Farnaz Golshani Flechner has served as the Superintendent of Environmental Charter Schools (ECS) for the past seven years, leading academic growth and the establishment of a new High School in Gardena. Her commitment to education began as an Art and English Teacher in a LAUSD Title 1 School.

Prior to joining ECS, Farnaz served as the Executive Director of the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation (MBEF) from 2014-2018. At MBEF, she raised approximately $7M annually, expanded the Endowment to $18M, initiated a successful Parcel Tax, and launched several innovative grant programs. From 2012-2014, Farnaz served as the Executive Director of Los Feliz Charter School for the Arts, where she led the hire of the Head of School and 13 educators, Increased foundation support by 80%, and managed expenses to correct a three-year deficit budget.

Between 2006-2012 Farnaz served as the Director of Programs and Services at Tides, where she oversaw the delivery of services to 230 fiscally sponsored social justice projects with over 600 employees nationwide. From 2002-2006 Farnaz served as the VP of Programs at Chrysalis, a workforce development nonprofit serving LA’s homeless population. There, she learned how to lead a high impact organization, with 93% of Chrysalis’ homeless clients securing jobs.

Farnaz immigrated with her family from Iran at a young age and has a profound appreciation for education and the impact it has had on her life and career. After attending public schools in Los Angeles, she graduated from UCLA where she was a double major in English and Fine Arts. She later earned a master’s degree in public policy with a focus on education policy reform, from the Harvard Kennedy School.