FOUNDER-CEO-President

cwoodruff@acceler8education.org

Charles grew up in Oxnard, CA where he began his career with the Oxnard Police Department in 1993, initially as a reserve police officer but ultimately becoming fulltime in 1996. He was involved in many different assignments, such as SWAT, motor officer, gang detective, narcotics detective, and eventually reached Sergeant in 2014.  

Outside work, Charles became involved in a number of youth mentoring projects. This started when he became a basketball coach at Santa Clara High School in 2005-10. However, life took a tragic turn when Charles tried to help a young man avoid the road towards a future in gangs and possible incarceration. They spoke on many occasions as Charles tried to explain there were alternatives to gangs and drugs. Unfortunately, he would soon respond to an emergency call to found the same young man lying dead in the street as the result of gang violence. It was at this moment Charles knew he needed to do more to reach these young men and women, to try to prevent something similar from happening again. So, in 2008, Charles co-founded a successful automotive after-school program in Oxnard CA. It was intended to mentor the youth by partnering law enforcement with the automotive industry in order to build a brighter future. The success of the program has encouraged Charles to expand it into larger communities, including Los Angeles County. 

When Charles met LAPD officer Derrick Boykins they both expressed an interest in the same philosophies to help the youth and build them into successful leaders of their own lives. Charles was inspired by the way Derrick connected to his community and his unwavering leadership in his different roles. Together Charles and Derrick worked to develop an enhanced education program, known as Accelerate Education Group. Its goal is to building a team of leaders who can reach out to the youth in their communities and make a positive difference to their futures. Its mission is to “Teach the skills of today, to build the leaders of tomorrow.”

Founder-CMO-Board Member

A native Angeleno, Victor is a first generation Mexican American that grew up surrounded by LA's vibrant culture which included art, music and cars. It was here that he developed a passion for music and cars that would lead him to a career in marketing. It began with his own tuning shop in North Hollywood, where he and his team built lowriders, which appeared in ‘90s rap videos. He then worked for the premier importer of European automotive tuning wheels and accessories. It was here, at CEC, where his marketing career developed through global advertising campaigns and events to promote legendary brands such as Brabus for Mercedes-Benz, TechArt for Porsche and Antera wheels from Italy. After a few successful years he left to establish his own marketing and communications agency – The ID Agency. The ID Agency has grown from a two-person shop in 2004 to work with some of the leading global automotive and lifestyle brands, including Chevrolet, Pirelli, Hot Wheels, AUDI, Kawasaki, PUMA, Coca-Cola and Xbox. During the past 15 years, Victor and his team have worked in every discipline of motorsports, such as Formula 1, IndyCar, NASCAR, MotoGP, as well as traditional sports including the Los Angeles Dodgers. Victor has appeared on camera and consulted for TV and Film productions including MTV, ESPN, E! Entertainment, KTLA, FOX 11 and the Fast and the Furious. During his career he has worked with leaders of industry and culture including Mister Cartoon, Max Cooper of Gumball 3000, Formula 1 drivers Daniel Ricciardo & Lewis Hamilton, NASCAR drivers Kyle Bush & Dale Earnhardt Jr, actors Denzel Washington & Slyvester Stallone, musicians Pink and Travis Barker, and internet superstars Ken Block & Tanner Fox to name a few. Victor is also a board member for the Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory, a East Los Angeles based non-profit helping youth find careers in the arts and entertainment industries. Victor currently resides in West Covina, CA with his wife and three young children.

Executive Director/Board member