The Governing Board holds monthly meetings. The meetings are posted on the school website and open to the public. Agendas and minutes and other board-level documents can be found on the school website. Each board meeting has an open comment period and we invite you to attend and participate.
The Governing Board has committees that meet at least monthly. Each committee is chaired by a member of the Governing Board and can be comprised of members of the Board, Administration, and parents.
Liza A. Park – Founder & Board Chairperson
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Liza Park began working on the concept of YHALE in late 2014 – just a couple of years after she had moved to the Atlanta area. She realized that there was no dual language immersion program in Korean language even though the Korean community is quite large in the Atlanta-Metro area, and Korean is the third most spoken language in Georgia. She also noticed at the time, there were very few Mandarin dual language immersion programs in Georgia even though Mandarin was experiencing massive growth across the U.S.
Ms. Park had the experience of being a news reporter and anchor for more than 15 years, and during that time, she specialized in covering local and state government as well as education. Her knowledge of charter schools began in 1998 while covering the Florida legislature and the changes made to the state charter school laws during that year.
With the knowledge Ms. Park had covering education, she knew that a charter school would be the ideal type of school to introduce an educational program that offered dual language immersion in Korean and Mandarin as well as incorporated the best educational and cultural practices of the East and the West. A charter school offers access to all students regardless of their socio-economic background or previous exposure to learning more than one language.
In addition to having a career in the media, Ms. Park has also been a practicing attorney both civil and criminal law. She has served as an assistant state attorney in Florida prosecuting a myriad of crimes from DUI to attempted murder. She then joined a civil law firm that focused on some of the nation’s highest profile personal injury and civil rights cases. While there, she was both a trial attorney and the director of public and media relations.
Ms. Park has won national awards for her documentary work and several Associated Press awards for her news stories. She has also served as an adjunct professor at Florida State University’s College of Communication. She has served on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross of the Big Bend in Tallahassee, Florida.
Ms. Park graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida State University with a bachelor degree in both Communications and English. She also graduated from the Florida State University College of Law. While at FSU, Ms. Park was elected student body president and was a founder of Burning Spear, Inc., a leadership honor society.
Emile Hanam – Board Member
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Emile Hanam joined the YHALE governing board in May 2020. She has resided in Gwinnett County for 30 years, and is an experienced realtor in this area.
Emile is originally from Indonesia and fluently speaks both Indonesian and English. Emile’s knowledge, perspective, and experience helps her to understand and work collaboratively with diverse groups. She believes that schools are the backbone of communities; and we must work hard to ensure that our schools are the best they can be, so our students and communities continue to thrive.
Emile has been married for 22 years and is blessed with three amazing children. Her two daughters have recently graduated from Peachtree Ridge High School, and her son will start his first grade at YHALE.
She holds a Masters of Business Administration in Marketing from Georgia State University. She works as a realtor with RE/MAX.
Tamecha Buck – Board Member
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Tamecha Buck began her journey with YHALE in the midst of the 2020 pandemic with an entering 2nd grader.
She also took the initiative to help spearhead YHALE’s first Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) as Co-President for the 2020-2021 school year. In this leadership role, Ms. Buck began many fundraising activities for the school. She has remained an active volunteer and contributor to YHALE since its opening.
Ms. Buck has also been actively involved with Gwinnett County Public School system for the past 15 years as a parent. She has volunteered in various areas including sports and school booster programs.
Ms. Buck has been an active law enforcement officer for the State of Georgia for the past 27 years and still serves in that capacity. She resides in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and she’s the mother of two heavenly angels, Chase and Javarius.
Eddie Kali – Board Member
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Mr. Kali joined the YHALE governing board in June of 2025.
Information to come
Domingo Bugg – Board Member
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Mr. Bugg joined the YHALE governing board in June of 2025.
Information to come
Fadzai Konteh – Board Member
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Ms. Konteh joined the YHALE governing board in June of 2025.
Fadzai Konteh serves as the lead Public Finance Relationship Manager at PNC Bank responsible for spearheading business development efforts in the government and education, non-profit sectors in Georgia and the Carolinas. Fadzai began her public finance career primarily supporting and cultivating client relationships in the Midwest region including Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. In her role as Relationship Manager, she brings the full resources of the bank and its subsidiaries to support the specialized banking, financing, and treasury needs of the public sector.
Prior to joining the Public Finance Group, she worked as a Branch Manager in consumer and small business banking within PNC’s Retail Bank. She holds Series 52 and 63 licenses. She received her Bachelor and Master of Public Affairs degrees with an emphasis on Public Financial Management from Indiana University, Bloomington.
In addition to her work in the Public Finance industry, Fadzai served on the board of directors as Secretary for the State Charter School Foundation of Georgia and recently completed her board service on the Georgia Georgia Women in Public Finance, service in the role of President from 2019-2023. Fadzai resides in Fairburn, GA with her husband and son.