Experience

Office of New Schools, New York City Department of Education September 2013-Present
Senior Director of New School Development
• Support current cohort of 52 new public schools ensuring the long-term success and sustainability of new leaders.
• Establish criteria for effective new schools leader throughout varies stages of development (application process,
professional development and review process), while also expanding leadership pipeline to increase the diversity and quality of applicants.
• Liaise with variety of audiences and partners: coordinate internally with various DOE teams; provide direct support to new principals; inform and engage general public and other stakeholders about new school initiatives; share successful small school strategies and knowledge into the wider system
• Support interactions with schools, regional support structures, school intermediary partners, and other constituencies,in order to support the sustainability of small schools over time.
• Manage and influence policy setting throughout the DOE in regards to small


New Design High School, New York, NY August 2003-Present
Director of Operations - Founding Team Member (July 2009-Present)
• Primary planning team member of one of NYC’s first small high schools, setting vision and direction for school that grew from 105 to 440 students; school has received “A” designation from the NYC DOE for the past 10 years.
• Foster a healthy and happy workplace by managing and inspiring? Focusing? New Design team in school-wide vision through frequent and honest dialogue and targeted professional development.
• Responsible and accountable for overseeing the management of $2.5 million dollar budget. Coordinate multiple related projects directed toward building pedagogical sustainability in the face of state-wide budget cuts.
• Manage pedagogical and non-pedagogical personnel, serving as the point of contact and gatekeeper of time and attendance systems, staff protocol, school and student culture, classroom management and specialized behavior plans, access to student data, space allocation and building-wide permits, supply ordering, and school-wide initiatives.
• Design and develop school-wide grading tools and technology for teaching staff, students, and families to gain real time information regarding student progress, school-wide academic initiatives, NYCDOE graduation requirements, Regent exam competency, credit recovery, and college and career readiness benchmarks.
• Ensure timely graduation for over-age and under-credited students though specifically crafted operational systems and summer semester programming targeting credit recovery, credit amelioration, and Regents exam preparation.
• Analyze and continuously track student achievement and mastery to drive decision making regarding the design and implementation of our school master schedule, which allows for the personalization of 440 student schedules.
• Create and manage a system to ensure integrity of school-wide information, including grading, discipline, performance rubrics, student progress reporting, and information flow and management. Facilitate the overall exchange of information between our NYC DOE network, principal, and other school stakeholders to support the preparation of annual progress reports and demonstration of outcomes.
• Assist the principal and administrative team in effectively securing $600,000 in grants despite severe budget constraints.


Director of Culture (July 2006-July 2009)
• Led the long-term planning and organizational sustainability initiatives geared toward defining and improving school culture. Created professional development around dialogue-based discipline practices and interventions for teachers and staff, and developed student and staff handbooks.
• Created lasting partnerships with community-based organizations and local colleges and universities, which provide 50% of New Design students with a variety of experiential learning opportunities, including workplace mentorships, no-cost SAT preparation, and enrichment classes (music, film and poetry, theater, dance, sound production, and political debate master classes).
• Conceptualized and produced all student activities from 9th grade Summer Bridge programming to 4th year commencement ceremony.
• Created and managed a system to ensure integrity of New Design culture through the development of school-wide academic professionalism standards, youth development and empowerment opportunities, student leadership programming, and arts appreciation through integration.


Youth and Family Coordinator (August 2003-July 2006)
• Increased parent involvement at New Design by cultivating an open door, open school policy, and by developing a one-to-one relationship with every single parent or caregiver of entire founding class.
• Initiated the 24-hour parental support hotline for all New Design related emergencies, requests, and updates.
• Served as the facilitator for parent and community concerns around school policies, discipline, and facilities by encouraging and supporting development of school parent association and appointment of two parents to the school leadership team in our founding year.
• Developed monthly parent/guardian workshops designed to help parents improve their knowledge around NYC DOE graduation requirements, understanding their students’ academic expectations, and other key topics.


Governor's Committee on Scholastic Achievement, New York September 2009-Present
Educational Consultant
• Selected as one of nine consultants to develop a city-wide mentoring program that identifies select NYC high schools and pairs each of them with a corporate workplace mentorship to forge one-to-one relationships. Mentors and students are matched by their interests, providing students with inspiring adult examples and helping them to make the vital connection between staying in school, pursuing higher education, and gaining meaningful employment.
• Organize and execute all program components: outreach to schools, outreach to potential business partners, application process, interviews of student candidates, review of report cards and transcripts, home contact, and final application selection.
• Effectively match schools and businesses, and provide professionals with specialized training to effectively mentor adolescent students interested in the fields of design.


Magic Carpet Ride Tours, Tourist Affairs, Granada, Spain/Tangiers, Morocco September 2002-May 2003
Outreach and Translation, Student Tours
• Developed student-centered programming in collaboration with the Department of Culture of Spain and in partnership with a sister city project between Granada and Tangiers, Morocco.
• Managed communication and sales strategy for guided travel through southern Spain and Morocco.
Supported various travel itineraries by providing students with English-Spanish translation while touring through schools, manufacturing plants, and rural Berber communities.