Jim Cartnal is the Principal at La Canada High, has served as an Assistant and Associate Principal for Curriculum and Instruction, and taught US and World history at LCHS for nine years.

Mr. Cartnal was raised in Covina, California, a city about twenty-five miles east of Los Angeles and about 20 minutes away from LCHS. He attended the University of California, Irvine, where he majored in history and minored in German language and literature and global peace and conflict studies. During his fourth year at UC Irvine, he studied in Goettingen Germany, attending Georg-August Universitaet. In 1999, he completed his Master’s degree in history at San Francisco State University and started his teaching career, working at a private school in Los Altos Hills, California. In 2001, Mr. Cartnal completed his single subject teaching credential in Social Science at SFSU and returned to southern California and joined the faculty of La Canada High School shortly thereafter. His academic interests include the foreign relations of the Atlantic world, with a particular focus on German-American relations in the 20th century and educational leadership, with an emphasis on curriculum development, teaching methodologies, and building of Developmental Assets.

When Mr. Cartnal is away from LCHS, he enjoys many pursuits, although his favorites include traveling, reading, sports, scouting, and spending time with his family. 

Megan Pacheco, M.A., is the Executive Director for Challenge Success. She has more than 20 years of experience helping to transform schools.  She has served in a variety of roles, including teacher, school coach, and organizational leader.  Prior to joining Challenge Success, she was the Chief Learning Officer for New Tech Network, a national network of schools focused on deeper learning. She is passionate about ensuring all students experience a meaningful, equitable, and inclusive learning environment.  Her primary focus has been organizational leadership, school design, project-based learning, continuous improvement, and curriculum and assessment.  Megan has a B.S. in Mathematics and an M.A. in Mathematics Education.

Dr. Brandon Wiley is an accomplished educator who currently serves as the Chief Academic Officer at The Alexander Dawson School, a PreK-8 independent school in Las Vegas. The Alexander Dawson School was the first Challenge Success School in the state of Nevada and began their partnership in 2017. His experience as a classroom teacher, school & district administrator, national nonprofit leader, and international education consultant provides him with a diverse perspective on education-related topics. Before joining Dawson, Brandon spent 10 years working in senior leadership for several education nonprofit organizations leading professional learning efforts as the Executive Director of Asia Society’s International Studies Schools Network, Senior Director of School Development for Sprinpoint, and then Chief Program Officer for PBLWorks (Buck Institute for Education). In each of these roles, Brandon promoted the use of student-centered teaching practices, equitable access to high-quality education and outcomes for all students, and fostering inclusive community processes for change and innovation. In his spare time, Brandon is an avid traveler and has visited nearly 30 countries and counting!