Staff

Natalia Flores is the Deputy Chief of Program and Operations at THINK Together, the largest provider of expanded learning programs in California serving over 100,000 students at more than 400 locations in over 40 school districts and charter partners. Through this work Ms. Flores works closely with leadership to provide programs and services to students with the goal to Change the Odds for Kids.  Ms. Flores is the daughter to immigrant parents from Jalisco, Mexico, a Lynwood Unified School District alumnus, and continues to be a Lynwood resident. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Chicano Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master’s degree in Education from Cal State University, Long Beach.  Ms. Flores loves to travel, spend time with her family and friends, and looks forward to the impact that the foundation will have in the Lynwood community.

Mark Flores is Director of Recreation and Community Services for the City of Lynwood. Mr. Flores has over 25 years of experience managing and developing municipal recreation and community programs, facilities, and large-scale public events. He received his bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University.

Theresa Price is founder and president of the National College Resources Foundation and The College Expo, which connect students to colleges, universities, and post-secondary certification programs, as well as scholarships and college preparatory programs and resources. Ms. Price began her career in radio and television working for KGFJ-AM, KACE-FM, KCBS-TV, and Cox Broadcasting before founding her own marketing firm, Jabez 3 Enterprises, serving entertainment and recording companies, as well as local businesses. She attended California State University, Long Beach with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism.

Lalo Trujillo is the founder and principal of Mission Trail Advisors, LLC, which specializes in advising school districts and municipal entities on financing for facilities improvement programs. He has over 25 years of experience in the commercial banking and municipal bond industry and has held leadership positions at the municipal bond departments of major commercial banks, investment banks, and in the financial advisory industry. Mr. Trujillo has served as Director of Finance for a city and a governmental agency in southern California. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA.

Dayquian Baker is a 12th grade student at Lynwod High School. He is the best version of himself when he is in cooking and planning events in his Culinary Arts classes. He enjoys organizing and hosting events. When Dayquian graduates high school, he plans to attend Long Beach City College to study Culinary Arts. He would like to become a chef and eventually own his own restaurant.

Maylin De Leon is a Sr. Account Executive at Google. Maylin has specialized in the U.S. Hispanic and African American markets for her entire career in sales & marketing, and brings over 15 years of experience tapping into cultural expertise, audience data/insights and innovative mediums of digital communication to help brands and advertising agencies effectively connect with multicultural consumers.

Dr. Shawna Petit-Dinkins is Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services for the Lynwood Unified School District. She has over 25 years of experience in education and has worked for Los Angeles Unified and Chino Valley Unified school districts as a teacher, instructional coach, secondary literacy expert, program administrator, principal, director of special education, and director of program improvement. Dr. Dinkins dedicated her professional career to serving students and families and advocating on their behalf. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles a Doctorate of Education in Urban Leadership from the University of Southern California.

Stephen Faulk is the Business Operations Compliance Manager for American Honda Finance Corporation where he uses his experience as a lawyer for 15 years to ensure large companies protect the public and follow the rules. He joined Honda in 2012 as part of its Corporate Legal Department working with legal matters concerning product liability and finance law. Prior to Honda, Stephen worked for a law firm Bowman and Brooke. Stephen is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Pepperdine University School of Law.

Anqui Renise Heming has been a parent volunteer with the Lynwood Unified School District (LUSD) for 15 years. She has four children who have attended LUSD schools including: Mark Twain, Rosa Parks, Lynwood Middle School, and Firebaugh High School. Anqui works with and supports the Lynwood African American Parent Advisory Council and the Equity Department. She also is the owner of A.R. Starlite Productions (ARSP),which promotes growth, development and appreciation of music through the arts, with the Nova Troubadours Big Band, The Compton Conservatory of Music, and The Compton Sheriff's Annual Benefit and Toy Drive for the children of Compton, Lynwood and surrounding cities.

David A. Henriquez is Deputy Manager of Flight Electronics for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena. He interest in space began in childhood pretending a tree in his backyard was a rocket ship he could use to explore the solar system. Today, Mr. Henriquez is responsible for managing development of the command, data handling, and motion control electronics used on JPL robotic missions, supervising a team of 120 employees. He has over 20 years of experience working on planetary missions from the Cassini Mission to Saturn to the Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity rover missions to Mars. Mr. Henriquez holds a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering and a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California.

Brigitte Lopez is a 12th grade student at Marco Antonio Firebaugh High School. In addition, being a member of the National Honor Society and National Chinese Honor Society, she is currently President of MESA and Mock Trial. She also placed first in the State Competition for SKILLSUSA in Humaniod. This year Brigitte is Captain of the Dance Team. She is also a member of the Superintendent Student Advisory Committee.

Mrs. Maria Lopez, has served on the Lynwood Unified School District Board of Education since 2003. Mrs. Lopez has been a longtime advocate for preschool and afterschool programs and for many years has championed increasing access to college and career technical education (CTE) courses at our high schools. Mrs. Lopez currently serves as a representative on the California Advancing Pathways for Students (CalAPS) Board, a joint partnership with the Bellflower Unified School District. She is also a key member of the Measure K & N Program, providing important input to help identify critical projects. Mrs. Lopez was recently appointed by the Board of Education to serve a one-year term on the Lynwood Partners Educational Foundation Board.

Carlos Zaragoza is the Interim Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for Lynwood Unified School District. He began in the Lynwood community in 2010 when he became the Principal of Lynwood High School (LHS). During his tenure at LHS, Mr. Zaragoza demonstrated exceptional leadership by spearheading initiatives to eliminate tracking, promote heterogeneous classes, and champion open access to Advanced Placement courses. These efforts culminated in Lynwood Unified being recognized as the 2017 AP District of the Year by the College Board.

Following eight successful years as the LHS Principal, Mr. Zaragoza transitioned into the role of Director of Human Resources. His extensive background as a bilingual teacher, principal, and director showcases not only his expertise in education but also his unwavering commitment to the Lynwood Unified community.

Mr. Zaragoza has a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master's degree from National University.

Martha Maldonado is a Financial Services Professional who has served in the retail banking industry for 18 years. She is the current VP, Branch Manager of the Downey branch, which is located in the premises of the Los Angeles County of Education. She holds a Master’s degree in Education, and a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services. She has a passion for helping people, which has translated to the financial retail sector in the way she advocates for clients; always guiding and educating them towards achieving financial success. Martha’s passion for helping people stems from her background as a first-generation immigrant, a mother of a child with special needs, and someone who can identify as having been a part of underserved communities.

During her tenure as a Branch Manager, Martha and her team have reached the highest levels of achievement in sales, service, membership growth, and retention, achieving the highest ranking for three years in a row, and number two for the fourth year. This is largely due to the culture of support and care provided to the clientele at the Downey branch, which leads to a steady flow of member referrals. Her efforts in business development throughout the community include active participation in chamber events, job fairs, being a judge in academic decathlons, outreach to local city officials, etc. She is also a member of the group Long Beach Professional Women for Good, which is centered around business networking opportunities while assisting fund raising efforts for various charitable organizations.

Outside of her role, Martha is a mother of two sons and she enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends as well as traveling.

Rev. Rudy Rubio is married to Edna, they have4 children, and one granddaughter. He planted and serves as Pastor to" Reformed Church of Los Angeles" and alongside his family they minister to the communities of Lynwood, Compton, and Watts. He also serves as Spiritual Care Coordinator at MLK Community Hospital, and is passionate about leadership development.  He was raised on the streets of Los Angeles, involved with the gang-life, drugs, and had a spiritual awakening in prison. He holds a Bachelor in Human Services Mgmt. from the University of Phoenix, Master of Divinity and soon to be Doctorate of Ministry from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan.

Darrell Stewart was a Business Development Manager for Intel Corporation in its State, Local and Education group and retired in 2023. He joined Intel in 2000 as part of its Reseller Channel Organization working with school districts to leverage E-Rate funding strategies and retired in 2023.  Prior to Intel, Mr. Stewart worked for Anixter, Lucent Technologies and Brite Voice Systems.  He serves on the board of the California Emerging Technology Fund, Loyola High School, and Classroom of the Future.  Mr. Stewart is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dennis Wang has over 15 years' experience in strategy consulting and corporate development in the technology industry. Dennis Wang serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Golden Star Technology (GST) executing business operations and exploring new solutions and markets. Dennis’ experience encompasses building company culture to the development of sales and engineering to a wide range of industry clients on a national and global level.Prior to joining GST, Dennis worked as a financial due diligence analyst for M&A deals at KPMG and a Senior Strategic Consultant at Galt & Company, a NYC-based boutique consulting firm.Dennis serves as a Board of Regents for Georgetown University as well as the member of the Georgetown Finance Board. He is Secretary for the AJ Scholarship Foundation which grants over 50+ scholarships to community college students each year. He is a member of the Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Partner Advisory Council, member of the Hewlett-Packard Inc. Public Sector Advisory Council and member of the Lenovo Advisory Board.Dennis currently resides in downtown Los Angeles and received his Bachelor of Science in Finance and International Business from Georgetown University and an Executive MBA from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Gudiel Crosthwaite is Superintendent of the Lynwood Unified School District, and joined the district in 2010 as Director of Elementary Reform. He began his career in education in 1994 as an eighth-grade teacher and later served as a high school English and English Language Development teacher before becoming an administrator at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Dr. Crosthwaite earned an undergraduate degree from University of California, Los Angeles. He holds two master’s degrees; one from California State University, Los Angeles in Educational Administration and another from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He earned his Ph.D in Education from Claremont Graduate University.