About Frost Equity Initiative
Frost Equity Initiative is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to diversify the science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) industries by providing early exposure to K-12 students in underrepresented groups. We partner with schools and industry professionals to offer fun, interactive, educational STEAM enrichment experiences and mentoring relationships. We target Los Angeles area schools where over 95% of students qualify for the federal free or reduced lunch program, and the students are underperforming in math and science.
LaRhonda "Ronnie" Frost, Frost Equity Initiative's founder, is passionate about making quality STEAM education accessible to all children. She has over 20 years in software engineering and six years in gaming.
"We partner with schools, nonprofits, parents, and the larger community to expose K - 12 students to STEAM careers. Our mission is to diversify the tech industry and set their students up for success that extends beyond their classwork."
— LaRhonda “Ronnie” Frost, Founder
Our Team
LaRhonda “Ronnie” Frost
-Executive Director
LaRhonda “Ronnie” Frost is the Executive Director and founder of Frost STEAM Labs and Frost Equity Initiative. She is a digital literacy advocate with over 20 years in the information technology field working primarily in web and mobile engineering. Ronnie has spent years as a tech instructor for various STEAM programs such as Black Girls Code and Girls Who Code. The companies she has worked for include Activision and Cedars-Sinai.
At Activision, LaRhonda worked on projects for the Skylanders, Crash Bandicoot, and Call of Duty. That work inspired Ronnie to help youth learn to code by creating games.
Ronnie earned her Bachelor of Science from Arkansas State University and an MBA from DePaul University. Ronnie is also a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Sharon Frost, ED.D.
+ Secretary
Sharon Frost Roth is an educator and teacher development coach. She has spent twenty years serving as a teacher in Chicago Public Schools and has published textbooks for the Illinois Department of Education.
Dr. Roth is currently the Department of Education Chairperson at Hebrew Theological College in Chicago.
Sonyl Nagale
+ Treasurer
Chicago-born, Iowa-raised, Los Angeles-seasoned, and now New York City-flavored, Sonyl started his career as a graphic designer focusing on the web which led down the slippery slope to becoming a full-stack technologist instead. With an eye towards the client use case and conversation with the creative side, he prides himself on taking a holistic approach to software engineering. Having worked at startups to global media companies using a variety of languages and frameworks, he likes solving new and novel challenges. Passionate about education, he's always excited to have great teachable moments complete with laughter and seeing the “aha!” moments in students’ eyes. He is the author of Hands-On JavaScript for Python Developers, also available from Packt Publishing, and is an adjunct lecturer of programming at the City University of New York.
Jenepher Lapp
+ Board Member
Jenepher Lapp has recently retired from a long, rich career as a high school music educator, intervention team member, guest conductor, guest speaker, and educational leader in California.
As a strong community leader, Jenepher believes in teaching people to thrive through reflection and teamwork. She earned a B.A. and teaching credential- CSU Fullerton, CA, M.A - CSUFresno, CA. and has been honored with many awards and recognitions, including Teacher of the Year in different years at city, county, and state levels.
A strong advocate for students and their families in underserved areas, Jenepher feels passionate about uplifting and empowering those members of our communities who have not received robust support and respect as a result of cultural, racial, gender, orientation, economic, educational, and historical reasons.
Jenepher is also certified in a cutting-edge applied neuroscience modality which she offers in life-transforming coaching with individual clients.
Feeling excited about the mission and possibilities of Frost Steam Labs to open doors of opportunity for our future leaders, Jenepher feels honored to be asked to help serve in that unfolding.
Lakiesha Falls, Ph.D.
+ Board Member
Lakeisha is an educator and nurse practitioner from Arkansas. She received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She recently relocated to California to work as the Associate Dean at Chamberlain University.
She is married and has two children, Camille and Logan. Her hobbies include traveling and being outdoors.