Board and Agendas – Invictus Leadership Academy

As a fourth-generation resident of our targeted community with more than 20 years of experience improving student outcomes in urban Californian communities, Dr. “D” is commited to improving student learning outcomes. She is a former chemist turned educator that has served families as an Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, Director of School and Student Accountability, Site Administrator, and Math Teacher. She is extensively experienced in raising student achievement in classrooms, schools, and districts; increasing one school 50 points (API) in a single year. She is a master teacher, has successfully led teams, and launched many successful educational innovations (including English Learner reforms, district-wide discipline reforms, Restorative Justice, and TK-8 STEAM project-based learning.)

Invictus Leadership Academy Board & Vision

At this critical time when an estimated 5 million jobs will be eliminated within the next five years through artificial intelligence and automation (Jobs Report, 2017), only those equipped with a skill set to solve novel problems and utilize technology will be able to successfully compete in our increasingly global job market. Therefore, Invictus Leadership Academy will provide an exceptional option to one of the most historically under-served communities in South Los Angeles.

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Mr. Dragon, our board President,is a former Chief Deputy to a Los Angeles School Board President. Mr. Dragon is a current board member of Strive, an inner-city after-school academy serving the Watts community for the last 15 years, and a Fortune 100 corporate recruiter (20 years) directly or indirectly related to student academic and job-readiness skills of youth, operation and fiscal policy experience. Mr. Dragon also ran for LA School Board in 1999, worked for the then President of LA School Board, Genethia Hayes. Mr. Dragon is a native of New York, though Los Angeles has been his home for over twenty years. He is also a military veteran and went to college at the Sorbonne in Paris, France.

Ms. Sison-Derbigny, our Board Secretary has more than 17 years of experience in healthcare management, operations, billing, staff development, and budget management. Eleanor is a Clinic Administrator for multiple health care sites and oversees and manages clinic operations and staffing to ensure quality patient care. She manages departmental budgets by monitoring productivity, revenue, and expenses. She is an innovative leader that collaboratively knows how to build teams that improve financial returns and customer satisfaction simultaneously. She also has a Lean Six Sigma certification, an educational background in Information Technology and Business Administration, a Master’s in Business Administration, and is pursuing a Doctoral Degree in Data Analytics.

Mrs. Chien is a professional with seven years of experience working in fundraising/development field, three of those years were focused on the management of federally funded programs and grants for a healthcare organization. As a grant manager, she is responsible for managing post-award activities for various departments/programs’ grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts from external funding sources (e.g., federal agencies, state agencies, private companies, and foundations). Ms. Chien has earned a bachelor’s degree in English from San Diego State University, and a master’s degree in Fine Arts from San Diego State University.

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Ms. Ruiz is a human resource administrator and has experience implementing company policies, programs, human resource practices, managing payroll, and administrating/ bcoordinating employee benefits. She also assists with accounting duties; ISO audits and conducts periodic I-9 audits to ensure compliance. Ms. Ruiz has a bachelor’s degree from National University in Business Administration, and a Master’s in Business Administration from National University. She is a self-starter, team-player, bilingual (Spanish/English), and mother of a high school student that successfully competed in an international STEM competition recently.

Ms. Marita Espino is retired local business woman and proud grandparent of an Invictus Scholar. As an advocate for education and building solid relationships between educators and families, the ILA board is happy to have her presence and voice joining the ILA Board as of February 2023.

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Students on track for College

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Qualify for Free Lunch

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English Language Learners

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Parents want their child college ready