Meet the Community Schools Team

	Lara Kain Administrator, Community Schools Lara Kain is the Administrator for Community Schools for the Orange County Department of Education, responsible for coordinating and supporting community school efforts within districts and communities across Orange County. Lara has experience implementing community schools as a director with a third party non-profit in Los Angeles. Additionally, she is an educational consultant fluent in trauma-informed practices in education, community schools, and school system transformation. Lara brings her deep understanding of the importance of schools as community drivers for change. Lara brings over two decades of experience at the local, state and national level. Lara has worked both as a teacher and administrator putting the science of building resilience into practice. She understands what schools can and should look like to benefit ALL children and the adults that support them. Along with a BS in Education from the UW-Madison and a Masters from The Evergreen State College Lara is certified in Dr. Bruce Perry's Neurosequential Model in Education (NME), Healing-Centered Engagement through Flourish Agenda, and Reflective Coaching techniques.
	Christian Quintero, Ed.D. Coordinator, Community Schools Christian Quintero has worked with Community Schools as a principal with Los Angeles Unified School District and as a Director with Centralia School District. Through needs assessments, stakeholder meetings, and shared leadership, Christian understands the importance of aligning resources to support student’s academic progress. Christian earned his undergraduate degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science with a BSc in Economics and Economic History. He traveled to China to teach English as a foreign language for 4 years then returned to the United States to complete his Master’s Degree in Education with the Teacher Education Program at UCLA. He earned an additional Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Principal Residency Network at CSULA. Christian completed his doctoral studies at Loyola Marymount University’s doctoral program in Educational Leadership for Social Justice in 2019. Christian’s study focused on a filmmaking program that integrated arts education with a CTE pathway in a secondary school setting.
	Stephanie Fernandez, M.Ed. Coordinator, Community Schools Stephanie began her journey with Community Schools in Boston Public Schools, where she worked under the Director of Extended Opportunities and learned the importance of connecting and aligning multiple stakeholders to support students' academic and socio-emotional well-being. She then worked as a Community School Coordinator for Diego Rivera Learning Complex in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She worked with teachers, families, students, social workers, counselors, and community partners to create systems to support the whole-child, whole-family, and whole-community. Before joining OCDE, she was a Regional Manager for UCLA's Early Academic Outreach Program where she oversaw the expansion of family engagement and college and career-readiness at over 40 schools in the Los Angeles, Inglewood, and Pasadena Unified School District.
	Dina Mahmood, Ph.D. Coordinator, Community Schools Dina's passion for supporting holistic youth development started during her undergraduate years at UCLA, where she worked as a peer mentor for high school students in Los Angeles. She has since dedicated her career to education, working in various capacities for over ten years as a secondary classroom teacher, DEI coach, and expert facilitator, supporting schools across the country. Throughout her journey, Dina has always prioritized equitable and accessible learning opportunities for all students, which led her to earn her Master's in Education from UCLA and her doctorate in Education from Chapman University. Her doctoral dissertation focused on the learning experiences of students of color with dis/abilities, highlighting her commitment to inclusive education.
	Priscilla Lee, M.Ed. Administrative Assistant III Priscilla has both a B.A. in Child Development and Family Studies and a M.A. in Early Childhood Education from CSULB. She supports the community schools team full-time, and lectures part-time at LBCC in their Department of Early Childhood Education. Priscilla has over ten years of experience working with infants to adolescence, and experience in administration and office management. Her background is in teacher training, professional development, and integrating management techniques inside and outside the classroom. Being multilingual has helped her connect with families and students in the community. Building a trusting and inclusive community is her passion and her top priority in the field of education. Her experiences in teaching and in administration will surely benefit the community schools team at OCDE.