Our Staff

Roxanna Villaseñor

Interim Superintendent

Roxanna Bautista Villaseñor is a distinguished educational leader with an extensive 23-year journey in the realm of public education. Her career has been marked by her commitment to systemic change, equity-driven practices, and the pursuit of excellence for all students. With a deep understanding of diverse communities’ needs, Ms. Villaseñor has left an indelible mark on educational institutions throughout Sacramento, Yolo, and San Joaquin counties.

Ms. Villaseñor’s path to leadership began as a dedicated high school and middle school Science and Math teacher. Her passion for individualized learning experiences ignited a spark, motivating her to ensure relevance in the education for every student. Progressing through her career, she adeptly took on roles as a site administrator at the elementary, middle, high, and adult school levels, consistently achieving improved student data benchmarks across her sites.

Her visionary leadership extended to founding a California Public Charter School, a testament to her ability to build strategic systems and structures from the ground up. This tenacity for excellence led her to pivotal positions as a director of student services, executive director of secondary education, and Assistant Superintendent of Educational services. In these roles she fostered staff growth and student achievement through a systems-thinking approach, leaving a legacy of success.

Ms. Villaseñor recognizes the crucial role of leadership. Her systems-thinking approach and passion for education contribute to her ability to ensure a strong focus on prioritizing the needs of students she is assigned to support.

Ms. Flores

Andrea Flores

Principal (DECS)

I am humbled and enthusiastic to serve as the principal of DECS. I am excited to continue to work collaboratively with our dedicated teachers and staff on a daily basis, while also having more opportunities to connect with our brilliant scholars as they learn and grow in and out of the classroom.

I have taught grades K through 6, as well as, Reading Intervention and as an Adjunct Instructor to Pre-teacher candidates. I began my journey as an educator 15 years ago while working for the Lodi Unified School District. I joined the DECS community in 2015 and have taught sixth grade and fourth grade, and the instructional coach.

Although I did not grow up in California, I have lived here for the last 20 years. I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at UC San Diego, a Multiple-Subject Teaching Credential at Sacramento State, and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis in Elementary Reading, from Grand Canyon University. This past November, I earned an Administrative Credential.

Schene

Kara Schene

Principal (LCS)

Mrs. Schene has been an inspiring educational leader for over eighteen years. Our Lighthouse Charter core values of demonstrating unconditional positive regard, continuous self-reflection, and high quality collaborative efforts are aspects she values and embraces as our Principal of LCS. Mrs. Schene received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from University of Nevada Reno, and earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from University of Phoenix. Mrs. Schene holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with an authorization in English and an Administrative Services Credential. She is excited to bring her extensive experiences of mentoring/coaching, building effective systems for positive school outcomes and implementing comprehensive models of inclusive practices for all students at LCS. When not spending time with the school family at LCS, she enjoys camping with her husband and three sons, gardening, and snowmobiling with her family in Graeagle, CA.

Elena

Elena Riolo

HR/Payroll Specialist

I was lucky enough to be born into a large, loud, loving Italian family. My grandparents set roots down here in the Sacramento valley because it reminded them of Sicily. While growing up our family had a cabin in Lake Tahoe and I consider this my second home. Graduated from Sacramento High School and Consumes River College and then entered the business world until I started my family. That’s when I became the CFO/CEO of our family, toughest and best job ever. During this time I worked 9 years for a company processing accounts payable and payroll. I have 3 smart, beautiful and strongly independent adult daughters who are out in the world helping make it better. As lucky as I was before with my family I now have a new family here at River Charter Schools.