Welcome Francisco Villegas, our new chief academic officer, and Jonathan Garcia, our new chief of staff!
We are excited about these talented individuals joining our organization. Francisco’s and Jonathan’s experience and dedication to public education make them valuable additions to our team. We anticipate that they will significantly contribute to the Partnership’s mission, culture and the next phase of our journey.
Please read more about them in their bios below.
Francisco Villegas, Chief Academic Officer (CAO)
Francisco is a dynamic education leader with over 25 years of experience teaching (with exceptional student outcomes), instructional and leadership coaching, academic leadership, partner management, fundraising, effective team management and school transformation.
He has served as the interim chief academic officer for the last couple of months, and for over a decade in several successive roles at the Partnership. Since 2018, Francisco has served as senior vice president of school transformation and systems advising. He has been instrumental in our math instruction work both within our network schools and in guiding the Gates-funded curriculum system advising work with LAUSD. He has developed relationships with regional district officials, as well as leaders in the Division of Instruction and Educational Transformation Office, and strengthened the Partnership’s visibility across LAUSD.
Francisco became an educator to provide disenfranchised children with an excellent education that will empower them to make positive change in their lives and the lives of others. Prior to joining the Partnership, he worked with the Colton School District for 12 years as a master math teacher, teacher leader, and instructional coach. His passion is working with young people living in generational poverty to support their development as confident individuals who see investing in themselves and their communities as a worthwhile and necessary effort.
As chief academic officer, Francisco will guide a comprehensive education model that addresses key leadership, instructional, cultural, and policy issues to support schools. Managing five direct reports and a total team of approximately 50, he will have overall responsibility for driving academic improvement in schools and codifying learning in support of the roughly 60 school leaders and 250 teacher leaders within the Partnership, while using these successes as guidance to influence the larger district, as well as state and national dialogue on school and district transformation.
Jonathan Garcia, effective August 1, will begin serving as our new Chief of Staff.
Jonathan brings extensive experience in fund development, organizational strategy, communications, and stakeholder relationship building.
Over the past decade, Jonathan and Partnership CEO Guadalupe Guerrero have collaborated across two large urban school districts, where he consistently demonstrated impactful contributions to student learning. His leadership roles at Portland Public Schools (PPS), including his recent position as chief of staff, strengthened strategic partnerships and navigated the district’s complex challenges. He guided the district’s community visioning process, managed the implementation of PPS’s strategic plan, established a nonprofit fundraising organization, and oversaw the organization’s engagement and communication strategy.
Before his time in Portland, Jonathan led successful fundraising initiatives for San Francisco Public Schools, establishing Spark SF Public Schools and raising tens of millions to support public education. Returning to Los Angeles, where he previously co-led the TELACU Education Foundation’s College Success Program.
As chief of staff, Jonathan will leverage his strategic insight to drive progress and innovation. Working closely with the Executive Team, he will help guide the implementation of our strategic plan, ensure mission alignment, cultivate a positive organizational culture, manage stakeholder relationships, and support internal change management efforts.