Michael has served school communities within the greater Los Angeles area since 1998 as an educator, school administrator, and district administrator. Michael’s educational career began serving students with disabilities in a private residential program. He soon became a classroom special education teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District, where he led the special education program and developed new collaborative classroom models at his school. His work in special education continued as a program specialist where he trained, supported special education teachers, and provided the appropriate placement and instructional settings for students throughout the district.
The administrative pathway steered Michael to spearhead the creation of a new special education operational unit for the nation’s 2nd largest school district, L.A. Unified. Michael managed a multimillion-dollar categorical budget, conducted on-going program planning and development, and directed the extended school year (summer) program for students with disabilities for several years while leading this department.
Michael’s strategic vision, leadership, and specialized experiences has since been applied to the development and implementation of learning management systems, student data analysis systems, and other districtwide technology-based deployments.
Currently, Michael is leading the implementation of innovative, data-driven district enrollment and application procedures and systems that promote access and equity to neighborhood schools and district choice schools and programs. Providing high-quality educational opportunities all students within the Los Angeles Unified preschool and K-12 educational programs remains one of Michael’s key priorities.