Team & Board

Amy_Kiyota_CEO_Impact_Public_Schools

Amy Kiyota

CEO
Read Bio(opens in new tab)
Amy Kiyota is the CEO of Impact Public Schools. With a background in education and non-profit management, Kiyota has devoted her professional life to promoting success and possibility for schools, organizations, and causes. Kiyota was a Philly Fellow with the Philadelphia Education Fund where she introduced data-driven analysis and calculated parameters for defining performance. She was also directly involved in the resource development of the organization. Kiyota then went on to work for the Asian Arts Initiative, where she focused on fundraising. Her success in these roles was recognized at the highest levels of local government and she was appointed as the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Governor's Advisory Commission on Asian American Affairs. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Kiyota attended Columbia University’s Teachers College. During this time, she worked as a student consultant with the Center for Public Research and Leadership, helping districts across the country navigate transitional programs. Kiyota also earned a master’s degree in Economics and Education. For her undergraduate studies, she attended Ursinus College, graduating summa cum laude with a BA in East Asian Studies and minors in Secondary Education and Japanese. Her first job after completing her studies was as the Managing Director of Development at Educators 4 Excellence - Connecticut, a teacher voice and policy organization. Before joining Impact Public Schools, Kiyota was Director of Operations for the Brooklyn-based Uncommon Public Charter School - Leadership Prep Brownsville Middle Academy. In this role, she was responsible for the school’s administrative operations including finances, HR, admissions and enrollment, and student information. received her Bachelor’s Degree from New York University in Literature and her Masters in Educational Leadership from Stanford University.
ebean

Emma Bean

CAO
Read Bio(opens in new tab)
Emma Bean was born and raised in Washington state, Emma has developed instructional expertise and leadership to IPS’s four schools as she has been a teacher, principal, and network level leader. Emma was the Principal of Impact | Puget Sound Elementary three years before joining the IPS Home Office team as the Senior Director of Schools. Prior to joining IPS, she led one of the highest performing charter public elementary schools in San Jose with tremendous gains in student academic results and student and faculty culture. In 2017, the Alpha: Cornerstone Academy team received a California Distinguished School award. She is a National Board Certified Teacher who is also trained and certified in Gifted and Talented education. Fluent in Spanish, she began her career in education working as a bilingual elementary school teacher for 5 years in the Austin Independent School District. She has worked with districts and nonprofits to train teachers and write curriculum. Ms. Bean received her Bachelor’s Degree from New York University in Literature and her Masters in Educational Leadership from Stanford University.
lliao

Leslie Liao

CFO
Read Bio(opens in new tab)
Leslie Liao has over 20 years of experience in public accounting, corporate finance, investment management, and school finance. She started her career as a corporate accountant. She was in public accounting, focusing on tax. She has extensive corporate finance experience in manufacturing and served as a controller at a real estate firm. She had managed investment portfolios at one of the most prominent brokerage firms and later worked as a Director of Finance and Investment for a private equity firm. Leslie has shared her expertise and taught Accounting and Finance courses at the largest community college in Oregon. Leslie has most recently served as Impact’s Senior Director of Finance. In this role, she has focused on financial management and budgeting. She is a CFA charterholder and a licensed CPA. She serves on the Summit Public Schools Board of Directors.
Matt Neal

Matt Neal

CPO

Read Bio(opens in new tab)
Matt Neal is a lifelong educator. A graduate of Swarthmore College and Harvard University, he began his career in high school English classrooms in Arizona, Massachusetts, and Texas. Matt went on to serve as a dean and content specialist before founding a charter middle school as part of Houston's YES Prep network. Later he led major strategic projects as Chief Talent Officer at KIPP San Antonio. More recently, Matt designed culturally responsive instructional leadership programs for districts in Texas and built partnerships with the nation's premier universities to enhance college access for high-achieving, underrepresented scholars. Having worked in traditional public, charter, and private schools as well as nonprofit organizations, Matt has developed an adaptive, innovative approach to leadership and change management. He's lived the past three years in Mexico City, and he's thrilled to be joining his family in the Pacific Northwest to begin a new chapter with Impact Public Schools.

Meet Impact's Board of Directors

Amanda Sanchez

Amanda Ramirez

Board Chair

Read Bio
Currently, Noah is the Chief Financial and Strategy Officer at New Leaders Org, an organization that identifies talented educators and equips them to transform schools and students’ lives. Previously, Noah was a Senior Program Officer in the K12 program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and focused on the way K12 systems use the resources of time, people, and money to support their instructional priorities. He has also worked on increasing access to facilities capital for high-performing charter networks. Noah was also D.C. Public Schools’ Chief Financial Officer, serving as principal financial adviser to the chancellor and overseeing all financial operations. He has also worked as an education advisor to former DC Mayor, Adrian Fenty.
Nick Carson 450x450

Nick Carson

Board Vice Chair

Read Bio
Nick Carson is a Seattle-area native with over 20 years of experience in public education. He currently works for brightwheel, the leading early childhood education software, where he leads government and nonprofit partnerships across the country. Prior to joining brightwheel, Nick served as a Senior Relationship Manager for the KIPP Foundation, headquarters of the nation’s largest public charter school network, KIPP Public Schools. In this role, he partnered with regional CEOs, senior teams and local boards, providing support and accountability towards strong outcomes, equity, sustainability, and growth. Nick has served as a teacher, Assistant Principal and coach to school and district leaders throughout the country championing educational equity. He holds a bachelor's degree from Loyola University in Maryland.
Noah Wepman

Noah Wepman

Board Treasurer & Secretary
Read Bio
Amanda Ramirez is an Impact | Puget Sound Elementary parent and Senior Director of Education at Raza Development Fund. In 2017, under her leadership and in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, RDF opened its Pacific Northwest regional office, becoming one of the first CDFIs to provide charter school facility financing in WA state. In her current capacity, she oversees all lending-related activities focused on education, affordable housing, social services, healthcare and more. Previously, Ms. Ramirez sat on the Arizona Charter School Association’s Walton Family Foundation Startup Grant Review Committee and worked closely with New Schools for Phoenix Fellowship Program. Ms. Ramirez is an advocate for permanent, supportive education policy, quality school choice, and increasing economic mobility for children and families.
Mallory Hauser_Headshot

Mallory Hauser

Board Member
Read Bio
Mallory Hauser is a results-oriented marketing and communications professional with a proven track record of driving impactful initiatives and fostering positive change. Her robust background spans public sector leadership, non-profit advocacy, and creative agency management, bringing a unique blend of strategic vision and hands-on execution. Mallory's deep commitment to public education is exemplified by her tenures at NYC Department of Education and Success Academy Charter Schools, where she was instrumental in defining creative campaigns that supported the organization's growth, retention and policy objectives. She successfully led campaigns to recruit over 1,000 teachers, managed a $3M annual production budget, and spearheaded political advocacy campaigns engaging tens of thousands of parents and elected officials. Her work included doubling interactions between parents and officials through innovative online and experiential marketing, and producing award-winning content. Mallory also has experience with Fort View Productions, television news, and currently serves as Sustainability Communications Program Manager for the Port of Seattle, where she leads environmental communications and storytelling for the Port's various divisions, including Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, bridging business goals with actionable communication strategies across paid, earned, and owned media. Mallory is passionate about leveraging the power of storytelling to inspire action and drive positive change, fostering engaged communities and collective progress in education and beyond.
Anthony Clarke 450x450

Anthony Clarke

Board Member
Read Bio
Anthony Clarke is a Brooklyn native and former teacher at Uncommon Public Schools, one of the highest performing charter networks in New York City, He currently serves as the principal of Summit Public Schools Olympus in Tacoma, Washington. Under Anthony’s leadership, Summit Olympus students have made tremendous gains. Olympus students have consistently outperformed neighboring schools on the English Language Arts SmarterBalanced Assessment. Furthermore, 95-100% of graduating seniors have been accepted to college under Anthony’s tenure. Anthony is driven by his dedication to building inclusive and anti-racist programs. During Anthony’s time as principal, student suspensions and expulsions decreased while faculty retention increased.
chrisalejano

Chris Alejano

Board Member
Read Bio
Chris Alejano is the K-12/Postsecondary Division Director for the City of Seattle’s Department of Education and Early Learning. In this role he is responsible for overseeing the implementation of Families, Education, Preschool and Promise Levy K-12 and Postsecondary investments. Chris brings a unique background that spans the entire educational system from the local to the federal level. He spent the first six years of his career as a kindergarten teacher. For Washington state, he staffed the Early Learning and Children's Services Committee in the State House of Representatives and served as Governor Chris Gregoire's policy advisor for higher education and workforce development. At the federal level, Alejano worked in the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Innovation and Improvement as a Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar. He also served as the Director of Education at TAF, a Seattle-based non-profit organization focused on serving students of color through a STEM education, and last held the position of Education Policy Advisor for City of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan. Chris holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, and a Doctoral degree in the Leadership for Learning program from the University of Washington.
The Broad Conference Headshot

Young Rhee

Board Member
Read Bio
Young Rhee has spent twenty years working in and around education, with a deep belief that educational opportunity is the most powerful lever we have for expanding what is possible for young people. She currently serves as Deputy Director, Office of the President at the Gates Foundation, where she leads strategy and planning for the US Program division and the Gates Scholarship portfolio. Her prior work spans Chief of Staff at Uncommon Schools, management consulting at Deloitte, and the New York City Mayor's Office. Young studied business at the University of Pennsylvania, earned a master's in international affairs from Columbia University, and was a Broad Resident where she earned a master's in education leadership. When not in schools, she can be found outdoors with her husband and two boys.
Board Meeting Information
Contact Impact Board

Meet Impact's Home Office

  • Kim Aberle

    Manager of Assessments

  • Diana Aguilar

    Director of Finance

  • Emma Bean

    Chief Academic Officer

  • Celeste Bolton

    Manager of Outreach & Enrollment

  • Bria Brown

    Lead Enrichment Teacher

  • Tony Chu

    Director of Finance

  • Winona Jan Colina

    Curriculum Specialist

  • Dustin Dacuan

    Director of Operations

  • Lauren de la Garza

    Manager of HR

  • Efrat Diesendruck

    Manager of Programs

  • Omar Espinosa

    Manager of Enrollment

  • Nila Griffin

    Manager of Enrollment

  • Aly Honsa

    Director of Operations

  • Amy Kiyota

    Chief Executive Officer

  • Sarah Landsman

    Director of Special Projects

  • Alice Li

    Manager of Recruitment

  • Leslie Liao

    Chief Financial Officer

  • Patrice Moon

    Director of Outreach & Enrollment

  • Matt Neal

    Chief People Officer

  • Rachel Reid

    Director of Academics

  • Shalea Semana

    Director of Scholar Supports

  • Trisha Shipman

    Director of Special Education

  • Stefan Sobiek

    Senior Director of Operations & Enrollment

  • Maria Solano

    School Nurse

  • Joshua Tintes

    Director of Talent & HR

  • Josue Urende

    Associate of Finance

  • Kayla Vickaryous

    Senior Director of Academics