The Board of Directors is the governing body for Da Vinci Schools: LA County known as Da Vinci RISE High.
Lida Jennings, Board President
LJennings@davincischools.org
Dr. Lida Jennings currently serves as Executive Director at Teach for America Los Angeles. She is a skilled leader with more than 20 years of professional experience in team leadership and development, fundraising, strategic planning, and organizational turnaround in non-profit, higher education, and corporate settings. Motivated by opportunities to lead, develop, and grow teams through coaching and leadership development, Lida’s focus is on improving access and opportunities for those living in Los Angeles’ most vulnerable and marginalized communities. Lida previously served as Managing Director of District and School Partnerships and Managing Director of Talent, Strategy & Team Operations – both at TFA Los Angeles. She also served as Assistant Dean at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and as Director of the USC Marshall School of Business MBA Program. Lida currently serves as a member of the Board of Visitors at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Education and on the ExED Board of Directors.
Tom Johnstone, Member
TJohnstone@davincischools.org
Dr. Tom Johnstone recently retired as Superintendent of the Wiseburn Unified School District during which time he spearheaded the District’s successful efforts in 2017 to secure legislation to develop a unified high school district — a four-decade community dream. Under Tom’s leadership, the community passed two local school bonds — one to purchase land to build a new high school campus in a unique partnership with Da Vinci Schools. In 2017, the District opened the $160 million, state-of-the-art Wiseburn campus in El Segundo which houses Da Vinci’s three high schools that serve as the District’s high schools in a creative district-charter partnership. Prior to taking the helm of the Wiseburn district in 2008, Tom worked for nearly 30 years in the Lennox School District as a teacher, school counselor, elementary assistant principal, principal, director of curriculum, and then assistant superintendent of human resources. Tom was named 2013 Superintendent of the Year by the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology.
Dr. Carla McCullough, Member
CMccullough@davincischools.org
Dr. Carla M. McCullough is an Efficiency and Operations Consultant who hails from Chicago, Illinois. In her consultancy work, she supports individuals, small businesses, and schools with executive leadership and teacher coaching, as well as effective operations and efficiency practices. Carla began her career as an educator in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She taught 6th grade English and History and Middle School Drama at Gompers Middle School, prior to becoming the school’s Dean of Discipline. Passionate about the learning outcomes of her students, Carla served the Gompers community for nearly a decade before joining the staff of PBS-Health Services as the Assistant Principal and later Principal. In this role she was also elected to represent school administrators on the Principal’s Leadership Cabinet. In addition to her K-12 educational career, Carla worked as an adjunct professor at Loyola Marymount University and currently serves on the Associates Board for Teach for America Los Angeles, as well as the board for We The People High School in Long Beach, CA. Carla received a B.A. in Drama and Political Science from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her M.A. in Elementary Education and Doctorate of Educational Leadership at Loyola Marymount University.
Dr. Carroll Brown III, Member
cbrown@davincischools.org
A passionate, results-driven leader with over 20 years of experience in youth development, Dr. Carroll Brown III has dedicated his career to empowering at-risk and system-impacted communities across Los Angeles. His work focuses on foster youth, addiction recovery, and culturally responsive mentorship for BIPOC youth. Board-certified and deeply committed to service, Dr. Brown is a professor at Tarzana Treatment Center College and California State University, Northridge (CSUN), where he prepares future mental health professionals and leads students in conversations around leadership, equity, and social change. An experienced facilitator and trainer, he partners with organizations to build trauma-informed teams and develop trainings focused on addiction, mental health, and the needs of system-involved youth. Dr. Brown is the visionary behind several mentorship initiatives, including The Fostering Resiliency Project, which provides healing-centered support to Black foster youth. His leadership has helped young people navigate critical life transitions, develop resilience, and thrive in adulthood. Rooted in his personal motto, “If it is to be, it’s up to me,” Dr. Brown leads with integrity, compassion, and a commitment to transformation. He specializes in building high-performing teams, nurturing community partnerships, and creating safe spaces where youth and families are affirmed, supported, and empowered to succeed.
Dr. Stephen Nellman, Member
snellman@davincischools.org
Dr. Stephen Nellman is the Superintendent of Centinela Valley Union High School District, where he has served for nearly 25 years in roles ranging from Teacher and Principal to Director and Assistant Superintendent. He specializes in student support services, having led programs that earned the California Model Continuation High School Award, California Purple Star School Designation, California Pivotal Practice Award, and the PBIS Platinum Award. Born and raised in California, Dr. Nellman served in the U.S. Army as an Airborne Infantryman before working in the arts while going to college. He holds a B.S. in Biology from UC San Diego, an M.Ed. in Education from UCLA, and an Ed.D. in Education Psychology from USC. An active community member, he serves as President of the South Bay Administrators Association, Vice Chair of the City of Hawthorne Veterans Affairs Commission, and Board Member in the US Selective Service System. Dr. Nellman and his spouse, also an education administrator, live in Hawthorne, and their daughter is a student at Da Vinci Science High School.