Meet Our Cabinet

Dr. James Morris began his career in education forty-three years ago as a teacher and has served a principal, an assistant superintendent, Chief of Staff, Chief Operating Officer, and a variety of other administrative positions. After serving for thirty years in the Los Angeles Unified School District, he was selected as the Superintendent of the Fremont Unified School District where he served for 7 years. After retirement, he continued to serve in a variety of administrative roles. In January 2023, he accepted a position as County Administrator of the Inglewood Unified School District and is committed to helping the district exit receivership.

Bernadette Lucas has been an educator for over 28 years. She came to education through Teach For America (1991). She has most recently served as the Director of Technology for Beverly Hills Unified School District. She served in the Los Angeles Unified School District for 23 years as a Teacher, Title I Coordinator, Advisor and Assistant Director for a teacher credentialing program, Assistant Principal, Principal, Mentor Principal, and Director of Technology. She also teaches in the School Leadership Program at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Dr. Brian Coffey has been an educator in the Inglewood Unified School District since 1997. In 2003 he was awarded the Bill Ellis Teaching Award from the National Center for Learning Disabilities for excellence in practice and a commitment to students with learning and attention issues. In 2008, he earned a Doctor of Education Degree from USC’s Rossier School of Education, with a focus on Teacher Education. Dr. Coffey served as Principal of Kelso Elementary School from 2012-2019, and helped convert Beulah Payne Elementary to Payne P-8 STEAM Academy during his tenure as the school's Principal from 2019-2023.

Mr. Bhatta has extensive experience in California school finance and has played a critical role in maintaining the district's fiscal stability through comprehensive budget development, multi-year financial projections, collective bargaining cost analyses, cash flow forecasting, and ongoing monitoring of restricted and unrestricted funding sources. He has led numerous fiscal initiatives, including budget certification, audit coordination, financial recovery efforts, implementation of new financial management systems, and the development of long-range fiscal sustainability plans.