Joe Arzuaga is a product of New York City Public Schools and has been in education for over 30 years as a CTE teacher, assistant principal, and now, principal. During his time in the CTE space, he has witnessed how engaging the environment can be but also how it should evolve to meet the needs of the industry. He is currently looking for ways to reimagine and enhance the CTE experience for his students.
Dr. Rasheed Bility has worked in the service of students in the New York City Department of Education in grades 6-14 for 11 years. He has served as a research assistant, parent coordinator, special education teacher and liaison, instructional coach, and assistant principal and is currently principal of The Urban Assembly School for Emergency Management. He has developed a reputation as a leader who is passionate about empowering students of color; advocating on behalf of students with disabilities; college and career readiness; instructional leadership in mathematics, history, and special education; and school culture and climate. Dr. Bility earned a BA in Africana Studies, Sociology, and Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Binghamton University, a MSEd in Special Education with a concentration in students with learning disabilities from Brooklyn College, and a Doctorate of Education at St. John’s University, where he serves as an adjunct professor teaching courses such as culturally relevant pedagogy.
Felicia Bray is the principal of The Bronxwood Preparatory Academy. Ms. Bray has over two decades of service with the New York City Department of Education. She was a teacher for eight years and an assistant principal for 10 years. Ms. Bray is extremely passionate about shaping the lives of young students so that they are confident and capable of pursuing their dreams.
For 13 years, Sandra Burgos has been the principal of Astor Collegiate Academy, where she attended high school. Astor aims to reduce the achievement gap for students with disabilities through creative programming. Under Sandra’s leadership, student empowerment has increased by elevating student voices through many student-led forums. Astor also offers opportunities for student-led courses, such as beginning piano and introduction to photography. Sandra’s teaching career began immediately after she earned her MA. Her last year of high school was spent interning in the pediatric emergency room at Mount Sinai Hospital. She loves science.
In 2006, Berena Cabarcas became the founding and current principal of International Community High School (ICHS) in the South Bronx with support from the Internationals Network for Public Schools (INPS). She was the founding science teacher at Bronx International High School in 2001 and learned to teach at Manhattan International High School starting in 1997. Currently, ICHS employs 15 graduates from ICHS or other INPS and New York Performance Standards Consortium sister schools. The alumni work in various roles to further improve student outcomes, grateful for the Consortium’s & INPS’s emphasis on questioning, debating, and advanced critical thinking skills, leading to ever-improving college and career outcomes.
Alona Cohen started her career in education as a biology teaching fellow at South Brooklyn Community High School. There, she worked in close collaboration with a small group of Department of Education educators and Good Shepherd Services staff to help establish the first partnership transfer school model for over-age, under-credited youth in New York City. She co-created and led a culinary internship program that was designed as an on-ramp opportunity for careers in the food industry. Dr. Cohen then went on to train at the NYC Leadership Academy and became the founding principal of Brooklyn Frontiers High School (BFHS). She has been the principal of BFHS since its inception in 2011 and has engaged with her leadership team in many innovative programs to rethink what instruction can look like, including the iZone, Learning Partner Program, Transfer School Common Core Institute, and College and Career Access for All. She holds a BA in Molecular and Cell Biology from U.C. Berkeley, an MS in Secondary Biology Education from Pace University, an MS in School District Leadership from Baruch College, and a PhD in Biochemistry and Structural Biology from the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.
Dr. Dannielle Darbee Muelthaler has served as principal of Brooklyn Academy of Global Finance since 2012. A New York City public schools educator for 22 years, Dannielle has taught a range of high school English and literacy courses at Herbert H. Lehman High School and has served as a mentor for new teachers, a coordinator of summer school as well as a coordinator of a dropout prevention program at Lehman High School, and assistant principal of Performing Arts and Technology High School at Thomas Jefferson Campus. She was also a principal facilitator for the Assistant Principal Leadership Institute (APLI) from 2013-19 and has served on the District Leadership Team for District 16 since 2014. She recently completed her doctoral studies in Administrative and Instructional Leadership at St. John’s University where her research focused on implicit bias training for educators as a mechanism to address disparities in education.
Courtnei Davis is a native New Yorker who was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens. She knows the benefits and challenges of growing up in a city that has many hard edges and yet presents so many unrivaled opportunities for growth. She is a product of New York City Public Schools and a proud graduate of three City University of New York institutions. She served as a middle school teacher and literacy coach in the South Bronx, District 7. She then served at August Martin High School in Queens as an assistant principal, where she helped revitalize a disenfranchised community of learners. Now in her 16th year as an educator, the insights that she has garnered as a student and resident have inspired her dedication to reshaping, reworking, and revitalizing education in the city that raised her as a principal at Bronx Leadership Academy in District 9.
Gladys Dorilda Rodriguez has served as an administrator at The Manhattan International High School for the last 18 years. Ms. Rodriguez was a student and founding member of New York City’s original International High School at LaGuardia Community College, participating in its first graduating class in 1988. She holds a BA and an MA from Binghamton University and earned her School District Administration (SDA) certificate from SUNY College at Cortland. Ms. Rodriguez is passionate about supporting the growth of recently arrived multilingual learners (MLLs) and opening doors to opportunities.
Denise K. Harper-Richardson is a passionate educator with over 20 years of experience in educational leadership, serving students in underserved and marginalized communities. As a secondary school principal, Denise is committed to ensuring that all students have equitable career pathways and access to higher education. Denise organized and operates the largest student chapter of My Brothers’ Keeper (MBK) and My Sisters’ Keeper (MSK) in New York City. President Obama created the MBK initiative to address the persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color in college and careers. Denise earned Master of Science degrees from Long Island University in Special Education and the College of Saint Rose in Educational Leadership and currently is pursuing an EdD at Manhattanville College, researching how school systems impact black girls in middle school.
Corinth Hunter is the design team leader for Design Works High School. Previously, Corinth was co-founder of the Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology, a small technology-focused high school in Midtown, Manhattan. Corinth is also an entrepreneur and educonsultant who has supported countless non-profit organizations and small businesses in curriculum design. Corinth is committed to promoting a pedagogy of dignity for all young people and enjoys connecting with educators who are guided by similar principles.
Emarilix Lopez, a South Bronx native, has dedicated herself to serving Bronx students. She holds a BS in Secondary Education with a minor in history from The Pennsylvania State University. She has an MEd in TESOL from Lehman College and an Advanced Certificate of Studies in School Building/School District Leadership from The College of St. Rose. Emarilix is currently in her 19th year in education. She began her career in Districts 7 and 12 teaching bilingual social studies in grades 6-8. Upon completing her graduate studies, she transitioned to working with multi-language learners in grades 9-12. In 2011, driven by a commitment to providing Bronx students with access to college preparatory focused instruction, she co-founded The Metropolitan Soundview High School, of which she proudly became principal in 2015.
Saby Malary is entering her 27th year as an educator within the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE). Ms. Malary graduated from Long Island University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She taught living environment at the NYCDOE for 14 years. During this time, Ms. Malary earned a master’s degree in Science Education and a master’s degree in Counseling. Later in her career, she went on to earn a third master’s degree in Administration and Supervision from Baruch College. Ms. Malary served as a founding assistant principal at Cambria Heights Academy for 14 years. She is currently the principal of World Academy for Total Community Health, NYCDOE CTE School for CNA.
Patrick McGillicuddy is the founding principal of East Brooklyn Community High School. For the last 14 years, the school has been a highly successful transfer school that works with over-age, under-credited students to prepare them for postsecondary success. The school has achieved some of the highest attendance and graduation rates of all the New York City transfer schools. Patrick was also selected as a model and master principal, collaborating with other schools and mentoring other principals to share the school’s teacher team and professional development structures, which are based on Japanese Lesson Study. The school’s accomplishments in post-secondary planning have been recognized by the Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Readiness and the Transfer School Superintendent’s Office.
Adaleza Michelena, founding principal of the High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media (HSIAM), holds a BA in Political Science, Columbia College; an MBA in International Marketing Management, Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College; an MSEd in Secondary Math Education, St. John’s University; and an MEd in Educational Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University. After earning an MBA, she began her teaching career as a mathematics teacher through the New York City Teaching Fellows Program in 2002. She founded HSIAM in 2008 in partnership with the 4As, the Brooklyn Borough President, and New Visions for Public Schools. She led the school to receive CTE program state approval in 2012 and again in 2023. An advocate for students in the HSIAM community, she has fought for equitable distribution of resources and opportunities throughout her career as principal.
Yves Mompoint is a proud graduate of the New York City public school system. Yves’ career in New York City Public Schools has spanned various titles and districts (unit coordinator in D75; supervisor of special education in D79; assistant principal in D79; achievement manager for empowerment schools). Yves is currently the principal of the High School of Hospitality Management in Manhattan High School District – D2. As the Vice Polemarch of the Queens Alumni (NY) Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Yves leads the Guide Right program, which provides mentoring and support services to young men of color.
Raquel Nolasco is the principal of Hillside Arts and Letters Academy (HALA), a high school in Jamaica, New York. An educator for over 19 years and a youth advocate and mentor for over 23 years, her passion and motivation are rooted in her belief that all young people can and want to learn. Raquel began her career as a special education teacher in her hometown of Bushwick, Brooklyn. In 2010, Raquel joined HALA as a founding member and special education teacher. She was instrumental in establishing the new school in a culturally diverse community, garnering the respect and admiration of students and staff alike. In 2011, she was appointed its first assistant principal, and in 2015, she became the principal.
Rani Pendhakar has been an educator for the last 23 years, including 13 years as teacher, nine years as an assistant principal, one year as principal. Rani graduated with her MSEd from Bank Street Graduate School of Education and a doctorate from Sage College in Systems Leadership. As a lifelong learner, Rani is always seeking ways to be a progressive school leader that will improve student outcomes and create opportunities and pathways for post-secondary success.
Dr. Michelle Penn has had the outstanding opportunity to provide visionary leadership across the education system in both elementary and secondary school environments as a teacher, assistant principal, and for the past 13 years as of 2022, as a high school principal for the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE). Her progression through the ranks of public education has honed her leadership and business acumen, which resulted in a record of accomplishments, including receiving the NYCDOE Tier 3 (within the top 9% of the district) Performance Incentive Award for work performed in 2018-2019, turning an underdeveloped high school into a well-developed high school as indicated in the past NYC DOE School Quality Review Reports, increasing the graduation rate from 53 percent to 90 percent, and developing a leadership development professional learning curriculum for school leaders focused on continuous school and leadership improvement.
Marie Prendergast is the founding principal of the High School for Youth and Community, which opened in 2004. At her core and in her practice, she believes sustained innovation in school reform must be ongoing and critical. The school team’s experience with innovation reforms has provided the foundation for work in career development as an embedded part of teaching and learning in schools. Prendergast believes Future Ready New York has made this a reality.
Kathleen Rucker is the principal of The Brooklyn International High School (BIHS). She has worked in education for 25 years as a science teacher, assistant principal, and principal; 20 of those years have been at BIHS. As a school leader, she seeks to create the conditions for imaginative, intellectual, collaborative, and socio-emotional growth for adults and students alike.
John Rullan is principal of William H. Maxwell CTE High School. He has spent over 25 years in education and is currently also an adjunct professor at St. John’s University. Mr. Rullan is an author through Cisco Press Books. Additionally, he is a Cisco Certified National Instructor Trainer.
Mahendra Singh has been an educator in the New York City Department of Education for 14 years. He began his career as a school counselor, then became an assistant principal, and is now a proud principal entering his fourth year in the Far Rockaway community. He is also a Caribbean American immigrant, a Queens native, and a product of the New York City public school system. Additionally, he is an adjunct professor and teaches graduate students who are aspiring school counselors at Queens College, CUNY. He enjoys playing basketball, video games, and spending time with his 5-year-old son who is entering kindergarten and 9-year-old daughter who is starting the 5th grade.
Carlyn St. Aubain is the principal of William Cullen Bryant High School, which serves a population of students in grades 9-12 in Astoria, Queens. On her “Relentless Quest For Excellence,” she is committed to equity and excellence for all students. It is her mission to provide all students with resources and opportunities necessary to achieve success. The Future Ready NYC initiative supports her mission by allowing her students to access career-connected programs, career advisement, and work-based learning experiences.
Joaquin Vega started in the Department of Education as a school aide and later became a teacher. After teaching for 8 years at Manhattan International High School, he became the assistant principal at Bronx International High School. He has now had the honor of serving as the principal of Bronx International High School for the last 16 years.
Waleska Velez is principal of Pan American International High School (PAIHS), a school that serves 100% of newly arrived immigrant students with less than four years in the United States. As principal of PAIHS for the past two years, she has supported the school in reaching a 99.1% graduation rate and ensuring all students have a pathway towards success. Prior to her tenure at PAIHS, Mrs. Velez was co-principal at Crotona International High School for several years. Early in her career, Mrs. Velez was also an assistant principal and ELA teacher at El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice for 12 years. With many years of experience as an administrator and educator, Mrs. Velez is continuing to develop her expertise as a member of the Bank Street Principal Innovation Fellowship.
Zenobia White-DaCruz is the product of the New York City school system. Before joining the Department of Education, she worked at JP Morgan in the Corporate Trust Department and at the Columbia University Office of Affirmative Action. She also served as the founding principal of the Academy for Scholarship and Entrepreneurship for 18 years. She combined her business/entrepreneurial experience with her passion for teaching and learning to create a school that combines a rigorous academic program with a world class business/entrepreneurial curriculum. She is a graduate of Howard University’s Business School and holds a Masters in School Administration from Teacher’s College, Columbia University.
