Board of Directors
Regional Cluster Representatives:
Alvaro Cortes - Southern California Region - Alvaro Cortes is the Assistant Superintendent of the Beyond the Bell Branch of the Los Angeles Unified School District. As Assistant Superintendent, he oversees and supervises the implementation of all extended day programs which include before-school, after-school, and Saturday programs for the entire school district—academic as well as enrichment.
Formerly, Mr. Cortes served as Director of School Services in Local District 2 of the Los Angeles Unified School District where he supervised and supported 15 elementary schools, planned and coordinated professional development for Principals, and organized school teams to develop and enhance coherence in their instructional programs. Prior to his position as Director, Mr. Cortes served the district for 2 years as Facilitator for the Annenberg Grant implementation and for 12 years as an Elementary School Principal.
Being an immigrant from Central America, he has an empathy and affinity for EL students and is passionate about ensuring that all students learn, graduate, and achieve.
Mr. Cortes is married with two sons, lives in La Crescenta, California, and is an avid UCLA fan.
Randy Barth - Inland Empire Region - Randy Barth is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of THINK Together, a non-profit community-based organization that provides academically-oriented after school programs in Southern California. THINK Together currently serves more than 20,000 students each day at 192 school and community sites across 19 school districts with a paid staff of more than 1300 people and more than 1000 volunteers. THINK Together operates 92 ASES and 21st Century-funded sites in the Inland Empire.
Barth was a successful businessman for more than twenty years. He began his work in the after school arena when he founded the award-winning Shalimar Learning Center as a volunteer after a gang shooting in a tough barrio in Westside Costa Mesa in 1994. The success of that model resulted in the establishment of THINK Together as a non-profit organization in 1997 with Barth serving as volunteer Board Chair for most of the life of the organization. Upon the sale of his company, Barth came to work at THINK Together as CEO in late 2003. THINK Together has grown more than twenty-fold since then making it one of the fastest growing non-profits in the U.S.
Barth holds a BA in Economics from UCLA and did his graduate work at the Peter F. Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University, where he holds a Certificate in Corporate Strategy.
Julia Fong Ma - Bay Area Region - Julia Fong Ma is the Coordinator of After School Programs for the Oakland Unified School District. The Oakland SUCCESS After School Programs Office currently provides oversight and support to 91 elementary, middle, and high school programs funded by ASES and 21stCentury dollars. Oakland SUCCESS enjoys a strong partnership with the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth (OFCY), which invests over $6 million of city funds into OUSD’s after school programs annually.
Prior to joining the Oakland Unified School District in October of 2008, Julia served as District Representative for K-12 Education for State Senate President pro Tempore Don Perata. She also worked as a Program Fellow at the East Bay Community Foundation. There she facilitated education and youth development grant making, and led the foundation’s Proposition 49 readiness efforts. She worked closely with community-based organizations and school districts in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties to foster after school partnerships. Julia directed the Making Waves youth development program in San Rafael for 4 years, then launched and directed an Even Start family literacy program for pregnant and parenting teens in Oakland for another 4 years.
Julia is the very lucky mother of two brilliant and beautiful daughters: a 1st grader and an incoming kindergartner in the Oakland Unified School District.
Alix Frazer - Central Valley Region - Alix Frazer is Director of the Fresno County Office of Education FRESH (Fresno County’s Enrichment and Scholastic Help) after-school programs. The FRESH Collaborative consists of 130 elementary, middle, and high school sites using ASES (After School Education and Safety) and 21stCentury funding. Academic assistance and key principals of youth development are emphasized in the programs. Alix has been a school administrator for over 18 years. Prior to joining Fresno County Office of Education, Alix enjoyed serving as a Special Education Teacher, Grant Coordinator, Principal, State and Federal Projects Director, and Director of Instruction. She holds a Masters Degree in Education from Fresno Pacific University and her credentials include Multiple Subject, Learning Handicapped with a Resource Specialist Certificate, and Administrative Services. She has extensive experience with Title I Schools as well as program compliance.
Cliff Munson - Northern California Region - Cliff Munson has over 8 years experience in state and federal after school programs. In 2000, Cliff became the Program Coordinator for the Scott Valley 21st Century program. The Scott Valley program served two K-6, two K-8, a junior high school, and a high school program. In 2005, He joined Amy Christianson and the Region 2 Learning Support team as a Regional Liaison where he served the northernmost counties in California. Cliff helped many Region 2 programs with no preexisting after school sites write for the post Proposition 49 ASES program. The Region 2 assignment was instrumental in giving Cliff an understanding of the ASES program on the state level and a chance to voice concerns for students in rural communities. Currently Cliff is the Program Director for the 24 Siskiyou County Office of Education SAFE Afterschool Programs. He has enjoyed working with youth in his community for over 25 years as a 4-H Leader, PAL coach and board member and is currently on the Scott Valley Unified School District Board. Cliff has experience with youth pre-K-14 in the most rural of situations.
Members At Large:
Robert Matthew Cabeza, Executive Director, YMCA of Greater Long Beach Downtown Community Development Branch - Mr. Cabeza has twenty-six years of youth programming, counseling, and community development experience resulting in the ability to lead unique collaboratives designed to better the lives of youth and families. Mr. Cabeza has expertise in personnel, administration, volunteer/staff recruitment and training, long range and strategic planning, grant writing, fund raising, community relations, traditional and non-traditional after-school programming, outdoor education. Mr. Cabeza has a special focus on youth development and technology equity for underserved communities. Prior to becoming Executive Director with the YMCA, he was the YMCA Youth Institute Director, Associate Executive Director of the Ketchum Downtown YMCA in Los Angeles, Youth Services Director for the YMCA of Greater Long Beach, and Director of Recreation Services for The Foundation for the Junior Blind. He is a fellow of the Community Technology Foundation of California’s Z-Fellow Program and has been a panelist and presenter at several national conferences. Mr. Cabeza is the first non-school-based educator to be named an Apple Distinguished Educator. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from San Jose State University. He has been married for 12 years and has an 8 year old son.
Linda S. Lovelace, Program Manager, School Health Programs Department - Linda is the Senior Administrative Analyst for the San Francisco Unified School District’s After School For All Initiative. Under Linda's direction the After School For All initiative is a collaboration between the City and County of San Francisco and the Unified School District to ensure all students 6 -16 years who want after school programs will have program to attend in their community.
Linda began her work with San Francisco in 1998 as the first SFUSD District Coordinator for the now “ExCEL After School Programs”. Starting with 20 after school sites, San Francisco has grown to 93 state and federally funded programs serving more than 8,500 students daily.
Linda is a die hard “RAIDER” fan and truly believes that despite another losing season the RAIDERS will one day win the “SUPERBOWL”.
Ex-Officio Members:
Carla Sanger - Fiscal Agent Representative - President and Chief Executive Officer of LA’s BEST After School Enrichment Program for 20 years, Carla Sanger, M.Ed. has been a specialist in children’s education policy and advocacy for more than 40 years in the public and private sectors. Over the course of her career, she has been a public school teacher, curriculum writer, supervisor of day care services for the state of New Jersey, Executive Director of LA Child Care & Development Council, President of the California Children’s Council and co-chair of the California State Department of Education Task Force on School Readiness. Ms. Sanger co-founded a K-12 school (Nuevo Colegio Bilingue Larchmont) in Bogotá, Colombia in 1969, which is still active today with 300 students.
Ms. Sanger has been a longtime activist on various community boards of directors, which have included the California Women’s Law Center, United Way Metro Region, Child & Family Services, Highland Hall School, Northridge Knights Youth Sports League, Getty House Children’s Committee and Dolores Mission Women’s Cooperative. Nationally recognized in the field of after school programs, she serves on numerous after school quality and evaluation advisory committees and task forces for the US Department of Education, the State of California and the County of Los Angeles. Most recently, she was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the California State Advisory Committee on Before and After School Programs. She has also been appointed by the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction to several task forces, including the Title I Committee of Practitioners, as well as by Los Angeles Mayors James Hahn and Antonio Villaraigosa to the LA President’s Joint Commission on LAUSD Governance.
She has been a featured speaker and conference presenter for numerous school districts throughout California, keynote speaker for the California State Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Education and countless community-based after school organizations throughout the United States. She holds a B.A. degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.Ed. from Goucher College.
Steven Amick - Executive Director - See "About Us" page for Steven's Bio