Nancy J. Lavelle, Ph.D.— Founder and President.

Nancy J. Lavelle founded the non-profit Institute for the Redesign of Learning to serve as a catalyst for the design, implementation and dissemination of innovative teaching and learning strategies for infants, children and young adults at-risk for learning, developmental, behavior and emotional problems. The Institute has an annual budget of over $16 million and employs 250 professionals and support personnel. Under its laboratory program, The Almansor Center, established in 1974, the Institute offers early intervention, special education, mental health, vocational and job placement services to 2500 at-risk children and adults from 30 communities in Southern California. The Institute operates four facilities in South Pasadena and one in the City of Commerce: The Almansor Early Education Services; the Almansor Academy (special education day school); Almansor Transition and Adult Services, and Almansor Mental Health Services. In addition, The Almansor Center provides early intervention services to 700 preschoolers attending 90 Head Start programs in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Almansor Center serves a diverse population. Approximately 44% of our clients are of Hispanic/Latino origin; 33% are Caucasian; 12% African-American and 11% Asian. Over 60% of families receiving services live below the poverty level. Forty percent of our clients are in foster or group home placements. The Institute has also provided courses and workshops nationally for 3000 parents and professionals in the last several years.
Founded in 1988, Dr. Lavelle is also President and CEO of Total Education Solutions, Inc. (TES), a privately held, full-service, multi-state special education company that provides special education compliance, administration, management, and staffing solutions to local education agencies, public, charter and private schools. TES currently provides outsourced special education services to over 5000 eligible children and adults at 300 public, charter and private school sites, representing 70 school districts and county offices of education, and 39 Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPAs) in California; 26 public school academies representing four Intermediate School Districts and six charter authorizers in Michigan; and 32 community schools representing eight counties and six sponsors in Ohio.
Dr. Lavelle received her doctorate in Special Education from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a member of the Continuing Education faculty in the Department of Special Education at California State University, Los Angeles. Dr. Lavelle is principal author of “Taking Charge for Educators™” and "Taking Charge: A Life Planning Partnership with At-Risk Youth™" and has conducted over 200 workshops nationwide for parents, educators and other professionals working with at-risk youth. She has served as a Review Panelist for the U.S. Department of Education National Exemplary School Recognition Program; the Council on American Private Education; as well as the Institute for At-Risk Infants, Children, Youth and Their Families; all located in Washington D.C. Dr. Lavelle has been a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Private Schools for Exceptional Children, Washington, D.C.; the California Association of Private Special Education Schools, Sacramento; Education 1st!, a Los Angeles based entertainment industry group dedicated to improving the quality of education; and the Inside Edge Educational Foundation, Beverly Hills. Dr. Lavelle has also served on the Board of Directors, and is past-President, of the Education Industry Association, based in Washington, D.C. Her areas of professional expertise include: school organization, strategic planning, staff development and training, teacher education, parent training, crisis intervention, self-determination and advocacy.

Jason D. Rubin, M.S.W., LCSW – Managing Director.

Jason D. Rubin joined TES in 2007 to fill the newly created position of Managing Director, providing overall direction, guidance, operational and programmatic oversight to The Institute for the Redesign of Learning. A human services administrator for almost 25 years, Jason brought with him prior experience helming similar programs for local-area agencies in Children’s Mental Health, Adult Social and Vocational Rehabilitation, Residential Services and Education. He has also worked as an independent consultant in many of these fields. Jason’s current position offers him the opportunity to shepherd programs in his areas of expertise and also to develop synergy and philosophical and operational bridges between programs. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree from Williams College and earned his Masters Degree in Social Work from California State University, Long Beach in 1996. He is licensed by the State of California as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. A key liaison between the Agency and the community, Jason is President-Elect of the South Pasadena Kiwanis Club and serves on the Board of Directors of the South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce.

Rachel Southard, M.B.A. – Development Associate.

Rachel Southard joined Total Education Solutions in 2011 to strengthen the foundation of the development department of the Institute for the Redesign of Learning/Almansor. In this role she is tasked with donor cultivation, communication initiatives, grant writing, and media relations. Ms. Southard holds a Masters in Business Administration from Capella University and a Bachelors of Science in Speech Communication with a dual minor in Public Relations and Political Science. Her professional experience includes nonprofit development work with The Salvation Army where she was involved in media relations, donor cultivation/management, and event planning. She served as the Public Information Officer for the Southwest Division of the Salvation Army during disaster relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Ms. Southard’s experience in non-profit development work was furthered at the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC) where she managed all fundraising and communication efforts. An avid volunteer, you will likely find her in the community working with programs benefitting at-risk youth and animal rescue organizations.

Albert G. Hernandez, Ed.D – Education Director, Special Education Day School – Almansor Academy

Dr. Hernandez joined The Almansor Center in 1975 as an Instructional Assistant and part-time Physical Education Instructor. He has been instrumental in establishing the development and growth of the Center since 1974 moving from Physical Education Teacher to his current position as the Education Director, Training & Program Development. As the Education Director, Dr. Hernandez is responsible for a staff of nearly 100 professionals including teachers, speech therapists and adaptive physical education teachers. Dr. Hernandez is the lead instructor for Almansor’s annual, 10-week Taking Charge for Educators program and was a part-time instructor at California State Polytechnic University for several years in the special education department. Dr. Hernandez has lectured on such topics as Rethinking the School to Include Families and Friends in Educating Students with ED/BD; Critical Decisions and Helpful Hints to Implement Community Model Programs; Informal Data Gathering Through Observation and Physical Activity for the High Risk Student at conferences across the country. Dr. Hernandez received his B.A. and his M.A. degrees in Physical Education from California State University, Los Angeles. In 1995, he received his Ed.D. in Educational Management from the University of La Verne. In addition to his experience as an administrator, instructor and lecturer, Dr. Hernandez has served on the Board of Directors of the California Association of Private Special Education Schools since 1997, where he has been the Committee Chair for four Annual Conferences. He is an active member of the Foster Parent Advisory Board for the Pasadena and Rio Hondo Colleges; and is active on two Advisory Committees in the Pasadena area: the Speech and Language Therapy Assistance Program and an agency advocating for at-risk youth. In 2003, he served on the Board of Directors for Latin Sounds Initiative; a non-profit organization promoting the use of Latin music in schools.

Lori Andrews, M.Ed. – Education Director, Special Education Day School – Almansor Academy

Lori Andrews joined the Institute for the Redesign of Learning July, 2008 as an Education Director with the Day School. Lori holds her BA in Social Science, Master of Education in Special Education, and credentials in Single Subject, Special Education, and Administration. Lori has worked as a general education teacher, Resource Specialist, Special Day Class Teacher, Transition Specialist, Program Specialist, and Principal of a Charter School prior to joining IRL. With 25 years of experience in the field of education, experience in administration and leadership management, and extensive experience in the field of Special Education, Lori brings a wide range of experience to help expand the programs at the Day School. Lori is excited to assist in the development of the Autism Spectrum Disorders program as part of IRL’s offering to our community’s needs.

Linda Davies, M.S. – Director, Almansor Early Childhood Education Services

Linda Davies came to IRL in 2011 directly from the state of New Hampshire and brought with her over 20 years of experience in early childhood education leadership. In addition to a Master’s Degree in human development and numerous awards in child care leadership garnered over the years, Linda offers a personal style which is characterized by energy, creativity, professionalism and warmth. And, while she is a recent transplant, this is not her first experience in leading California early education centers -- having previously been selected to open and operate the childcare center at Universal Studios which she did for a period of five years.

Nita Moore, M.P.A – Director, Transition and Adult Services

Ms. Moore joined the Institute for the Redesign of Learning in 2008 to assume the position as Director to The Transition and Adult Services Department. Prior to joining IRL, Ms. Moore held a variety of roles, in Vocational Rehabilitation, Human Resources and non-profit management. Most recently, Ms. Moore was in charge of the Operations department for the Pasadena Ronald McDonald House. Ms. Moore has over 12 years experience in the areas of management, program development and marketing. In her current position, she has effectively managed the Transition and Adult Services department within IRL having overall responsibility for 100 clients with disabilities. The Transition and Adult Services program focuses on training individuals in the areas of life skills with the goal of transition to community employment. Ms. Moore is a member of the Vendor Leadership committee to the Eastern Los Angeles Regional Center. Nita has a BA degree in Sociology from Loyola Marymount University and a Masters degree in Public Administration from California State University Los Angeles.

Edwin Shrader, M.A., LMFT – Clinical Director, Almansor Clinical Services (Mental Health)

Ed Shrader joined the Institute for the Redesign of Learning in 1989. Ed Shrader received his B.A. degree in Business Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara and his M.A degree in Marriage Family & Child Counseling/Psychology from Antioch University West. Ed provided Mental Health therapy services at the Institute for the Redesign of Learning’s Non-Public School for the first eight years and has been the Clinical Director for the Institute for the Redesign of Learning’s Mental Health Department for the last twelve years. The Mental Health Department provides School & Home based comprehensive Mental Health Services to children, youth and their families between the ages of 1-21.

Emily Baltazar – Program Manager – Almansor Community Outreach Services

began her work as a volunteer with students with special needs at The Almansor Center in 1994, and was later hired as a full time assistant to the Community Outreach Department. After four years with the agency, Emily was promoted to Community Outreach Project Manager. She is actively involved with program implementation and service provision for our current contracts. Her current responsibilities for the Agency include oversight of a staff of more than 30 professionals providing support to over 250 Head Start Classrooms. Services range from assessments, intervention services, and parent/teacher in-services.