Center X Leadership Team

Center X has a distributed Leadership team co-chaired by Interim Executive Director Jo Ann Isken and Faculty Director John Rogers. The team meets weekly and includes Directors who represent the Center’s major work areas.

John Rogers
Faculty Director, Center X

John Rogers is the Faculty Co-Director of the Principal Leadership Institute and Professor in the Urban Schooling division at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education. He studies strategies for engaging urban youth, community members, and educators in equity-focused school reform. Dr. Rogers earned his Ph.D. from Stanford University and draws extensively on the work of John Dewey to explore the meaning of and possibilities for democratic education today.

Emma Hipolito
Director, Teacher Education Program

Emma Hipolito has many years of experience as a history-social science educator, serving as a high school teacher in Santa Monica USD, a middle school teacher in Alhambra USD, a professional development leader, and a teacher educator for the UCLA Teacher Education Program. She has developed and coordinated several professional development programs with funding from both state and federal agencies.

Nancy Parachini
Director, Principal Leadership Institute

Nancy Parachini is Director of the Principal Leadership Institute and the Principals’ Center. She specializes in teacher development, language acquisition, and bilingual education. Nancy has 20 years of experience as an instructional leader within the Los Angeles Unified School District, serving in many roles including principal, evaluator, and professional development specialist. She also served as a Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Learning, a Program Evaluator for the UCLA School Management Program, and in 1997 earned her doctorate in Education from UCLA. Nancy is passionate about preparing social justice educators to transform the conditions of urban public schools.

Erin Powers
Director, UCLA National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Erin Powers served for more than 20 years as a secondary classroom teacher and instructional coach throughout southern California before becoming the Director of the UCLA NBPTS Project. An experienced professional development provider, she is passionate about supporting educators in respectful, meaningful, and empowering ways. Erin has an MEd in teaching and has held National Board Certification since 2003.