We Set the Stage for Success Through a Collective Effort

Meet Your Meridian Leadership

School Leadership
“Never mistake activity for achievement.”
– John Wooden
Ariel Kattan
he/him/his
Instructional Coach
CICS Northtown Academy
“Fun Fact: I’m a Screenwriter”
Chris Gladfelter
he/him/his
Assistant Principal
CICS Northtown Academy
“If you’re afraid to fail, you’ll never succeed.”
– Dan Gable
Daniel Goodwin
he/him/his
Interim Principal
CICS Wrightwood Elementary
“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.”
– Henry Ford
Dennison Cordell
he/him/his
Assistant Principal
CICS Ralph Ellison Academy
“The purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”
– Sydney J. Harris
Eileen McBride
she/her/hers
Instructional Coach/Athletic Coordinator
CICS Northtown Academy
“Excellence is not an act, but a habit. The things you do the most are the things you will do best.”
– Marva Collins
Eleanor McCree
she/her/hers
Principal
CICS Ralph Ellison Academy
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
– Nelson Mandela
Marivenus Garcia
she/her/hers
Principal
CICS Northtown Academy
“Never limit yourself because of other’s limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.”
– Mae Jemison
Valencia Bush
she/her/hers
Assistant Principal
CICS Wrightwood Elementary
“Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end of it.”
– Spock
William S. Lee
he/him/his
Instructional Coach
CICS Wrightwood Elementary
school support team
“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.”
– Vincent Van Gogh
Adrian Alvarado
he/him/his
Building Manager
Meridian Charter Schools
“Work hard until you no longer have to introduce yourself.”
Alan Jackson
he/him/his
Managing Director of Technology
Meridian Charter Schools
“Inclusion is not bringing people into what already exists; it is making a new space, a better space for everyone.”
– George Dei
Camilla Emmerick
she/her/hers
Special Education Coordinator
Meridian Charter Schools
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
– Frederick Douglass
Dr. Janelle Hatch-Miller
she/her/hers
Senior Managing Director of Student and Community Affairs
Meridian Charter Schools
“All students deserve to attend schools that continuously improve.”
– Forman et. al.
Dr. Joanne M. Tanner
she/her/hers
Chief Executive Officer
Meridian Charter Schools
“Change is the end result of all true learning.”
– Leo Buscaglia
Edmund Furlan
he/him/his
Director of Education Technology
Meridian Charter Schools
“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”
– Albert Einstein
Kelly Smith
she/her/hers
Chief Education Officer
Meridian Charter Schools
“Every student can learn, just not on the same day or in the same way.”
– George Evans
Kira Haley
she/her/hers
Special Education Manager
Meridian Charter Schools
“Well done is better than well said.”
– Benjamin Franklin
Luis Laboy
he/him/his
Building Manager
Meridian Charter Schools
“Education does not change the world, it changes the people who are going to change the world.”
– Paulo Freire
Maria Carolina Bastos
she/her/hers
Deputy Chief Education Officer
Meridian Charter Schools
“There needs to be a lot more emphasis on what a child can do, instead of what he cannot do”
–Temple Grandin
Sarah Allworth
she/her/hers
Special Education Coordinator
Meridian Charter Schools
“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.”
– Marian Wright
Vicki Tsirtsis
she/her/hers
Chief Operating Officer
Meridian Charter Schools
Join the Meridian Team

At Meridian, we welcome educators who are passionate about helping students, strengthening community, and setting higher standards for themselves. If you’re eager to contribute to an environment of innovation, growth, and inclusivity, we invite you to explore our opportunities.  

School will be closed
tomorrow, January 23, 2026

due to the forecast of dangerously low temperatures and wind chills. The safety and well-being of our students, families, and staff are always our highest priority.

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