Meet the Team

Gary Davis is the Executive Director of the California Republic Leadership Academy. He has been part of the California charter school movement for the better part of twenty years. During that time, he has fulfilled numerous roles relating to education policy, advocacy, and operations. Mr. Davis has served in the elected positions of School Board Member, City Council Member, and Mayor. Additionally, he has started and consulted with numerous community-based nonprofit organizations and also led the launch of two small businesses. Most recently, he led the startup of the Orange County Classical Academy (“OCCA”). Mr. Davis’ responsibilities encompassed a wide range of tasks, such as petition drafting, securing facilities, hiring over 30 staff members, outfitting the school, policy development, and student recruitment. He also handled various aspects of school systems and operations, among many other duties. OCCA successfully launched in the midst of the pandemic and developed a waiting list of over 1000 students. It is his vision to rebuild the California Dream by educating the next generation of California’s leaders that lead to the founding of the California Republic Leadership Academy. Gary loves California.

Mr. Davis’ favorite book is The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey!

Mr. Davis loves this book because, after reading it in college, The Seven Habits has guided much of Gary’s personal and professional life. It also led to the use of Franklin Covey’s “Leader in Me” curriculum at CRLA as the major leadership development aspect of the school.

Dr. Sagui Doering is the Director of Compliance and Outreach at California Republic Leadership Academy. She is a twenty-four year seasoned educator who has taught students of all ages and has led schools in traditional and non-traditional private, public and charter school settings. She holds a doctorate degree and a master’s degree from Pepperdine University, California administrative services and teaching credentials, and a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly Pomona. 

Of those twenty-four years as an educator, fifteen have been dedicated to serving as a school leader and administrator in various positions including assistant principal at Acaciawood Preparatory Academy, dean of students/student development coordinator at Samueli Academy, founding principal at Palm Lane Elementary Charter, head of academics at Port View Preparatory and most recently as head of school/campus director at Fusion Academy Aliso Viejo. Her knowledge and experience has been enriched through her endeavors which include opening a new charter elementary school, serving in various founding leadership positions, and in leading schools to obtain the highest levels of WASC accreditations.She is trained in policy development, regulatory compliance, educational research, data analysis, curriculum development, teacher mentoring, pedagogical differentiation, special education, standardized assessments, charter development, community outreach, and educational business practices.  

Dr. Doering loves empowering children and adults through effective teaching and mentoring practices which nurture and unleash the incredible potential hidden within the soul, mind and body. As one who also loves the United States of America, she is excited to be a part of the CRLA team working towards preparing “the next generation of California’s leaders to excel academically, to be proud Americans, proud Californians, and to impact the world with excellence derived from an education like that which produced the inspired servant leaders who founded our great nation.”

Dr. Doering’s favorite book is the Fred Factor by Marc Sanborn

Dr. Doering loves this book because it tells the story of an ordinary postal worker who genuinely cared about the people he served and always went the extra mile to serve them in an extraordinary way. This book serves as a reminder that we all have daily opportunities to make a positive difference in the lives of those whom we serve. 

James Emmi has served a wide variety of schools and organizations during his fifteen-year career in education. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from Temple University, James partnered with a Pennsylvania nonprofit to support families of students with special needs. He then moved to Southern California, where he spent six years as a teacher at VanDamme Academy, a K-8 private school that emphasizes the innate value of a well-formed education and the transformative power of classic literature. James went on to serve as the founder and administrator of a Classically inspired hybrid-homeschool program called Mission Learning Center OC until, in the summer of 2024, he and his family moved to Middle Tennessee. There, James served as Assistant Principal of a new public charter school outside Nashville, while earning his Master’s in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education. James is incredibly excited to return to California and to serve as the Founding Principal of CRLA Saddleback Valley. The opportunity to provide students of Orange County with a sound Classical foundation—not only in academics but also in leadership formation and virtuous character development—is deeply meaningful to him. As a husband and a father of three, James is passionate about building the best possible school for all families in the community, including his own.

James’s favorite book is “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck.

He loves this novel for its use of timeless allegory, insightful presentation of good vs evil, and masterful encapsulation of California beauty.