Gina Aguilar
Director of Academic Excellence
A Southern California native, Gina Aguilar was blessed to learn from amazing teachers and knew at the age of 8 that education was her vocation. After graduating from La Reina High School in Thousand Oaks, Gina attended the University of Notre and received a BA in History and Economics. She earned her MA and multiple subject teaching credential as a member of the 2nd cohort of LMU’s PLACE Corp. Gina later returned to LMU to receive her MA in Catholic School Administration. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in education.
Gina served for 14 years at a school within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. She began as the 4th through 8th grade Math teacher. She later transitioned to 8th grade homeroom where she enjoyed teaching ELA, religion, science, math, and music. Gina was privileged to serve as Vice Principal before transitioning to Principal. During her time there, as a teacher and administrator, Gina worked to build and foster a professional learning community. Gina joined the Department of Catholic Schools in July 2016 as the Associate Director of Academic Excellence and transitioned to Director in July 2018.
Gina believes that Catholic education is a ministry of the Church and, as such, requires the support of the community. She has been blessed to experience the power of collaboration and witness the positive impact on teacher and student learning. Gina never planned to leave the elementary classroom, but she trusts in the path that God has called her to journey and is finding great joy in working with dedicated teachers and principals in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Contact: GMAguilar@la-archdiocese.org
Danielle Paulino
Associate Director of Academic Excellence
Danielle Paulino is a proud product of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. She attended Incarnation Parish School in Glendale from kindergarten through eighth grade and is a proud graduate of Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. She earned her Bachelor’s of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona and was recognized as a Promising Student-Teacher through the Rodel Foundation of Arizona. She also received her Master’s of Science in Psychology from Grand Canyon University.
In 2011, Danielle began her career as a public school teacher in Arizona. There she was given the opportunity to serve on the English Language Arts (ELA) Assessment Analysis District Review Team as well as the ELA and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) District Curriculum Committee. In 2014, Danielle returned to California to be with her family and taught at two schools within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. She joined the Onward 4 Excellence team in 2018 and transitioned into the Associate Director in 2022.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has truly molded Danielle into the individual she is today, and she feels a great calling to give back to the community that continues to be an active and important part of her life. She is driven by her dedication to quality education, her passion for supporting and empowering others, and her desire for continuous growth and learning. Danielle is honored to join the Onward 4 Excellence team united together in mission to improve student learning in our Catholic schools.
Contact: DAPaulino@la-archdiocese.org
Elizabeth Aceves
Academic Excellence Specialist
Elizabeth was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley in California. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and a multiple subject teaching credential at Mount St. Mary’s University. She continued her graduate studies at Concordia University Irvine and received a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction.
Elizabeth began her career in education as she completed her student teaching in public school, then moved into a public charter school to teach science, years later she transitioned to Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Elizabeth is grateful to have taught second grade for five years and been part of Professional Learning Communities which allowed her to collaborate with other teachers. Differentiating in the classroom allowed her to be responsive to students’ needs and take the responsibility of adjusting the pace of curriculum, if needed be, so that learning in the classroom was effective and relevant. Elizabeth pioneered reading curriculum maps and implemented common core instructional practices while meeting students’ needs. In addition, Elizabeth also supported the faith formation-sacramental preparation and was an integral part in merging the school’s parents with the parish community to support one another. She assisted the parish religious education department with parent focus meetings as students prepared for First Reconciliation and First Communion. Elizabeth joined the Onward 4 Excellence team in 2019.
Elizabeth is confident that the ongoing collaboration with teachers about high academic achievement will continue to contribute to professional growth. This will support students to be scholarly leaders in today’s world and foster Christian service among colleagues and students to carry out our God given mission. Elizabeth is committed to hard work and is excited to be given the opportunity to be part of the Onward 4 Excellence Team. She believes that with God’s guidance and discernment through the Holy Spirit all is possible.
Contact: EMAceves@la-archdiocese.org
Karisa Avalos
Academic Excellence Specialist
Karisa Avalos is a Los Angeles native and a product of Catholic education. She completed her B.A. in Liberal Studies with a minor in Spanish at Loyola Marymount University. After her student teaching experience, Karisa became a member of Cohort 5 in the PLACE Corps program at Loyola University in 2005 and received a M.A. in Child and Adolescent Literacy. Years later, Karisa attended Mount Saint Mary’s University and received a certificate in Instructional Leadership. In the summer of 2020, Karisa received her Masters Degree in Educational Leadership through the Remick Educational Leadership Program at Notre Dame University.
During the PLACE Corps program, Karisa began her teaching career as a fifth grade teacher at a school within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Later, she moved on as the second grade teacher at another Catholic school and eventually expanded her experience there by becoming the eighth grade homeroom teacher. During these next seven transformational years, Karisa was fortunate to be a part of the inception of the core instructional practices framework as shared by Onward 4 Excellence and the infancy of the initiative known as Onward Readers. Additionally, she collaborated with the Department of Catholic Schools to design curriculum and provide professional development for the new ADLA Transitional Kindergarten standards. Later, Karisa became the curriculum coordinator and the eighth grade homeroom teacher at another Catholic school. Excited to support adults in a new way, Karisa joined the Academic Excellence Team as an Academic Excellence Specialist in 2016. Years later, Karisa went on to become principal in 2020 at a participating school in the Dual Language Immersion Network. Following her rich experience with this school community, Karisa returned as an Academic Excellence Specialist in 2022 to continue walking with other educators.
Karisa is driven by her calling to support student learning and to accompany adults just as God, and those around her, have “walked” with her. By serving in this way, she hopes that we may learn and grow together more freely to achieve improved student learning. She believes that we are not alone and that God is with us in the joys and challenges of our calling as educators. By remembering this, we can see that all is possible with God’s grace. Everyone can and will learn.
“Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.” (Mark 10:27)
Contact: KAvalos@la-archdiocese.org
Sonia Jacobo
Academic Excellence Specialist
Sonia Jacobo was born in Long Beach and raised in Paramount, CA. Sonia attended Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic elementary school in Paramount, and Saint Joseph High School in Lakewood. She received her bachelor’s degree in Family & Consumer Sciences at California State University, Northridge and her master’s degree in Elementary Education at Loyola Marymount University.
Sonia began her career within education at a school within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2011. She was given the opportunity to begin and continue to develop the school’s Transitional Kindergarten program. In the 2014-2015 school year, the school implemented collaborative team teaching which provided her the opportunity to teach both TK and Kindergarten students. Sonia also served as a co-athletic director and a member of the administrative leadership team. She joined the Onward 4 Excellence team in 2017.
Sonia truly believes our future in education is immensely impacted on our youngest students’ experiences and their perception of school and learning environment. She is grateful to have the opportunity to work with God’s youngest learners, and in return have them teach her how to challenge and better herself as an educator and a person. In 2017, Sonia was humbled to have had the opportunity to join the Onward 4 Excellence Team as an Academic Excellence Specialist for the Department of Catholic Schools. She truly enjoys and embraces the calling to support adult learning with both principals and teachers, and as a result, continues to impact student learning in the classroom.
Contact: SJacobo@la-archdiocese.org
Kathryn Liguori
Academic Excellence Specialist
Kathryn was born and raised in Connecticut and attended St. Paul Catholic High School in Bristol. She earned her BA in Sociology from The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts and then headed west to join Loyola Marymount University’s PLACE Corps. While a member of the fourth cohort of the program, she earned her MA in Elementary Education and her multiple subject teaching credential.
Her career as an educator began at a school within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles where she taught 4th grade in a self-contained classroom. After three years on the West Coast, she moved to Boston to be closer to family. While in Boston, she continued to serve in the Catholic schools as a middle school ELA teacher and received her Massachusetts multiple subject teaching credential. Three cold New England winters were enough for her and so she once again packed her bags and headed to Los Angeles. Upon her return, she served as the middle school ELA and religion teacher at a school within ADLA. She also served as the 8th grade homeroom teacher for four years of her five-year tenure. During her time there, she was a part of the administrative leadership team and was Vice Principal of Curriculum & Instruction during her final year. She joined the Onward 4 Excellence team in 2021.
Kathryn’s years in higher education were shaped by the Jesuit ideology that we are called to be men and women for others. She believes that a Catholic education has the power to provide our youth with the necessary skills to become the faith-filled, socially-responsible critical thinkers that our world so desperately needs. Although her years in the classroom with her students were some of the most joyous of her life, she is thrilled to be part of a team that is supporting the educators who feel called to undertake the profound responsibility of guiding our children into the future.
Contact: KLiguori@la-archdiocese.org
Catherine Markey
Academic Excellence Specialist
Catherine was born and raised in Southern California and she is a proud product of the Los Angeles Archdiocese. She attended St. Robert Bellarmine Elementary School in Burbank, CA, and then continued her Catholic education at Providence High School in Burbank, CA. Catherine attended Chapman University for her undergraduate degree where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Integrated Educational Studies, with minors in English and Language and Literacy. She then continued her education at Chapman University earning her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, as well as a California teaching credential. She was recognized as the Outstanding Student Award recipient in her master’s program.
From a young age, Catherine knew that she wanted to work in education. Her career in education began in public school where she spent time completing fieldwork across a variety of schools and grade levels ranging from bilingual kindergarten, to middle school history, to AP Literature and Composition. During her time in the public school system, she also taught AP Language and Composition and ninth grade English. Catherine decided she wanted to work in a Catholic school setting, which led her to serve at a school with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. There she taught three different levels of ninth grade English, as well as journalism. Catherine was involved in the advancement of the HSPT boot camp, academic junior high decathlon program, and SAT preparation courses at her school site. She also served the English Department chair, mentored teachers, and helped to facilitate consistent grade-level meetings. Catherine joined the Onward 4 Excellence team in 2022.
In her role as an Academic Excellence Specialist, Catherine hopes that she can help to promote a culture of student-centered learning. Catherine is passionate about education and helping others, so she is excited to be able to serve a system that was so integral to her own formation. She believes that in order to best support students, we must first support educators. Although she will miss teaching in her own classroom, Catherine feels honored to have the opportunity to serve schools and educators in this role.
Contact: CMarkey@la-archdiocese.org
Rachel Rufus
WCEA Commissioner / Director of Academic Data, Assessment, and Evaluation
Rachel attended St. Robert Bellarmine elementary school and Bellarmine-Jefferson High School in Burbank. She received her bachelor’s degree in Educational Studies with a minor in Math, master’s degree in Education Leadership and Curriculum, and is currently working on her doctoral degree in K-12 Organizational Leadership at Grand Canyon University.
Rachel’s career in education began as an Academic Decathlon coach where she developed a love for teaching. She had the opportunity to work in many capacities at her alma mater within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, as Vice Principal, 8th grade teacher, and ELA and Math Curriculum Coordinator for over nine years. She then had the opportunity to serve at another ADLA school as the Director of Instruction and Vice Principal for three years where she supported the adult learners through data meetings. In addition, Rachel enjoyed serving as chair on several WASC/WCEA visiting teams throughout the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Her mission as a Catholic educator is to help students and teachers achieve academic growth, and be better faith-filled human beings by providing them the right set of values for life’s journey. Through all her experiences, she truly believes in being a servant-leader where she can empower others while working towards the common goal: improving student learning. She joined the Department of Catholic Schools in 2017 as an Academic Excellence Specialist. and transitioned to Associate Director of Academic Excellence in 2018. Rachel transitioned to Elementary School WCEA Commissioner/Director of Academic Data, Assessment, and Evaluation in 2021.
Contact: RRufus@la-archdiocese.org
