Patricia has over 15 years experience in marketing, strategic planning and project management in the business world. In 2002 she moved to the non-profit sector where, as a consultant, she has led similar projects, along with fundraising campaigns for a variety of Phoenix and Chicago based non-profit agencies.

Patricia has been an active community volunteer for 20 years, serving on the boards and committees of the United Way, the Self Employment Loan Fund, the Heard Museum and multiple school parent organizations. In 2002 she began what has become her life’s passion – advancing educational opportunities for low-income students. She has served on the boards of two charter schools, is a member of the board for the Arizona Charter School Association and serves on the Education Sub-committee for the Arizona Community Foundation.

Patricia received her BA from Pomona College and has an MBA degree from the Anderson Graduate School of Business at UCLA.

Jared Van Arsdale is a Certified Public Accountant with Ullmann and Company, PC primarily practicing in tax planning, compliance, and representation for closely held entities. His firm specializes in representation for high-net worth clientele, privately owned/publicly regulated water and wastewater utilities, and Arizona student tuition organizations. He also sits on the board of the Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants in addition to being an advisor to career in technical education advisory committees with Phoenix Union High School District and previously with the Arizona State Board of Education.

As Vice President of Global Marketing for P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc. Genaro Perez manages the branding and strategic initiatives for the P.F. Chang’s and Pei Wei brands around the world, working in partnership with licensees, operators, and U.S. brand teams.

Prior to joining P.F. Chang’s, Genaro worked for several years as a Director of Global Marketing for Brinker International (Dallas, TX), one of the world’s largest casual dining companies and proprietary of Chili’s Grill & Bar among other brands.

With 20+ years of expertise in the development of marketing, public relations, advertising strategies (TV, Radio, Print, POP) and media plans, Genaro has had the opportunity to work with teams around the world providing marketing consultation to operators and franchise partners globally.

Andrew Collins is the Managing Partner at New Learning Ventures, a nonprofit that supports visionary educators to pursue and grow promising new ideas in education. He has served as an educator and consultant for over a decade in Arizona. In this time, Andrew has supported the launch of over 30 schools and numerous school improvement efforts focused on intentional school design and visionary leadership. Before joining New Learning Ventures, Andrew co-founded New Schools For Phoenix, a subsidiary of the Arizona Charter Schools Association that focuses on developing high performing schools in low-income communities within the urban core of Phoenix. In that role, Andrew also managed a startup grant program that awarded over $3.5 M in funding for new schools. In addition to Empower College Prep, Andrew serves on the board for Young Education Professionals-Phoenix and the Teach For America Alumni Leadership Board.