Who We Are

Team & Board

Our Team

Jana Wilcox Lavin

Jana Wilcox Lavin

Chief Executive Officer

Throughout her career, Jana Wilcox Lavin has championed policies and practices that put student success at the forefront of decision-making. She has led Opportunity 180 since 2017, and prior to that, served as Superintendent-in-Residence of the Nevada State Achievement School District.  

Before coming to Nevada, Jana served as both the Chief Program Officer for Scholar Academies and the Executive Director of Memphis Scholars. In that capacity, she designed, developed, and executed organization-wide strategic plans to turn around the lowest performing schools. She worked collaboratively with the community to improve student achievement, develop sound, student-focused policies, inform practices, and build resources for schools to drive outcomes.

Jana had previously served as Scholar Academies’ Chief Operating Officer where she led the organization’s strategy, operations and school launch teams, opening schools in Philadelphia, Washington, DC and Trenton, NJ. Her previous work also included managing a portfolio of non-profit programs supporting fundraising, strategic planning, program execution and organizational development, and the start-up of a consulting firm in Washington, DC designed to improve the connection between secondary education, higher education and the industry in support of various workforce and economic development initiatives. Jana is a graduate of The Hotchkiss School, Tulane University and Emerson College.

Tamara Shear

Chief Program Officer

Tam was born and raised in southern California where she earned her B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Riverside. She began her education career through Teach For America in Washington D.C. as a middle school math teacher where she earned her Master’s of Arts in Teaching.

She worked for Friendship Public Charter School and the District of Columbia Public Schools. She moved to Los Angeles to be closer to family and worked for Animo Watts, a Green Dot Public Charter School.

In 2014, Tam found her new home in Las Vegas where she explored many types of development and training to support the teachers and leaders she works with to reach their full potential. Prior to working for Opportunity 180 she worked with Teach for America, TNTP, and Achievement Network. Her time in those organizations was spent working alongside birth through 12th-grade teachers, coaches, principals, and district leadership to improve instructional outcomes for students from historically marginalized backgrounds. Recognizing the systemic barriers school districts and school leaders face, she joined Opportunity 180 and leads the program team by working collaboratively with her colleagues, partners, and our community to ensure all students and families in Nevada, especially our most underserved, have access to great public schools and people in those schools who are deeply committed to their success.

Outside of work, Tam stays involved in her community by serving as a founding board member for a local Public Charter School, supporting committees focused on improving education, and coached a Girls on the Run team. Tam is driven by her vision of working alongside people in the community she calls home so that kids of color, first-gen college kids, and kids from low socioeconomic backgrounds have many adults in their life supporting them to reach their full potential.

Anthony Curry

Anthony Curry

Director of Public Policy

Born and raised in Las Vegas, Anthony is a second generation Nevadan. He previously headed the ACLU of Nevada’s Smart Justice campaign, educating the public about criminal justice reform issues. Prior to that he worked as an associate attorney at the Law Offices of Domingo Garcia in Houston, TX.

Anthony is a U.S. Navy veteran. He served 10 years as a Master-at-Arms and Navy Counselor. He received his BS from Arizona State University and his JD from Thurgood Marshall School of Law. When he’s not working, you will find him cheering for the Aces, Knights, and Lights.

Ray Fraser

Ray Fraser

Managing Director of Operations

Ray was born in Henderson, but grew up in Lake Havasu City, AZ. He moved back to Las Vegas to attend UNLV and got his degree in Physical Education with a Minor in Athletic Coaching. After graduating, he accepted a full time job with the YMCA.

His time there spanned nearly 14 years as he grew with the organization. Passionate about impacting our community, Ray helped lead several outreach programs including water safety programs, teen engagement programs, and high school aged workforce development programs.

A product of public schools, Ray knows how critical of a role our school systems play in setting our youth up for lifelong success. He served on the board of a local charter school for 2 years as the school went from the application process to open doors to students. That process enriched his perspective on the need to ensure all children have access to high quality educational systems.

Ray is a proud father of 2 young girls and is surrounded by family here in the Las Vegas Valley. He is excited that the work he can do at Opportunity 180 will help create a stronger, more equitable system for his kids, nieces and nephews, and his community.

Jared Leslie

Data & Research Manager

Jared, a Las Vegas resident for over 10 years and born in Mesa, Arizona, graduated as from UNLV with a Masters degree in Psychological and Brain Sciences (with a emphasis in development) and an undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in neuroscience as a McNair fellow.

He has been a perpetual volunteer at Nevada schools including food drives and student support services. While new to the education sphere, he is excited to be applying his background in data science to the world of education. During his time as a PhD candidate at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, he worked on collaborative projects involving music cognition, temporal perception, and replication endeavors in the field of behavioral science. He has partnered with Beau Lotto, the director of “The Lab of Misfits, Neurodesign Studio”, in which he worked alongside Cirque Du Soleil to bridge the gap between science and entertainment in the Las Vegas Valley.

Andrew Mieure

Compliance & Grants Manager

Andrew grew up in rural Ohio, later moving to the City of Findlay where he earned a B.A. in 3D Art and Design from the University of Findlay. After University, he moved to Colorado, where he began assisting highly regulated businesses with competitive licensing, risk mitigation, and regulatory compliance.

After living and working in Colorado for nearly five years, he decided it was time for a new challenge.

Making Las Vegas his home base, Andrew worked with international brands, family-owned businesses, large-scale vertically integrated organizations, highly regulated business operators, hospitality groups, startups, and government agencies.  With 10+ years of experience advising, assisting, and developing “high risk,” highly regulated businesses, he has built a trusted, reputable name within the industries that he served. He now uses his professional experience to help create a better future for all kids in Nevada.

Outside of work, Andrew enjoys video games, art, and travel.

Jackson Olsen, Ed.D.

Executive Director of School Success

Jackson Olsen, Ed.D., has spent the last 15 years as a teacher, athletics coach, principal, and most recently a coach and trainer of principals and principal managers for KIPP Public Schools.

Before joining KIPP, he was the Founding Principal at Henderson Collegiate High School, an independent Title I charter school in North Carolina. Jackson’s school was in the top 3% of all public schools in the state, earned an “A” rating for 4 out of 5 years, and was named a Title I School of Distinction during his tenure.

Jackson has worked in both district and charter schools at the elementary, middle, and high school level. He was a member of the 2021 Leverage Leadership Institute (LLI) Fellowship and the 2015 National Principals Academy Fellowship (NPAF) through the Relay Graduate School of Education, completing both programs with honors. In 2022, he was appointed by former Governor Steve Sisolak to serve on the board of the Nevada State Public Charter School Authority. 

Jackson earned his doctorate in educational leadership from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where his research focused on teacher retention. He holds a master’s degree in school administration from N.C. State University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Utah State. Jackson and his wife moved to Las Vegas in 2020 and are parents to three children. He spends his free time volunteering as a member of Red Rock Search and Rescue, hiking and mountaineering, playing tennis, and traveling with his family.

Cesserly Rice

Director of School Support & Incubation

Cesserly Rice is currently the Director of School Support & Incubation at Opportunity 180. Over the past eight years, she has been a teacher and served in several leadership capacities including K-8 instructional coach, and charter school principal.

She has also worked with a local ARL program to prepare aspiring educators to fill roles as teachers across the Las Vegas Valley. Through this work she noticed her inclination and desire to develop and support educators. She has earned her Master’s degree in Educational Administration and is a current doctoral student to ensure she is continually becoming more well-versed in her field.

Greta Seidman

Greta Seidman

Director of Public Affairs

Greta has called Las Vegas home for more than 25 years, but originally hails from the East Coast. She previously worked with the Vegas Chamber, connecting members and the community through unique experiences, programming, and outreach.

She has also served on the teams at Nevada HAND and Brightline West, helping to advance projects and rally people and organizations around a mission or cause. Passionate about growing the Las Vegas community in meaningful ways, Greta looks forward to working with the team and community members to ensure every kid graduates from high school equipped to realize their hopes and dreams.

She received her BA and MBA from UNLV and is proud to serve on the Leadership Las Vegas Council, the boards of Jewish Nevada and Get Outdoors Nevada, and on the Vegas Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee. In her free time, Greta enjoys adding to her to-be-read pile, going on adventures with her son, baking, showtunes, and traveling.

Board Members

Board Chair

Dr. Sebern Coleman

University of Nevada Las Vegas

Director of Educator Preparation – College of Education

Steve Canavero

WestEd

Director, Region 13 Comprehensive Center

Miles Dickson

Nevada GrantLab

CEO

Mike Mullin

Retired

Piper Overstreet

Las Vegas Raiders

Vice President of Government Relations

Angela Torres Castro

Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada

Deputy Chief Executive Officer