Bertha G. Magaña, JD leads the organization as Executive Director and holds a law degree from the University of Illinois. While she spent an early portion of her career in general law practice, most of her employment has been concentrated in the nonprofit sector where she has served as a neighborhood organizer, a program and development director, administrator and consultant. Her professional career also includes five years of service as a member of the Chicago School Board, three years as Co-Chair of the Alliance of Latinos and Jews, and more recently she is a board member for the Chicago Foundation for Women where she serves on the Board Development Committee and in the past has served three years as Co-Chair of the foundation's Latina Leadership Council. Beatriz Fonseca has served as LEA’s Early Intervention Coordinator at Juarez Community Academy for six years. Her experience includes volunteering for adult education programs, previously serving as an Assistant Program Coordinator, and Special Education Assistant at Juarez. Magda Ramos has served as the Parent Involvement Coordinator at Juarez Community Academy for 5-6 years. Her experiences include volunteering with the Chicago Public Library and many volunteer involvements with local community agencies and previous employment with United Neighborhood Organization. Raisi Zorel Zambrano is the Program Coordinator at North Grand High School. Previously employed at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School (Chicago Public School) as one on one special education aide and held various other positions there. Previously interned with non-profit and worked as a preschool teacher. Fluent in Spanish.   LEA’s administrative office is located at The University of Illinois at Chicago and is home to the Executive Director. This individual is responsible for the daily operations which includes fiscal management, fund raising, media and public relations, staff hiring and supervision, board management, community collaborations, organizational strategic planning and communications with private and public educational institutions in accordance with the oganizations leadership, direction and vision. LEA has four bilingual/bicultural staff members who are housed at the school program sites. The Early Intervention Coordinator, in collaboration with school administration and teachers, works with freshman students indicate risk of course failure to help with retention and other educational roadblocks to increase academic performance. This Coordinator monitors and registers: a) freshman students who have been identified at-risk of course failure in after school tutoring programs; b) failing students in evening school classes and: c) students who fail one or more courses during the second semester in summer school. She also calls and schedules meetings with parents to assist with understanding their child’s academic needs or progress. The Parent Involvement Coordinator leads the recruitment and educational efforts needed to involve the parents of freshman students, which assists with improving the parents’ potential to support their child’s academic success. This Coordinator schedules various meetings with groups of parents whose children are at risk of failing in particular subjects with their respective teachers. This Coordinator also works to identify and establish links with community-based organizations to make presentations during general parent meetings that later can offer services to parents and their families. Finally, this Coordinator is responsible for organizing presentations and workshops to teachers and parents, respectively. Combined Program Coordinator is the role at a school start up program site that executes student and family programs aimed at improving students' academic progress by establishing activities that construct a family support system that collaborates with administrators, teachers, and counselors in support of students.