Cristina de Jesus

Cristina is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Green Dot Public Schools California, a non-profit network of public charter schools. Cristina joined Green Dot in 2002 as the founding principal of Ánimo Inglewood Charter High School, one of the highest performing public schools in the state. Since then, she has helped build the foundation of Green Dot’s success with a role in nearly every initiative and undertaking to boost student achievement across the network.

As CEO, she oversees and supports nineteen middle and high schools serving over 11,000 students across Los Angeles. Three of these schools are California Distinguished Schools, and nine are recognized among the top 10% of schools across the country. Under her leadership, Green Dot California has undertaken two turnaround school efforts in Los Angeles, making Green Dot one of the few charter organizations nationwide working to turn around outcomes for students in schools formerly run by districts. Additionally, Cristina leads negotiations with two collective bargaining units representing Green Dot California’s teachers, counselors and classified staff, setting an example for how charter organizations can work collaboratively with labor.