LJ
Lorna James-Cervantes
Board Chair
Lorna James-Cervantes has spent the last 30 years as an educator in the Clark County School District. She has served as a teacher, Literacy Specialist, Assistant Principal, Principal, Assistant Chief Student Achievement Officer. She retired in July, 2021 as a School Associate Superintendent in Region 2 of the Clark County School District. Currently, she is serving as a Board Member and co-author of the City of Las Vegas Strong Start Academy Elementary School charter application.
All 30 years of her service have been at at-risk, inner city schools that served high populations of English language learners. Lorna began work for the Clark County School District at Lois Craig Elementary in 1991 as a second-grade teacher. She also taught adult ESL classes in the evenings for five of those years. Lorna graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1989 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and an Elementary Teaching Certificate. She then returned to The University of Colorado to graduate with a Master’s Degree in Elementary Curriculum and Instruction in 1991. She later went on to earn an Education Specialist Degree from Nova Southeastern University in 2000. Lorna holds an Elementary Teaching License and holds endorsements as a literacy specialist, a teacher of English as a Second Language, a Bilingual Teacher, and a School Administrator. She has taught university classes for teachers seeking TESL/ELAD endorsement.
As a Principal, she was recognized for creating a culture of achievement, leadership and closing the achievement gap among groups of students, which resulted in her school earning multiple academic awards for consistently making above average or exceptional growth in all subgroups. Based on this record, she was invited to speak about building a culture of achievement, distributing leadership, and raising achievement with English Language Learner (ELL) students at national, regional, and local conferences. In April 2013, her school was a Highlighted School, and she was a speaker at the Nevada Department of Education Mega Conference. She completed all of the coursework for National Board Certification for Principals in 2014. Under her leadership, schools have made significant academic gains, with some of the most at-risk schools in the state earning four or five-star ratings. All schools on Zoom Corrective Action Plans made significant gains in English language development and WiDA exit rates. Lorna received a Gubernatorial Appointment to the English Mastery Council in 2015 and has since served as a Nevada English Mastery Council member. She also served as the Chair of the English Proficiency and Academic Growth Committee that focused on raising student achievement for those in the lowest 25th percentile and is currently the Chair of the English Master Council. Lorna was a member of the English Learner Every Student Succeeds Act Workgroup and Aspen Institute Pre-K Coherence Fellowship for the State Department of Education. She was also a member of the Clark County School District English Language Learner Master Plan Leadership Committee for the Clark County School District.
Lorna is an active member of the Las Vegas community, where she has been a Board Member and Executive Board member of the Hispanic Educators Association of Nevada since 1989. She is also a participant in Nevada ALAS and NVTESL. She is also an active member, a lector, and Eucharistic Minister at Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Church. Lorna belongs to the Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Church Women’s Guild where she has served as an officer and committee chair.
AB
Alain Bengochea
Board Secretary
Board Member
AM
AA
Astrid Angulo
Board Member
DH
Dachresha Harris
Board Member
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Jaime Gonzalez
Board Treasurer
Board Member
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Melida Pulido
Board Member
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Nicole Thompson
Board Member