About Us

Our Story

Stellar Virtual was founded in 2019 with one school in Texas and the mission to Empower Families and Unleash Potential. Today, Stellar Virtual has grown to eight schools across the country. Stellar Virtual is committed to providing families with Education with Destination through our full-time, online public schools. We believe in educating the whole child with essential support to succeed socially and academically. 

Our “School of One” approach offers a safe, flexible, and personalized experience to meet every student's unique educational needs. We go beyond traditional school curriculum goals to measure both content and application of learning in authentic ways.

Stellar Virtual’s’ K-12 schools lay the foundation for each extraordinary individual to succeed in college, career, and life with the support of caring and nurturing teachers who deliver high-quality, engaging learning. 

We provide educators with access to and support for non-downloadable software for teaching, administration, enrollment, student progress monitoring, development, customization, and delivery of online courses, lessons, and exams.

Program Overview

Our Team

  • Chief Executive Officer
    d.fen@stellarvirtual.org

    Dori Fenenbock is the former board president of the El Paso Independent School District. She served as state director of the Texas Association of School Boards, the national director of the Council of Great City Schools, and special advisor to the Texas Deputy Commissioner of Education.

    She has served on private and public school boards for more than 17 years. She is a lawyer and former owner-operator of a national packaging business.

    In 2016, she was named El Pasoan of the Year following the historic passage of a $668 million bond for the El Paso ISD.

  • President

    j.cab@stellarvirtual.org

    Juan E. Cabrera is a former bilingual teacher, school superintendent, and international corporate attorney. He is also the founder of a Texas non-profit school operator and a statewide virtual school.

    In 2013, Cabrera left his law practice to serve as superintendent of the El Paso Independent School District and led one of the most successful turnarounds of an urban school district. EPISD went from a “state-takeover” district to one of the highest-performing urban districts in the country. He started many student-focused initiatives during his tenure, but his proudest achievements were opening 44 two-way dual language campuses and 12 Problem-Based Learning campuses.

    Cabrera is co-founder of the Texas Urban Superintendents Council and the Texas Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (TALAS). He was selected as 2015 TALAS Latino Superintendent of the Year, 2016 El Pasoan of the Year, 2020 Region 19 Superintendent of the Year, and was a finalist in 2019 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year.

  • Chief New & Emerging Schools Officer
    l.col@Stellarvirtual.org

    Dr. Lisa Collins is passionate about providing quality virtual education to students. Previously, Dr. Collins was the Vice President of Academic Services at Stride (formally K12) where she oversaw over 750 teachers serving students worldwide. She was the founding High School Director for Arizona Virtual Academy Powered by K12. She had the pleasure of supervising the Head of Schools for George Washington University Online High School, Keystone Academy, and K12 Private School.

    She has been instrumental in educational program development and started the education department at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas.

    Dr. Collins has taught gifted and special education grades K-12 in rural, urban, and virtual settings and she ran a statewide special education teacher training program at the College for Lifelong Learning (now called Granite State College) in Concord, New Hampshire.

  • Chief Operating Officer

    m.depalma@stellarvirtual.org

    Mike DePalma is an award-winning executive with 20+ years’ experience gained in senior leadership roles at education organizations ranging from pre-revenue startups to industry-leading publicly traded companies serving students & teachers across the globe. His expertise lies in forging education, technology, and marketing strategies and processes that solve market problems in education. His solutions have propelled over three million students to success using the power of technology.

  • VP Strategy and Administration
    s.bar@stellarvirtual.org

    Sam Barnes is a seasoned executive with a proven track record in leadership in the education tech industry. His responsibilities encompass growth initiatives, procurement, project management, and IT.

    Barnes is a change-maker. He implemented the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) at Stellar Virtual, fostering clarity and accountability across the organization. He developed several administrative functions including in-house IT and a project management office, establishing new Standard Operating Procedures and developing supporting functions for the entire organization. I

    n HR, he championed compliance and improved recruitment and retention strategies. Before his role at Stellar Virtual, he founded Star Tutoring Centers, an independent center-based tutoring concept focused on serving students with ADHD. His hands-on approach covered all aspects including establishing a new brand, fostering a customer base, establishing all levels of operations, and building a retail customer experience that resulted in a successful exit.

    Barnes has an additional 15+ years of experience in ed tech and educational publishing. With experience as a Chief Operating Officer at ECS Learning Systems and Senior Director at K12, Inc., his accomplishments include launching new product lines, negotiating contracts, and orchestrating successful acquisitions. Barnes combines strategic vision with operational excellence, driving growth and efficiency in every role.

  • Chief Strategy Officer

    a.dasgupta@stellarvirtual.org

    Abha Dasgupta is a customer-centric, entrepreneurial leader with over 25 years of experience driving business and product strategy across EdTech and SaaS organizations. Known for delivering transformative growth, she has consistently achieved 2x–3x scale in her roles as president/general manager, chief product officer, and chief strategy officer.

    Abha has led the creation and expansion of innovative solutions across the K–12, higher education, and workforce development sectors. Her leadership has fueled significant year-over-year growth for virtual private schools and education management platforms. She has a proven track record in corporate development, including mergers and acquisitions strategy and execution.

    A pioneer in digital learning innovation, Abha has spearheaded the development of mobile applications, microlearning platforms, VR simulations, educational games, and career pathway (CTE) initiatives. Notably, she led the design of a connected car mobile app powered by contextual microlearning, demonstrating her unique ability to blend emerging technology with impactful educational experiences.