Staff Members
Darin Gray, Ed.D
Director of the Center with responsibility for Center operations and logistics, CS@SC, CAREER PATH Framework, and Center’s Inclusion- Diversity, Equity, and Access efforts, Center Data collection, and Discover Engineering; former engineer; former coordinator and teacher for Los Angeles Unified School District; currently serves in the California State Guard as an IT Engineer.
Mary Bonaparte-Saller, Ph.D
Associate Director of the Center responsible for leading the Center’s assessments and evaluation strategy and activities, leading the Center’s elementary level strategy and activities, and managing the BOTS K-5th grade Computer Science Teacher Program and the 1st-5th grade Energy of STEM Summer Camps; Team lead for Engineering Transformer Program.
Ben Louie, M.S
MESA Director responsible for program management, California MESA Statewide initiatives leadership, management of summer engineering camp and center parent engagement and involvement activities; former program coordinator and research associate for Washington, D.C.-based national education organizations.
Monica Lopez, M Ed.
Program Coordinator responsible for summer enrichment opportunities and college support. SHINE Director and part of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) team. I pledge to utilize an equity lens to inform all decision-making, program implementation, and procedures. Current LACCD instructor. Former instructor at USC Upward Bound/Math Science, Academic and Career Coach at East Los Angeles College.
Anne Areta
Program Coordinator responsible for Virtual Assisted Living and Education (VALE), NSBE Jr and African American students in the IDEA team. Project Payload Camp Director: Committed to supporting Black students pursuing academic interests in STEM through collaboration.
Jennifer Kolbauer, BS
BS Aquatic Biology- Assistant Director of the Center responsible for student facing STEM Outreach initiatives including Mission Science, STEM Club, and Energy of STEM; Gender Equity Coordinator-ensuring inclusivity through cultivating partnership and collaboration.
Lauren Guzman
Associate Research Administrator responsible for providing financial and administrative support to the Center. Dedicated to giving program managers the tools and resources necessary to inspire young minds and promote educational equity.
Alexandra Guttierez, BS
MESA Academic Coordinator – BS Ecology and Environmental Biology; Program Coordinator for Latin(e/x) Students for the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) team. Committed to promoting and teaching STEM confidence and making STEM more accessible and equitable. Former special education educator and MESA advisor.
Victor Kim, BS
Associate Director for CS@SC program responsible for programming, scheduling and logistics. Dedicated to provide an opportunity for students to program and code and to offer a chance for all students to learn regardless of their ethnicity, gender, and/or family income.
Katherine Guevara, DPPD
Assistant Director of the Center responsible for partnerships with Code.org supporting teacher professional development and Linked Learning Alliance connecting youth to college, career, and purpose; manages events including CS Ed Week and Robotics Ed Week, and Center volunteers.
Florencia Lee, BS
Assistant Director for CS@SC responsible for day-to-day operations, administrative work and outreach within the program. Committed to spreading interest and enjoyment in computer science amongst our students.
Eva Peñuelas, M.Ed
Program Coordinator for Engineering Transformers Program responsible for collaborating and designing curriculum. Peñuelas is equipped with an extensive background in versatile teachings in a TK-12 educational setting. She is a student-centric educator who incorporates technology, coding, and outdoor learning in her framework.
Published on March 10th, 2020
Last updated on January 18th, 2023