Board of Directors

Nisreen Al-Bassam joined the board in 2020 and has one child who attends PS1 and one child who graduated from PS1 (class of 2024). Nisreen is partner and asset manager at Manhattan Hospitality Advisors, a global hospitality advisory firm that has provided asset management, project management and general consulting services on over $18 billion of hotels, resorts and mixed-use projects. She earned an MBA in Finance with Honors from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Stanford University.

Michelle An joined the Board in 2024, with one child at PS1. Michelle is President of Interscope Geffen A&M and Head of Visual Creative at the record label, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Michelle has been at IGA for nearly 18 years working with some of the world’s biggest music artists including Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Dr. Dre and Eminem. Michelle oversees the A&R, Marketing, Digital and Visual Creative verticals of the label. Michelle has been named one of Billboard’s Women in Music for multiple years in a row, has been recognized as a Variety Hitmaker, and is a 5-time GRAMMY nominated producer. She is also a member of the Producer’s Guild of America. Michelle is a Chicago-native with a B.A from Northwestern University.

Halina Avery joined the Board in 2023 and has one PS1 alumna (class of 2023). Halina serves as Treasurer of the Durfee Foundation, which is focused on investing in extraordinary people and organizations making a better Los Angeles. She also co-launched and serves on the Board of the Under the Sun Foundation, which celebrates art, community and the environment. Halina previously served in Development and Alumni Relations roles at UC Berkeley and Columbia University. Halina holds a Bachelor of Music degree from University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Music degree from Yale University, and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University.

Jenefer Brown joined the Board in 2022 and currently serves as Chair, Board of Directors. She has two children who attend PS1. Jenefer is the Executive Vice President and Head of Global Products and Experiences at Lionsgate where she oversees several fast-growing businesses that expand the reach of Lionsgate’s film and television properties. She was named Executive of the Year by Los Angeles Business Journal in 2021 and Top 10 Theme Park Influencer by Blooloop for the past three years in a row. Jenefer holds a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and a J.D. from the University of California College of Law, San Francisco.

Yehudi “Gaf” Gaffen joined the Board in 2023 and has one grandchild who attends PS1. Gaf is Chairman of the Board of Gafcon, a leader in construction and program management in California and around the world, where Gaf lends his experience and expertise to once in a lifetime projects like Seaport San Diego and Zizhu Hi-Tech Development in Shanghai, China. Gaf’s commitment to the local community extends to to work supporting community capital programs like the City of Santa Monica and San Diego Unified School District and service on various boards, including the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and AltaSea Board of Trustees. Gaf holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Management from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

James joined the Board in 2024 and has one and soon to be two children who attend PS1. James is the Managing Director and Head of Studio at venture studio Science Inc. where he has incubated and operated several startups including Dollar Shave Club, FameBit (sold to Google), Liquid Death, Mindset Care and Final Boss Sour. James has helped these businesses raise over $1bn in Venture Capital. James has a BA in Economics from Trinity College and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Business.

Rosalia Ibarrola joined the Board in 2022 and has two children who attend PS1. Rosalia has served as General Counsel at Blackstone Consulting, Inc., an international service provider, since 2012. In addition to serving on the executive team, Rosalia manages BCI's legal and compliance functions. Rosalia earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Princeton University and earned her J.D. from Stanford University.

Jeffrey Inaba joined the Board in 2023 and has two children who attend PS1. Jeffrey is the co-founder of Inaba Williams Architecture based in Los Angeles and Brooklyn with clients including Red Bull Music Academy, YouTube, Whitney Museum of American Art, BMW/MINI, New Museum, Van Alen Institute, and Public Art Norway. He is also an adjunct professor at UCLA Architecture and Urban Design and a published author. Jeffrey earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of California, Berkeley and Masters Degrees in Architecture and Architectural History and Theory from Harvard University.

Mychal Johnson joined the Board in 2023. Mychal is currently the Assistant Director of Middle School at Brentwood School. He previously served as the Assistant Director of Equity & Inclusion at Brentwood School, Director of Diversity at Chandler School, and Site Director of Partnership for Success! program. Mychal holds a B.S. Degree from the University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, an M.A. in Educational Leadership from California State University, Northridge and is pursuing a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership at California Lutheran University.

Elizabeth Kendall joined the PS1 Board in 2019 and has one child who graduated from PS1 (class of 2024). She practiced commercial litigation at Irell & Manella LLP in Century City before transitioning to philanthropic work. She has volunteered in a variety of positions at PS1, including chairing the Alumni Relations Committee and co-chairing the Annual Fundraising Gala. Elizabeth double majored in Economics and Political Science at Stanford University then matriculated to NYU School of Law to complete her Juris Doctorate.

Tawny Laskar joined the PS1 Board on 2021 and has one child who graduated from PS1 (class of 2024). Tawny is a co-founder and former principal of Learning by Design Charter School, which offers a groundbreaking, research-based approach to urban education. She holds an M.Ed. in educational leadership with an emphasis on social justice from UCLA and an M.Ed. in elementary education from Georgia State University, and bachelor’s degrees in Law & Society and Black Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She currently serves as Associate Director of the 21st Century Leadership Academy for Universal Transitional Kindergarten at UCLA.

Tony Lewis joined the board in 2024, and he and his wife Heidi have two children at PS1. Tony is a partner at the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP where he is a member of the firm’s Litigation Group and its Criminal Defense and Investigations Group, and co-head of its National Security Practice and Cybersecurity Practice. He was previously a federal prosecutor in the National Security Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Central District of California. Tony received his B.S. from Yale University in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry and History of Art, and his J.D. from Stanford Law School.

Elizabeth Redman joined the board in 2024 and has one child who attends PS1. Liz is a research scientist at the national Center for Research, Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing (CRESST) in the School of Education at UCLA. Her research interests include STEM education, educational games, assessment design, and program evaluation. As a former teacher, she also has an interest in teachers’ professional development and learning. Liz received her MA and PhD in Education from the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. She also earned a degree in Classics from Princeton University.

Anna Reyna served as Chair of the Board of Directors of PS1 Pluralistic School from 2019-2024, and has been a board member since 2011. She has one child who attends PS1 and two alumni (2016 and 2022). Anna is Assistant General Counsel at The Walt Disney Company where she focuses on new media distribution and technology. Anna earned a BA in Political Science and a law degree from UCLA.

Kerri Speck served as Chair of the Board of Directors of PS1 Pluralistic School from 2016-2019, and has been a board member since 2012. Kerri has three alumni who attended PS1 (2014, 2021 and 2024). As the founder and owner of Signature Residential Brokerage, Kerri has been engaged in the Southern California real estate industry for over fifteen years. Kerri obtained her undergraduate degree in history from the University of Southern California and holds a juris doctorate from Western State University.

Stacey Rossley Staples joined the Board in 2020 and has one child who attends PS1 and one child who graduated from PS1 (class of 2024). Stacey’s nonprofit management experience includes fundraising, grantmaking, and strategic planning. She holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BA from Amherst College.

Zaahir Syed joined the Board in 2024 and has two children who attend PS1. Zaahir is a Senior Managing Director and the U.S. Co-Head of Sera Private Funds Group at CBRE Investment Banking where he is responsible for advising real estate operators and managers on capital sourcing strategies, vehicle structuring and equity placement. Zaahir was previously a co-Founder of Sera Global, which was acquired by CBRE in October 2023. Zaahir holds a B.S. from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

Bryan Wolff joined the Board in 2022 and has three children who attend PS1. Bryan has worked as a technology investor and executive for over 15 years, having held senior positions at numerous Venture Capital-backed start-ups and other Institutional Investment firms. He is currently the President of AllVoices, a Los Angeles-based Employee Relations Platform. Bryan has served on numerous private and public company Board of Directors. Bryan holds an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and a BSE in Computer Science from Princeton University.

Eric Zabinski joined the Board in 2020 and has one child who attends PS1 and one child who graduated from PS1 (class of 2023). Eric is a partner at the international law firm of O’Melveny & Myers LLP, where he serves as chair of its mergers & acquisitions practice group. He holds a B.S.E. in computer engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, a B.S. Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, and a J.D. from Stanford University.

Gabe Zaldivar joined the board in 2024 and has two children who attend PS1. Gabe is a sports editor at USA TODAY, managing the national sports trending team, which elevates the most important stories of the day while reaching new audiences. He has bylines across Bleacher Report, Forbes.com, and Huffington Post, among other publications, and has appeared on CNN as well as KCRW. He previously served as the managing editor of a multicultural vertical within the Sports Illustrated Media Network that highlighted underrepresented communities. Gabriel holds a B.A from the University of California at Berkeley.