Dedicated to the success of our students
Leadership
Étoile’s leadership team believes that every child is capable of reaching their potential when schools deliver exceptional support.
Kayleigh Colombero
Our Lead Founder & Superintendent
Kayleigh Colombero is the Superintendent of Étoile Academy Charter School. She was part of the 2016 Building Excellent Schools Fellowship, a rigorous, yearlong, comprehensive training program in urban charter school creation and leadership.
Growing up in a financially unstable home, Kayleigh experienced many personal challenges on her path to college. Luckily, Kayleigh had a few mentors that pushed her to succeed in the face of much adversity. She set her sights on Smith College, an elite private college, which she eventually attended on a scholarship.
Kayleigh has eight years of experience in education as a middle school and high school teacher, an instructional coach, a department chair, a team leader, and as the executive director of a youth-development nonprofit.
Our Board of Directors
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Dr. Michelle Bair, Chair
President and CEO at Faith In Practice
Dr. Michelle Bair has a wealth of experience in development including annual giving, donor information management, data analysis, gift processing, and cultivating individual donors.
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Alexandra Caritis, Secretary
Litigation Associate at Kirkland & Ellis
Alexandra Caritis is a trial attorney at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Prior to joining Kirkland & Ellis, Alexandra was a 7th-grade science teacher in Charlotte-Mecklenburg public schools.
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Grant Berg
CFO for a Startup
Finance professional with over thirteen years of experience across banking, private equity, management consulting, and business operations. Currently the CFO of a startup in the hard tech space. Native Texan who enjoys running, cycling, and outdoor activities.
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Emmanuel Enriquez
Community Liaison at Houston Health Department
Emmanuel Enriquez is the site administrator for a community center in the Gulfton area. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Rice University in Cognitive Science. Emmanuel is the first college graduate in his family and is the proud father of two Étoile students.
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Rebekah Guill
Director of Community Engagement at Smith Restaurant Group
Rebekah has over a decade of experience working in education in a variety of contexts, including teaching, curriculum design, instructional coaching, and professional development. She previously worked for KIPP Houston and led the expansion of Niroga Institute’s stress resilience programs into schools in Texas.
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Philip Wright
Chief Schools Officer at YES Prep Public Schools
Philip Wright is the Chief Schools Officer at YES Prep Public Schools, an open-enrollment charter school with 21 campuses serving 15,000 students across the city of Houston.
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Noor Iqbal
Director of Analytics at City Fund
Noor has over 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, with a focus on education philanthropy, policy, research, and program evaluation. She has previously worked at the Laura and John Arnold Foundation in Houston and the Jameel Poverty Action Lab in Cambridge, MA. She is a graduate of Harvard University and the London School of Economics.
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Adeeba Yusuf
Category Manager at BHP
Adeeba Yusuf brings international experience in supply chain management and continuous improvement. She holds a Bachelors from the University of Houston in Accounting and Supply Chain Management.
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Jasmine Lynch
Founder of Come Bee Enterprises & Alternative Teacher Certification Training Mentor for Houston Community College
In her current role at Houston Community College, she mentors and prepares teacher interns to successfully obtain a Texas standard teacher certification. Jasmine is also the Founder of Come Bee, a wellness community that provides holistic health resources to adults and children. She holds a Master of Arts in Counseling from Prairie View A&M University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Southern University A & M College.
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Lia Vallone
Executive Director at Spindletop Community Impact Partners, Inc.
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Joel Muñoz
Joel Muñoz is a native Houstonian who brings 17 years of education experience working in roles such as teacher, assistant principal and founding principal. He currently is the Assistant Superintendent of School Administration of BakerRipley Community Schools serving the East End and Gulfton communities.