Our Team

Alumni/Former youth, now young adults, who have moved through Oakland’s public education system and understand it from the perspective of the “end-user.” They include:

A student who was expelled from Castlemont High School, incarcerated, and ultimately ended up at Dewey continuation school. He has been a member of THE FREEDOM SCHOOL since its beginning in 2009 and now is a lead designer with HECHOS.

An undocumented immigrant student who attended Castlemont High School and navigated the system as a dreamer student. She went to SF State University and graduated with a BA in Sociology. Mercedes has been a member of THE FREEDOM SCHOOL since its first full year in 2010 and now is a lead designer with HECHOS.

A student raised in Oakland, who became gang-involved and was unable to graduate high school. Omar has been involved on the design team for 2 years and is currently one of the lead designers.

A student raised in Oakland, in trouble in middle school, she joined THE FREEDOM SCHOOL in 2011 and went on to graduate from military school. Selena graduated from UC Santa Cruz in just 3 years with a BA in Sociology. She has now returned to THE FREEDOM SCHOOL as the coordinator of our headquarters.

Vice-President of Skyline College

An educator who brings over 10 years of Board management experience. Dr. Orante, a long-term Oakland resident, former OUSD counselor, and now helps to oversee part of the community college system in Contra Costa County. He will serve HECHOS as a board member and will help develop our college pathway program so that our students can continue their education beyond the K-12 setting.

A 20-year resident of Oakland, California.  He holds a B.A. degree from Kean University, Union, N.J. and a Master of Divinity degree from Palmer Theological Seminary, Wayne, PA.  He has been awarded a proclamation by the Oakland City Council for his efforts to build peace and harmony in the community.   He is the author of several books, including the award winning novel, “Straight Outta East Oakland” which has a preface written by Bryan Stevenson, author of “Just Mercy.”  For 16 years, Reverend Williams served the San Francisco, Tenderloin through Glide Memorial Church before coming to serve THE FREEDOM SCHOOL as a case manager.  As a Bay Area community leader, Reverend Williams will serve as an HECHOS board member and community engagement specialist.  A Bay Area community leader that brings deep connections to Oakland’s clergy and African-American community. Rev Williams will serve as an HECHOS board member and community engagement specialist.

A product of Oakland public schools, proud graduate of Castlemont High, who brings experience with architectural design and legal training. Mrs. Preciado was a former architect and school math teacher at Met West High School and Urban Promise Academy. She graduated from law school and is part of the Immigration Law Clinic at the University of San Francisco. She will serve as an HECHOS board member and as a legal adviser to the school.

An educator with over 20 years of educational expertise and long-term East Oakland resident. Dr. G has worked extensively with the school’s target population as a teacher, Executive Co-Director of Oakland LEAF, and Co-Principal at ARISE High School. He received his Ph.D. in Language, Literacy, Society & Culture in Education from UC Berkeley. He currently serves as an Associate Professor of Education at Cal State East Bay. In addition to serving as a board member, Dr. G is on the design team. Once the school opens, he will continue to support with teacher and school leader development.

A Mexicana, raised in Deep East Oakland, an OUSD graduate and community based educator in Oakland, CA. She spent 10 years helping to develop ARISE High School in the Fruitvale through her skills in office management and school operations. Rubi is now serving as the Director of Operations and member of the Leadership Team at THE FREEDOM SCHOOL. As school designer and Board member for THE FREEDOM SCHOOL’s school, HECHOS, she is focusing on the school’s launch in the Fall of 2023. She will serve as the Director of School Operations at HECHOS with an emphasis on the day-to-day management and operations for the school. Rubi’s emphasis and purpose through her work is to create dynamic, humanizing and liberating spaces for the youth of Oakland, where every young person is seen and treated as individuals and not a number, and whose needs are centered and always come first.

Non-Profit Management

Martha A. Ochoa Hurtado (AKA Martha Ochoa, pronouns: she, her) is deeply rooted in Oakland, where she attended public schools from elementary to high school and is a graduate of Mills College. She has over 30 years of teaching experience in Montessori education, holds two Montessori teaching credentials, a Multiple Subject California state preliminary credential and a Masters in Montessori education. She is the founder of AWE (Another Way to Educate), which is her personal education consultant project. The mission of AWE is to address inequity and social injustice in the curriculum through teacher mentorship, training and organizational guidance. She is involved in grassroots community efforts and projects ranging from addressing the school to prison pipeline, gender & race inequality, systemic racism, ableism and poverty. She is a board member and will be sharing her expertise in Montessori education and advocacy for inclusivity and SPED with the school.

School Design Team is led by four strong educational and operational leaders, also with deep experience in Oakland

Founding Principal

A community organizer and educator with over 25 years of experience and expertise in education and community organizing/engagement and an East Oakland based resident for close to 30 years. Dr. Cruz has served as the director of education for struggling students at Urban Promise Academy. He was the Founder and Director of the Avenues Project at East Oakland Community High School, a small autonomous school from 2004-2006. He also served as the Dean of Students at Arise High School in the Fruitvale. His work in schools began in 1994 through Upward Bound at Fremont High School in Oakland. He received his doctorate in Educational Leadership at Harvard University. His role at HECHOS will be as its founding principal.

Director of School Operations

Please see Bio under Board of Directors

Please see Bio under Board of Directors