Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation names Sylvan Argo as executive director

The Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation has named Sylvan Argo as its new executive director, putting her in charge of the nonprofit that turns community donations into classroom resources, professional development, grants, scholarships, operating support and school capital improvements.

The leadership change ends a long run for Jenny McCumber, who stepped down after more than six years as executive director. McCumber joined the foundation in January 2020 after serving on the Los Alamos School Board from 2015 to 2019, and the foundation said she had lived in Los Alamos since 2003. Her departure closes a stretch of continuity that linked school governance, fundraising and nonprofit management under one local leader.

Argo inherits an organization that describes itself as an independent 501(c)(3) built to connect the community and the district, evaluate needs and invest resources to enhance public education. The foundation’s own strategic direction says it wants to develop a high-performing board, executive director and organization, which makes the top job more than an administrative post. It is the role that helps determine whether donor money becomes new classroom materials, teacher support or larger school projects.

That responsibility comes with real numbers attached. The foundation said it facilitated $1 million in donations to Los Alamos Public Schools in November 2016, a benchmark that shows the scale of support it can mobilize. It also administers roughly $35,000 a year in scholarships for graduating seniors, with applications accepted at its office at 1010 Central Avenue in Los Alamos. Recent fundraising has also flowed directly into classroom help, including an October 31, 2025, announcement that proceeds from Sip Back & Support LAPS would fund 13 extra mini grants.

For Los Alamos families and educators, the appointment matters because the foundation sits between private generosity and public-school needs. A stable, credible executive director can affect fundraising growth, grantmaking, donor confidence and the pace at which money reaches teachers and students. In a district that relies on outside support to supplement public education, Argo’s first measure of success will be whether those community dollars continue to arrive, and whether they reach classrooms in time to make a difference.