School Governing Board

DeAnna has been engaged in providing and supporting quality educational options in Arizona for over 25 years. Following her early years as a teacher, she transitioned to administration and then charter school oversight. Prior to joining BASIS Charter Schools, Inc. as Executive Director, she served as Executive Director of the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools, the nation’s largest charter school authorizer. In that position she was responsible for both the academic and fiscal oversight of over 95% of Arizona charter schools, strategic planning and implementation, policy development, implementation and coordination, and the development of relationships with educational partners. Mrs. Rowe holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and a Master’s Degree in Education.

After completing a BA in Economics at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont, he moved to Colorado and began a ten-year career with ABF Freight System, Inc. Moving quickly up the corporate ladder, he had the opportunity to explore various aspects of a major corporation before assuming the role of branch manager in Tucson and Nogales, Arizona. He was primarily responsible for offering global supply chain solutions to a broad base of international customers. His passion for kids led him to launch a new career with BASIS.ed. Instrumental in the successful opening of BASIS Oro Valley Primary, he was offered the opportunity to serve as the Head of Operations at BASIS Goodyear.

Dr. Hanqing Jiang was born in Hebei province, China, and received his Ph. D. degree in Solid Mechanics from Tsinghua University, China. After graduation, Dr. Jiang came to the US as a researcher and joined the faculty of Arizona State University in 2006. Dr. Jiang’s research focuses on mechanics and materials of unconventional electronics, energy storage devices, and origami and deployable structures. Dr. Jiang is severing on many national-level technical committees and boards.

Dr. Jiang has mixed education experience from China and US, given that his entire education was received in China and teaching experience in the US. He is a strong advocator to blend the rigorous math/science education with a breadth of knowledge in humanity education. Dr. Jiang has applied this teaching philosophy to his undergraduate and graduate courses.

Ms. Mason joined BASIS in 2007. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology and a M.A. in Classics from the University of Arizona. Before coming to BASIS, she worked as a lecturer at both the UA and the UA’s Study Abroad Program in Orvieto, Italy. In 2010, she received a Fulbright Scholarship to the American Academy in Rome’s Classical Summer School. Ms. Mason originally joined BASIS Tucson to establish the 5th grade Latin and Classics program. She later served as the Head of School at BASIS Oro Valley from 2013-2016. During her tenure, BASIS Oro Valley received numerous national accolades, including being ranked #1 America’s Most Challenging High Schools by the Washington Post. In 2014, Ms. Mason led the opening of BASIS Oro Valley Primary. Ms. Mason then joined BASIS.ed as Associate Vice President for two years but seized the opportunity to return to a school in 2018. She currently serves the exceptional teachers, staff, and families at BASIS Tucson Primary as the Head of School.

Anthony (Tony) Pitucco is a faculty member at Pima Community College, West Campus in Tucson, Arizona where he is currently the Department Chair of the Physical and Geological Sciences. He also teaches in the mathematics, philosophy, and humanities departments at PCC. Dr. Pitucco holds a B.S. in Physics (1970), a M.Ed. in Philosophy and Foundations of Education (1975), a M.S. in Mathematics (1983), and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics in the area of mathematical physics (1991) all from the University of Arizona.

Dr. Pitucco has also participated in and chaired a number of local, state, and national tasks forces on education, the impact of emerging educational technologies, and the role of mathematics and science education through both the Department of Education and The National Science Foundation.

Dr. Raksanaves graduated 1st in her dental school class of 93 students from the highest ranking Dental school in Thailand. She holds a Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree with Highest Honors, a Specialty Certificate in Orthodontics and Master’s Degree in Oral Biology. After graduation she was on Faculty at University of Louisville and was in charge of the Undergraduate Orthodontic Program. She moved to Arizona to join her husband’s practice and has been practicing in Tucson for 20 years. She is a Full Member of the Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists and a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. Dr. Raksanaves is passionate about improving the quality of the secondary educational system in the United States.

Dr. Rizwan Safdar graduated from the University of Health Sciences, Lahore Allama Iqbal Medical College in Pakistan in 1993 and has been practicing medicine for over 19 years. His is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and specializes in internal medicine and gastroenterology. Dr. Safdar joined the BASIS family in August 2009 when his two oldest sons enrolled at BASIS Tucson. The family moved to BASIS Oro Valley when the school opened in 2010 and Dr. Safdar quickly became an active member of the school community.

Julie Kearney, Vice President of Operations, began her BASIS.ed career in 2013 as the Head of Operations at BASIS Scottsdale. In 2015, she was the founding Head of Operations at BASIS Scottsdale Primary East, and two years later she transitioned into School Management working at the BASIS.ed Central Office. She has had the pleasure to work with school leaders across the network to scale and support the things that make BASIS.ed great. Prior to working at BASIS, Julie spent eight years in aerospace manufacturing at Curtiss-Wright Controls Integrated Sensing. During her tenure she worked in manufacturing operations, materials management, and product sales and support.