Board of Directors

Marcia Aaron - bio
Executive Director, KIPP LA

Joe Cilic - bio
Vice President, Sotheby’s International Realty

Bianca Philippi - bio
Board Secretary
President, Creative Insights

Frank Reddick - bio
Board Chair
Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP

Jeffrey Strnad - bio
Founder & Principal, Beach House Design & Development

Ryan Tarpley - bio
Executive, The Foundation at Creative Artists Agency

Blair Taylor - bio
President & CEO, Los Angeles Urban League

Mikelle Willis - bio
Director of New Site Development, KIPP Foundation

Rebecca Wolf DiBiase - bio
Director, The Broad Foundation

 

About Our Board Members 

Prior to being named Executive Director of KIPP LA, Marcia Aaron was the founding Board Chair of KIPP LA and the Board Chair of KIPP Academy of Opportunity in LA. Previously, she worked as a Senior Analyst at Pacific Growth Equities, and as a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank and Montgomery Securities. She is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Oregon Foundation, where she is the Chair of the Development Committee and part of the Investment Committee. She also serves as a Member of the University of Oregon Journalism Advancement Council and a Member of All Stars Helping Kids’ Board of Directors. Ms. Aaron holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Oregon.

 

Joe Cilic currently serves as a Vice President and Branch Manager for the Beverly Hills office of Sotheby's International Realty, a prominent residential real estate company. Mr. Cilic’s duties include recruiting, hiring, budgeting, training, and supervising nearly 100 agents and employees. Prior to joining Sotheby’s, Mr. Cilic worked as an attorney with the law firm of Ervin, Cohen & Jessup, LLP. During his legal career, he specialized in business litigation, real estate disputes, and employment law. Active in the community, Mr. Cilic currently serves as Financial Secretary for the Slovenian Benevolent Society, is on the Board of Directors for the Mount Olympus Property Owner’s Association, and is a member of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce and Board of Realtors. Mr. Cilic holds a Juris Doctorate from UCLA School of Law and did his undergraduate work at St. Edward’s University, in Austin, Texas, where he served as Student Body President and graduated summa cum laude.

 

Bianca Philippi is President of Creative Insights, a consulting firm providing expertise in education, marketing, organizational / HR strategies, and developing innovative, socially responsible, and sustainable business solutions. In 2006, she founded The Partnering Project, which is a non-profit venture designed to help organizations across sectors learn about partnering and connect with other potential partners. She also teaches courses at College of the Canyons and UCLA Extension. Previously, she taught elementary school, middle school, and high school, and served as a mentor teacher. Ms. Philippi is actively involved in her community, serving on the Boards for Centro Latino de Educación Popular, the American Marketing Association of Southern California, and Los Angeles Social Venture Partners. She graduated summa cum laude from Boston University with degrees in Art History and German Language and Literature, and holds a Masters in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from Harvard University, and a Masters in Educational Leadership from UCLA.

 

Frank Reddick is a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and has more than 20 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporate and securities, and finance. Mr. Reddick is a Practice Manager of the firm’s corporate practice and serves on its Policy and Planning Committee and Management Committee. He is principally engaged in the practice of corporate and securities law, with a concentration on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and other strategic alliances. He advises clients in a wide range of industries, including the media, entertainment, and gaming industries. Mr. Reddick received his BA with high honors and great distinction from California State University at San Jose in 1977 and his JD in 1980 from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he was a member of Order of the Coif. He is a member of the California Bar.

 

Jeffrey Strnad is the founder and principal of Beach House Design & Development, a residential design and development company. Mr. Strnad has worked in corporate real estate and residential development for over 20 years. He previously worked for Credit Suisse First Boston Realty Corp. as a Managing Director and Co-Manager of the Los Angeles regional office, as well as National Director of Advisory Services. He also was a Senior Vice President at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette; Regional Leasing Director for Jones Lang LaSalle; and a Senior Management Consultant with KPMG Peat Marwick. Mr. Strnad is a Licensed Public Accountant in Ohio, a licensed General Building Contractor in California, a Licensed Real Estate Broker in California, and a certified Financial Analyst (AMA). He was named a Southern California Commercial Broker All-Star by Real Estate Forum magazine. Mr. Strnad received his BS in Accounting from Bowling Green State University, and has a post-graduate degree from the UCLA Extension in Arts, Architecture, and Interior Design.

 

Ryan Tarpley is an executive in the Foundation at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Prior to joining CAA, he served as Upper School Dean and then Assistant Head of Upper School at Harvard-Westlake School. Mr. Tarpley also worked in college admissions at Pomona College and the California Institute of Technology. A prominent member of the philanthropic community, Mr. Tarpley serves on the Board of Directors of Phoenix House of California, The Trevor Project, Global Colors, and the Blackhouse Foundation. He is also very involved in Mentor LA and Heart of Los Angeles Youth. Mr. Tarpley holds a BA in History from Lawrence University of Wisconsin and an MA in Higher Education and Counseling Psychology from Ohio State University.

 

Blair Taylor is the President and CEO of the Los Angeles Urban League. Previously, he served as the Executive Vice President of College Summit. Prior to moving to the non-profit world, he held management positions at PepsiCo and IBM. A committed community servant, Mr. Taylor currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Amherst College and the Board of Councilors for the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, as well as on the Boards of the California Charter Schools Association, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the Forum, and the Los Angeles Civic Alliance. Mr. Taylor earned his BA in Economics from Amherst College and his MBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurial Studies from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.

 

Mikelle Willis currently serves as the Director of New Site Development for the KIPP Foundation where she is responsible for helping bring KIPP schools to communities across the country. Attracted to the idea of equal educational opportunities for all, Ms. Willis began her educational career when she joined Teach For America in 1998. Continuing to pursue her dream, Ms. Willis received a Fisher Fellowship in 2002, which allowed her to found KIPP Academy of Opportunity in 2003 in her home community of South Los Angeles. With the goal of raising expectations in a neighborhood with low educational attainment, she presided over KAO for four and a half successful years of consistent academic progress before joining the KIPP Foundation. Ms. Willis holds a BS in Business Administration from California State University, Long Beach; a Multiple Teaching Credential from Chapman University; and an MA in Education from National Louis University in Chicago, IL. She is currently pursuing an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management.

 

Rebecca Wolf DiBiase is a director at The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, a national venture philanthropy dedicated to dramatically improving K-12 urban public education. She is an expert in school district accountability, performance management, and charter schools. She manages the foundation’s investments in the strategic redesign of urban school districts through the implementation of performance accountability systems and the improvement of human resources operations. She also oversees the foundation’s investments in the expansion of charter schools nationwide, most notably in Los Angeles, New York City, and New Orleans. She currently sits on the boards of two other high-performing charter school management organizations: Aspire Public Schools and the Alliance for College Ready Schools. Previously, Ms. DiBiase was director of accountability for the Charter School Office of the Massachusetts Department of Education. She also worked for the Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research, where she focused on policy reforms in K-12 education and urban entrepreneurship. Earlier in her career, Ms. DiBiase taught middle school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She has a bachelor's degree in international relations and Spanish from the University of Virginia, and a master's in public administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.