and policy experts. Yet it was while working in other areas of policy that Julia realized she missed working in education.
An Arizona native, she returned to Phoenix to begin extensive professional development as a Building Excellent Schools (BES) Fellow, spending a year and a half visiting and observing some of the highest performing charter schools in the nation, learning how to lead an equity-focused school that reflects and responds to the needs of the community, excels academically and ensures sustainability for students to continue to achieve far into the future. Julia opened the first Vista Prep school in 2013, eventually expanding to five schools. In 2018, the first year the campus was eligible, Vista College Prep’s Hadley campus was one of five schools in the State of Arizona to receive the National Blue Ribbon Award from the United States Department of Education.
Julia is a member of YPO, a graduate of Valley Leadership, and a 40 under 40 honoree. She was an In Business Magazine 2021 Women of Achievement recipient and an ATHENA Award finalist in 2016. In 2021 Julia was appointed to the Arizona State Board of Education for a four-year term by Governor Doug Ducey with the consent of the Senate.
Judith Paredes is a respected community organizer throughout Phoenix. After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University, she worked for Candelen, formerly known as the Association for Supportive Child Care, first as a Child Care Injury Prevention Specialist, then as the Lead for the Child Care Injury Prevention Program and as an Assistant Coordinator for the Arizona Kith & Kin Project Child, eventually becoming the Supervisor, Family Support and Education Division.
Judith now serves as the Manager for AZ Leads, using her talents as an organizer, community connector, social influencer and administrator to instigate and support wholesale change in the education ecosystem. She developed an appreciation for the importance of education from her father, a school teacher from Mexico, early in her own education as he navigated the school system on behalf of Judith and her sister, emphasizing the importance of learning and building relationships with the teachers and principals of the schools they attended.
Judith is bilingual in Spanish and English and was a board member and volunteer for Safe Kids Maricopa County, currently led by Child Crisis Arizona. Safe Kids implements evidence-based programs such as car-seat checkups, safety workshops and sports clinics that assist parents and caregivers in preventing childhood injuries.
A proven leader with more than 15 years in executive management roles, Chris Camacho serves as the President & CEO at one of the longest standing public-private partnerships for economic development across the country. He previously served as the organization’s Executive Vice President.
Prior to GPEC, Camacho served as President & CEO of the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation (GYEDC) from 2006-2008, after serving as the Business Development Manager for two years. During his tenure, GYEDC helped 35 companies and 3,500 jobs locate in Greater Yuma, resulting in more than $350M of capital investment in the region. Some of the larger manufacturing projects included Alside Window and Door, Northwestern Industries Inc., Johnson Controls, and Shaw Industries.
Viewed as a dynamic community figure, Camacho was recognized as the Chamber of Commerce Leader of the Year in 2007. In 2006, he served on the Arizona Global Network Board, which was developed to create a foreign-direct investment platform for the State of Arizona. He also developed Yuma’s first Business Retention and Expansion Program to support the local manufacturing and food technology sector. Prior to moving to Arizona, Camacho worked as a research analyst at The Alliance, a regional economic development firm in Greater St. Louis.
He is involved in community non-profits including Chicanos Por La Causa, and sits on the boards for the Arizona Business Education Coalition, Year Up, the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Valley of the Sun United Way, as well as the International Economic Development Council and the Economic Innovation Group Policy Council. In 2016 he was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to serve on the U.S. Investment Advisory Council, to advise the Secretary on foreign direct investment policies and strategies. Camacho is also an Honorary Commander at Luke Air Force Base and a member of The Thunderbirds.
Known for her loyalty, empathy, and unique approach to solving complex problems – traits shared with her late father, Dan Cracchiolo, Founder and Chairman of The Steele Foundation, Marianne joined the Foundation as President in 2007. Her father asked for her partnership to lead the organization into the next generation, this felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to work alongside her dad, as his close confidant, and the chance to devote the next phase of her professional life to philanthropy.
The Steele Foundation, a private Arizona based foundation, is focused on investing in children to educate, empower and enrich their lives. Established in 1980, the child-centered Foundation has distributed more than $100 million in bequests to over 400 nonprofits across the state. Marianne oversees all financial, operational, and programmatic aspects of the Foundation, including the investment strategy and portfolio; governance; finance and administration; board relations; grantmaking; and community outreach. She is proud of her many accomplishments which include fortifying the Foundation’s corpus back to its height of more than $100 million following the global financial crisis of 2009, as well as developing a mission, focus and framework for grantmaking operations.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Marianne led a successful career in Los Angeles as a senior television executive. As a proud graduate of the University of Arizona’s School of Media Arts Marianne’s goal was to pursue a career in television production. Highly respected in the entertainment industry, she is known for her work with Warner Brothers Television, CBS, MTV, and HBO on award-winning programs including Two and a Half Men, The New Adventures of Old Christine, the Big Bang Theory, The Jon Stewart Show, and The Sopranos to name just a few.
Marianne is dedicated to giving back to the community she loves and serves on the boards of organizations that have great personal meaning. These include: The Arizona Community Foundation, Brophy College Preparatory, The University of Arizona Foundation and the AZ Leads Advisory Board.
As proud as she is of her professional career, nothing compares to her family life. The privilege of parenting three beautiful children alongside her husband and having had the chance to work with her father are what Marianne considers her most significant accomplishments.
Clare has been advising leading organizations and brands on reputation and positioning strategy for the past 25 years. She has developed narratives to shift public opinion, drive legislative success, clarify the investor value proposition and drive employee culture; she has helped mitigate risk and restore reputations of companies under fire; she has enabled teams to build organizational capacity in support of strategy and has defined CEO positioning on high-stakes issues and in response to mass crisis events.
Clare approaches the articulation of strategy through the lens of strongly-formed arguments with the power to compel stakeholders, defeat adversaries, influence environments and create advantage. During her consulting career, Clare has worked across a variety of industries including energy, casino gaming and entertainment, consumer packaged goods, software and tech, financial services, tourism and hospitality, retail, biopharmaceuticals, venture capital and telecommunications.
Prior to co-founding Prologue, Clare was a Partner at High Lantern Group, where she led the corporate communications and reputation management practice. During her corporate career, Clare led executive communications and oversaw special projects for Disney’s renowned global theme park group.
Clare lives in Scottsdale, AZ with her husband and three children. She is passionate about community engagement and is honored to be on the Board of Trustees of Brophy College Preparatory, an all-boys Jesuit high school, the Board of Trustees of AZ Leads, a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding access to high-quality education in Arizona and The Board of Visitors, Arizona’s oldest women’s charitable organization, which supports the healthcare needs of women, children and the elderly.
Charles Mitchell, Co-Founder and CEO oversees All About People’s operations and growth strategy.
Charles received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from North Carolina A&T State University in 1989. After receiving an MBA from the University of North Carolina in 1992, Charles served as a Director at GE Capital Mortgage Corporation before leaving to attend law school in 1995. Upon graduating from American University in 1998, Charles joined the law firm of Fennemore Craig in Phoenix where his practice areas included securities law, mergers & acquisitions and general corporate representation. In addition to the education noted above, Charles is a Harvard Business School alumnus of the Owner/President Management Program (OPM). Charles is active in his community and involved with several non-profit organizations. He has served on the national board for INROADS, a national internship program for talented minority youth and is the past Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Chair of the Pacific Southwest Minority Development Council. Charles is currently the Founding & Governing Board Chair of Vista College Preparatory Charter School in Phoenix. Vista College Prep serves a geographically and economically challenged demographic in South Phoenix, yet has been touted as one of the highest performing charter schools in the state of Arizona and the country after being named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, Charles is a founding board member and former national board member of SEED SPOT, a nationally recognized social venture incubator. Further, Charles is a board member of the Phoenix Regional Board of Teach For America and the national board of directors for BES, a not-for-profit organization based in Boston, Massachusetts that trains high-capacity individuals to take on the demanding and urgent work of leading high-achieving, college preparatory urban charter schools. BES has helped establish over 200 high-performing, charter school networks over the past 25 years. In addition, Charles serves on the President’s Council for Self-Enhancement, Inc. (“SEI”), a nonprofit organization supporting at-risk urban youth in Portland, Oregon. Lastly, Charles is a board member of the Arizona Basketball Coaches Association.
Charles is a proud parent of 3 children along with his wife, Sherri. Charles and his family reside in Scottsdale, Arizona.
For nearly two decades, Adriana Murrietta has been a tireless leader in improving education outcomes for Arizona students. As the executive director of the Pharos Foundation, Murrietta spearheaded the organization’s involvement with valley nonprofits, chambers of commerce, universities, and district and charter schools to fund innovative education strategies and identify key education leaders. Her work has been recognized by the Phoenix Business Journal and Valle del Sol with the coveted 40 Under 40 and Exemplary Leadership awards.
Prior to her work with the Pharos Foundation, Murrietta was the former director of multicultural community engagement at Expect More Arizona. There, she led the organization’s statewide outreach and mobilization efforts within the Hispanic and Native American communities and served as the spokesperson and point of contact for Spanish-speaking media.
Murrietta began her career in education as a board member of the Unitarian Universalist Early Education Cooperative Preschool in Paradise Valley. She later managed the school as interim director, overseeing state compliance and deficiency elimination initiatives. Adriana expanded her role in education advocacy and policy as the operations and development manager at Stand for Children Arizona where she managed partnerships with Latino organizations, led volunteer outreach efforts, and oversaw events and grant writing.
As an active and engaged member of her community, Murrietta serves as an advisory board member for ALL in Education, Arizona Leads, the Desert Botanical Garden, and The Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation. She is a Pahara Fellow, a graduate of the Hispanic Leadership Institute and Valley Leadership and a founding board member of the Isac Amaya Foundation. Adriana resides in Phoenix with her husband, two daughters and three adorable pets.
As President and CEO of the Rodel Foundation of Arizona, Jackie is responsible for promoting the vision and developing the strategies for improving Arizona’s public education system. Prior to joining Rodel in 2011, she served as Vice President of the Arizona State University Foundation. A lawyer by profession, Jackie was a partner in the Phoenix law firm, Gallagher & Kennedy. She also served as the Director of the Arizona Department of Commerce and as Deputy Chief of Staff to Arizona Governor Fife Symington. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and her law degree from Arizona State University.
Jackie has served as a member of the board of directors of numerous organizations including Expect More Arizona, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, ASU Law Society, University of Arizona College of Business and Public Administration and the Arizona Council on Economic Education.
She has been honored to receive the Paul Fannin award for “Outstanding Service;” the “Distinguished Achievement Award” from ASU College of Extended Education and the “Leadership Award” from the Arizona Girl Scouts.
Tyler is a partner with City Fund. She was previously a Senior Vice President at the California Charter School Association, where she helped lead the organization’s political and advocacy initiatives and developed and led the organization’s parent and youth organizing teams. Tyler also served on the 2016 Clinton campaign, overseeing the get out the vote operation for Clark County, Nevada. She has a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and lives in Sacramento with her husband, daughter and their two dogs.
Juliana Worrell is the Chief Schools Officer K-8 for Uncommon Schools, where she oversees the instructional program for Uncommon’s 43 elementary and middle schools across NY, NJ, and MA. Through a laser-like focus on leadership development and high-quality instruction, her schools have consistently outperformed end-of-year state exam averages, with more than half outperforming their respective states’ highest performing subgroups.
Juliana is also deeply passionate about strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across Uncommon, increasing the number of teachers and leaders of color, strengthening culturally responsive teaching practices, and working to advance Uncommon’s commitment to being an increasingly anti-racist organization that continues to advance social justice.
Juliana’s international trainings are at the heart of education reform. She is co-author of the book Great Habits, Great Readers, and her leadership as a former principal and principal manager has been featured in several books and articles for her ability to develop teachers and leaders in the areas of literacy, data analysis, curriculum planning, and classroom instruction.
Juliana has done adjunct work for the Relay Graduate School of Education and the Summer Principals Academy program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She was part of the inaugural cohort of The Broad Academy at Yale School of Management, a 2017 Pahara fellow, board chair of The Collective: Teach for America’s Association for Alumni of Color, and a board member of Spark Schools, a network of high performing schools in Johannesburg, South Africa. Juliana holds a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and a M.A. in Education Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.
