Mary Odell

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Learn how our Strategic Plan is guiding the growth of our expanded learning programs while helping families thrive, investing in our staff, strengthening partnerships, and building the systems that support every child.

LA's BEST Partnership & Collaboration Inquiry Form

Thank you for your interest in partnering with LA’s BEST! We are excited to explore opportunities to collaborate and positively impact the lives of the students and families we serve. This form is designed to gather essential information about you and/or your organization, your proposed partnership, and how to align our efforts for mutual success.

Please take a few minutes to complete the form, providing as much detail as possible. Your responses will help us assess the potential for collaboration and guide our next steps.

Chairman, The Riordan Foundation

Mary Odell is an experienced early childhood educator and grantmaking professional. Mary began her professional career teaching the children of migrant farm workers in Coachella, California, was an elementary school teacher and vice-principal in South Los Angeles, and worked as an Education and Instruction Specialist for IBM Corporation. In 1991, Mary transitioned to philanthropy, serving as President of The Riordan Foundation and its affiliated public charity, Rx for Reading, until 1999 when she became the founding president of UniHealth Foundation until her retirement in 2016. Mary is recognized as a leader in the philanthropic community with expertise in managing public-private partnerships. Mary has done extensive graduate work in early speech and language acquisition, has lifetime credentials to teach multiple subjects preschool through 12th grade and adult education, and holds a certificate in nonprofit management from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of LA’s BEST Afterschool Enrichment Program.

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