Dr. Brenda Denise Olivares is an educational champion with over 19 years of experience working with families, students and a variety of educational partners . Her passion lies in connecting families to resources, empowering them as the first teachers of their child's education, and fully embracing the community school framework. She believes in creating sustainable systems, structures, and proactive opportunities that promote a culture of respect, trust, and accountability among families and schools. She co-founded a girls leadership and mentoring program to help young aspiring students connect early and often to female mentors in their community leveraging the power of networks.

Dr. Olivares has successfully served in a variety of leadership roles, and she currently serves as the Chief Impact Officer (CIO) with Magnolia Public Schools. She earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Educational Psychology from the University of Southern California and holds a Master’s degree in Teaching Social Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University, and her Bachelor's degree in history with a secondary teaching credential from Mount Saint Mary’s University. Through the Community Engagement Initiative partnership she completed a Family Engagement in Education: Creating Effective Home and School Partnerships Summer Program with the Harvard Graduate School of Education directly learning from Dr. Karen Mapp. Dr. Olivares is the eldest of six children and daughter to Luis and Amparo Lopez, both immigrants from Mexico, specifically Oaxaca and Jalisco. She lives with her husband and three children in the city where she was raised, Pico Rivera.