About Us

Erika holds a B.A. in Finance from Howard University and a J.D. from Duke University. After several years in the entertainment industry, Erika realized a desire to serve in the non-profit sector coupled with a profound interest in education. This led her to The Center for Early Education (CEE), where she has served for over 20 years in various roles including Director of Annual Giving, Director of Human Resources, and her current role as Assistant Head of School for Operations responsible for all aspects of school operations, leadership transition, human resources, and facilities. During the pandemic, Erika developed and led the school’s COVID Response Programs. Erika is a member of The California Bar Association and the National Business Officers Association (NBOA). She is also on the Board of Directors of Los Angeles Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for foster youth in the greater Los Angeles area. ​ Erika’s leadership philosophy is grounded in direct communication, setting high and clear expectations, and engaging in transparent and inclusive leadership.

Nassim Shandy comes from a family of educators, raised by a mother who was a head of school in Iran. After beginning her own professional career in feature film development, Nassim followed her family footsteps, and her true passion, into education. Nassim earned an MEd from UCLA in Educational Leadership, with a specialized focus on Social Justice in Education, and a career at the Center for Early Education (CEE) where she has worked for the past sixteen years. The first eleven of Nassim's years at CEE were spent as a classroom teacher, in multiple different grade levels, before advancing into an administrative role, overseeing the school's numerous curricula as the Director of Teaching and Learning. Through this role Nassim has also led the school's CAIS and WASC accreditation, and guided ongoing in-service and professional development programs for faculty and staff. In addition to Nassim's work at CEE, she is the founder of the statewide Curriculum Coordinator Consortium, and holds seats on multiple professional development committees, notably the planning committee for CATDC’s highly-regarded annual Women + Leadership conference.