Team Member
Carol D. Phillips serves as an Operations Manager for LACOE’s Human Resource Services (HRS) division. She has been part of the LACOE family for 25 years. With a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and a Masters of Art in Human Resource Management, Carol brings a high level of expertise and knowledge to her role. She explains that HRS is the heart of LACOE. HRS is the first interaction employees have with LACOE and she works collaboratively with her team to ensure hiring and onboarding tasks are completed efficiently.
Carol’s day-to-day role involves overseeing operations, ensuring compliance and maintaining a positive work environment. She connects with LACOE's mission by facilitating smooth operations to support employees in their roles. The most unique aspect of her role lies in her continuous learning journey within the organization, which has contributed to her personal and professional growth, while connecting her with amazing individuals who have influenced her life.
Allen Ward is a Manager for LACOE’s Technology Services division. He has been part of the LACOE family for 22 years. As a member of the Technology, Learning, Support Services (TLSS) team, their top priority is providing high-level technical support across LA County, with a special focus on meeting the unique technology needs of students at school sites. Allen's day-to-day role involves overseeing support for school sites and remote locations, leading technical coordination for events and navigating high-pressure tech situations.
Deeply connected to LACOE's mission, he emphasizes the importance of improving lives through daily interactions, leveraging technology as a means of achieving this. In his role, Allen finds uniqueness in adapting to the ever-evolving world of technology and contributing solutions to diverse technical support needs across Los Angeles County. Additionally, his personal experience as a DJ and MC adds a dynamic touch to benefit the organization's events and board meetings.
Lisa Maria Sanjurjo is the Employee Assistance Program Coordinator with the Employee Assistance Service for Education (EASE) Division. She has been part of the LACOE family for almost 25 years. She started her career at LACOE in the Business Advisory Services (BAS) Division, then the LACOE Board of Education Office and for the last 15 years she has been working with EASE. In 2008, Lisa earned her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Studies from Cal State Long Beach through a LACOE cohort. This unique opportunity to work and pursue college coursework was made possible by the partnership program between LACOE and Cal State Long Beach, playing a pivotal role in realizing her educational dream.
Lisa explains that the EASE team, under the direction of EASE director, Dr. Emily J. Hernandez, includes four Marriage and Family Therapy Interns and 50 Licensed Contractor Professionals/Therapists. Her role involves managing district and professional contracts, budgets, and billing, while also focusing on customer service and coordinating service delivery. The unique aspect of her work lies in ensuring district employees receive the necessary help and support. EASE addresses employee wellness through counseling services, a Mobile Crisis Team, a 24/7 hotline, workshops, articles, and wellness activities, with Lisa coordinating operational tasks and services. She shares that the best part of her role at LACOE is being able to support educators’ wellbeing and mental health in Los Angeles County.
Erica Robson is the Director and Choreographer for the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts’ Musical Theatre Department. She has been part of the LACOE family for 23 years. As a LACHSA alumna, Erica takes pride in imparting the art and passion of Broadway-quality productions to her students. Her day-to-day role includes directing rehearsals including physical and vocal warm ups, staging and choreographing dance numbers, rehearsing songs and scenes and pre-production planning. As the director of the musical theatre department, Erica oversees all the production scheduling, set design, lighting design, sound design, costume design and prop design.
Erica has been a working dancer, actress, teacher, director and award-winning choreographer in the field of performing arts for over twenty-five years. She has film and television credits which include Ocean’s Eleven, How I Met Your Mother and Glee and has performed on national and international tours which include A Chorus Line, Jane’s Addiction and Chayanne. But she shares that the most unique part of her work at LACOE is having the privilege to teach the most talented, hard-working, driven and inspiring students in L.A. County.
Division
LACOE's College and Career Readiness/Advancement Via Individual Determination (CCR/AVID) unit provides professional learning opportunities to teachers and administrators to support best, first teaching and learning. The CCR/AVID unit supports all Education Programs, Juvenile Court Schools (JCS), and at-promise youth because CCR/AVID believes all Los Angeles County students deserve a fair and equitable education. The unit offers professional learning opportunities to integrate AVID strategies, particularly Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading (WICOR), into the curriculum to ensure all students access rigorous standards-based content.
The CCR/AVID unit is not just a team of experts, but also a strategic partner in LACOE's mission to improve student outcomes. Tracy Adams, Dr. Gloria Martinez, David Hedges, and Stacy Boyce-Jenks, the four unit members, collectively bring over 30 years of experience and expertise to the table. As long-time AVID experts, former educators, and administrators, they know how to strategize unique and eventful days in partnership with administrators and teachers at the camps and halls. Some days include professional development, coaching, and technical assistance for CCR/AVID, while other days are spent at school and district sites training educators and supporting LEAs. The CCR/AVID unit's goals perfectly align with LACOE's strategic plan, ensuring that every effort is directed toward improving student outcomes at the LEAs, camps, and halls. The unit values every team member, from administrative assistant to lead, and each plays a vital role in supporting Ed Programs.
LACOE’s Child Welfare and Attendance (CWA) unit, under LACOE’s Wellbeing Support Services division, collaborates with Local Education Agencies (LEAs), the 80 school districts and 350+ charter schools, across the county, providing essential support in areas such as attendance, enrollment, school discipline, homeless education and more. The CWA team is a diverse and dedicated group that have expanded regionally to address chronic absenteeism and support students experiencing homelessness.
The team’s day-to-day role involves offering technical assistance, conducting training and preparing interdistrict and expulsion appeal cases. Aligned with LACOE’s mission of improving lives through service, leadership and advocacy, the CWA team ensures students remain connected to their learning environment and pursue post-secondary plans, which can include higher education, vocational careers or enrolling in the military.
The CWA team’s notable accomplishments include the Homeless Education Program (HEP) being recognized as a Technical Assistance Center for the state and providing tutoring and school supplies to students experiencing homelessness. The unique aspect of working in CWA lies in its essential role in supporting the success of students countywide, from being thought partners with districts who need support with at-promise youth to navigating education code for discipline matters to training teams on enrollment and attendance practices.
