Yolie Flores - LAUSD Board Member

Yolie Flores serves on the Board of Education for the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest school district in the nation.  A nationally renowned and tireless advocate for children and families, Flores has dedicated her life to helping ensure that all kids grow up with opportunities to lead rich and fulfilling lives.

Serving the children and families of LAUSD Board District 5, Flores represents a diverse community of 115,000 students at 116 schools, in a region that encompasses 14 localities.  The majority of these students lives among some of the poorest areas in the state and are predominantly English learners.

Flores’ agenda is to create a future where all children have the opportunity to reach their highest aspirations.  Her priorities include ensuring that all students have effective teachers; creating small, safe, personalized schools that serve as centers of the community; ensuring the success and transition of English Learner students; expanding and honoring the role of parents as equal partners in education; building a world class early education system; and chartering innovative educational reforms. 

During her tenure on the LAUSD Board of Education, Flores has led some of the most significant reform efforts, including Public School Choice; the Teacher Effectiveness Taskforce; Small Schools; and World Languages, which creates the opportunity for children to learn multiple languages from preschool to high school, helping to prepare our children to succeed in a global economy.

Prior to serving on the LAUSD Board, Flores served as CEO of the Los Angeles County Children’s Planning Council, the largest children’s partnership network in the United States.  In this capacity for almost a decade, Flores led an ambitious change agenda for children that included systems reform, community engagement, and policy efforts to improve outcomes for children.  Previously, she was a senior consultant to the Annie E. Casey Foundation; the director of child care policy and planning for the City of Los Angeles; and the work/family director of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, a nationally acclaimed employer supported child care program.

A former president of the Los Angeles County Board of Education, Flores also served as vice president of the Board of Directors of the Pediatric and Family Medical Center.  She was a Mayoral appointee to the City of Los Angeles WIB Youth Advisory Council and was a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee for the Evaluation of Children’s Health.

Flores received her B.A. from the University of Redlands and her master’s in social welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles.  Twice, she has been named Social Worker of the Year in local regions.  She was a fellow in the inaugural class of the national Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Children and Family Fellowship program, the MALDEF leadership program, and a Coro City Focus Fellow.  Most recently, Flores participated in the Latino delegation to China; was a fellow in the US/South Africa Emerging Leaders Program, and was a member of the L.A. delegation to Tel Aviv with a focus on child welfare issues.