Board Calendar and Member Profiles

Board Meetings are subject to change. Please check back frequently.

NEXT REGULAR MEETING: Our next meeting will take place December 10, 2024 @ 5:30 pm

2024-25 School Year
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Friday, November 1, 2024

2023-24 School Year
Wednesday, August 16, 2023 at 6:00 p.m.
Friday, September 8, 2023 12 noon
Saturday, September 23, 2023 (board retreat) 10 am
Monday, December 11, 2023 6 p.m.
Tuesday, February 27, 2024 6 p.m.
Monday, March 11, 2024 6 p.m.
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 6 p.m.
Tuesday, June 18, 2024 6 p.m. (cancelled due to lack of quorum)
Tuesday, June 25, 2024 6 p.m.

425-436-6381*
Access code 1637013#

LCAP Review MEETING :
2023-24 May 28th preliminary and June 18th final
2022-23 May 23rd preliminary and June 27th final
2021-22 June 14th preliminary and June 28th final

Meeting date and time will be posted 1 week prior to the meeting. Our meetings are held in person OR the public may use the conference call number.

Topic: Innovations Academy Board Meeting

***Our board meetings are currently held in person and telephonically. The official location for our board meetings is 5454 Ruffin Road; Innovations Academy Campus typically at 6:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted above***

The agendas for each meeting will be posted 72 hours prior to the meeting at our facility.

Regular Board Meetings are held quarterly except when otherwise noted.

Innovations Academy’s Board is dedicated to making a difference in the community. The Board’s main role is one of broad school oversight and connection to other organizations/partnerships in San Diego.

We generally meet quarterly on Tuesdays at 6:00pm at IA. See our board calendar above to verify meeting times and days before coming. The agendas and meeting minutes are posted to our website.

To contact the Board, all correspondence should be directed to Board@InnovationsAcademy.org. This address will send a message to all board members.

Please contact Innovations Academy Board@InnovationsAcademy.org if you require special assistance or a listening device to attend the Board Meeting. Request must be made 48 hours in advance.

Profiles

Stephen Rosen
Board President, Board Treasurer
Board Term: January 2013- January 2025

Stephen D. Rosen is currently a founder, Chairman, and CEO for Athelytix, Inc. a local San Diego hardware/software company focused on sports analytics initially for baseball/softball and previously was the founder, CEO and President of TV Magic, Inc., a San Diego based media systems integration company that served the global broadcast, A/V, multi-media and telecommunications industries.

Steve’s extensive television operations background, systemic approach to consulting, engineering, multi-media distribution and systems integration provided consulting services through several major turnkey projects while maintaining customers like CBS, FOX, ABC, Warner Bros., ESPN, Technicolor, many Houses of Worship along with several major educational Institutions – to name a few.

In 2010, Steve ran for San Diego Unified School District Trustee out of Area B. While losing the election he still garnered over 100,000 votes from San Diegans who believed in
educational reform, short and long term strategic planning and fiscal responsibility. Steve focused on the rapidly deteriorating financial problems of the District, their growing
negative impact on children and how to solve the fiscal problems while protecting the teachers. Many of the major financial issues currently affecting SDUSD were predicated by Steve along with a strategic plan to avoid the insolvency crisis.

Having developed professional relationships within the SDUSD, local business leaders, local, State and Federal politicians, and the local community, Steve has stayed very active in his efforts to affect change within the educational community at large and specifically SDUSD to the benefit of the children and not directly tied to the adults. As part of Steve’s active involvement, Steve recognized the importance of parent’s involvement in children’s education, all stakeholders, including people who have no children in SDUSD regards bond measures, funding, budgeting, and facilitating the best budgets to benefit students.

Steve has two boys who graduated through SDUSD schools (including IA) and then one is attending SDSU and the other graduated from UCSD, and his family has been very involved in the local community and schools. Steve (and his wife and kids) have volunteered countless hours to the local schools and community along with cash and goods donations to support those volunteer efforts and Steve sits on the Board of Voice of Scripps Ranch, a 503(C) which provides funding to local community organizations to help the Scripps Ranch community.

Having honed his consulting and project management skills as an organizer for the 1984 Olympics and 6 years of undergraduate and graduate study in the sciences (BA and MS degrees awarded), Steve has developed the tools necessary to manage and complete large-scale projects on-time and on budget and understands the complexities of budgeting and fulfillment along with strategic planning.

Stephen can also be reached at: board@innovationsacademy.org or Stephen.D.Rosen@gmail.com
Danielle Strachman
Cofounder of Innovations Academy
Board Term: Dec 2015- December 2025

Danielle

Danielle is a cofounder of the school and was Director of Student Growth for Innovations Academy’s first two years. She was inspired and invigorated knowing that she made a difference in the lives of hundreds of families in that time. Today she sits on the board of directors and is thrilled that Innovations Academy is a thriving school that all started from one conversation and a drive to create new opportunities for the children of San Diego.

Today Danielle is a cofounder and general partner of 1517 Fund, a top tier preseed fund that focuses on backing founders that are getting their education through starting a business rather than attending university. She has worked with young entrepreneurs for over a decade. In 2010, during the founding of the Thiel Fellowship, Danielle joined to lead the design and operations of that program. She’s worked with some of the most prestigious young founders like Vitalik Buterin, Austin Russell, and Dylan Field. She brings her entrepreneurial eye to the board of Innovations Academy. Danielle can be reached at board@innovationsacademy.org or danielle.lynne@gmail.com
Julia Stoer – Teacher Representative, Board Secretary
Teacher Representative, Secretary
Board Term: August 2023-June 2026

Hi! My name is Julia Stoer and this will be my third year working at IA. I have worked in several capacities at Innovations Academy including English Language and Title 1 Coordinator, permanent substitute available to teachers, 7th grade classroom teacher, and now this will be my second year as an Education Specialist and Teacher Representative on the IA school board. I graduated in 2022 from San Diego State with my BA and multiple subject teaching credential, and obtained my Education Specialist (Mild/Moderate) in May 2024. I am currently enrolled in a Master’s of Education program.

I am originally from New Jersey, but have been living in San Diego since I got accepted to SDSU in August 2018. Growing up I played many sports including soccer, lacrosse, cross country, and track and field. In college I played on the women’s rugby team at SDSU. When I am not at school I am spending my time fostering dogs, going to barre3, cheering at a San Diego Wave game, trying a new restaurant, or visiting a coffee shop!
Faraz Sharafi
Board Member, Community Member
Board Term: Jan 2017-January 2026

Faraz is an engineering manager at Intuit where he manages teams that contribute to the development of Intuit’s flagship products: TurboTax, QuickBooks and Mint. Faraz has over 27 years of experience in software engineering, architect and management in different fields but mainly focused in the area of financial software products. He has been helping many companies in the market with setting up and executing their vision. His son attended Innovations Academy from Kindergarten to Eighth grade and is now a successful high school student.

You can reach Faraz at board@innovationsacademy.org
Jennifer Williams
Board Member, Representative of Parent Community
Board Term December 2023-December 2026

Jennifer (Jen) Williams is an attorney at SW&M, LLP, and has an extensive legal background
spanning over 20 years. She has experience and expertise working in-house as a C-suite executive
at various financial institutions. Her current focus is general credit union law and financial
institution regulation, specifically, mergers and acquisitions, foundation formation and governance,
and field of membership expansions. Her children and family have been a part of the Innovations
Academy family for over four years.