Our Chief Academic Officer Cohort brings academic leaders together to learn alongside trusted colleagues in similar roles. Through the cohort, cohort members sharpen their vision, build their skills, exchange resources, problem solve, build relationships, and feel more fulfilled in their roles.
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The investment [in the CAO Cohort] is worth it because you will walk away with a network that will support you for life and create systems and tools that will have an invaluable impact on the students you serve every day. We saw our network’s highest student achievement results in the year I did the cohort, and we were able to close our Covid Learning Loss gap.
CRYSTAL LANE | Chief Education Officer, DREAM
2025-2026 Cohort Members
Sabrina Banwait
Director of Curriculum & Instruction,
Hebrew Public Schools
Sabrina is a seasoned educator and instructional leader with over 13 years of experience in urban schools across Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. Her journey began as a classroom teacher and evolved into leadership roles that reflect her deep commitment to equity, social justice, and rigorous, student-centered instruction.
She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Irvine, and a Master’s in Teaching from the University of Chicago, where she was a proud cohort member of the Urban Teacher Education Program (UTEP)—an experience that continues to shape her perspective on teacher preparation and culturally responsive pedagogy.
Sabrina currently serves as Director of Curriculum and Instruction, where she partners with school leaders and teacher teams to strengthen instructional practices and build leadership capacity across schools. Her work centers on developing the skills of instructional leaders through coaching, collaboration, and aligned systems that raise the bar for teaching and learning. With expertise in instructional design, assessment, and leadership development, she supports educators in building capacity and sustaining high-impact practices that foster inclusive and engaging learning environments. A staunch advocate for educational equity, Sabrina is driven by a belief in the transformative power of public education to create lasting, multigenerational change.
Dr. Keena Day
Chief Academic Officer,
Breakthrough Public Schools
Dr. Keena Day is a 20-year literacy specialist who leads school districts, networks, and school leadership to develop systems in curriculum and assessment design to improve student achievement. She is skilled in grades 4-12, AP Language and AP Literature coursework that allows for equitable access, dual enrollment, and literacy intervention.
She has taught Freshman Composition, Technical and Creative Writing at the collegiate level. Her Masters programming focused on Africana Studies and Black Literature, Linguistics, Literacy, and Writing. Her research focuses on integration of literacy and social studies content, cultural studies in schools, DEI in text selection, organizational literacy structures, and closing the literacy achievement gap for various demographics of students.
She is also a freelance writer, journalist, poet, and published author. She is a member of many organizations in Denver that deal with political action, social or educational justice and creativity.
Her participation in the Chief Academic Officer Cohort reflects her commitment to collaborative leadership and professional growth in developing anti-racist educational practices.
Tomi Okuyemi
Chief Academic Officer,
Growing Up Green Charter School
Tomi Okuyemi is an experienced educator and leader driven by a deep commitment to equity and inclusion. She currently serves as Chief Academic Officer at Growing Up Green Charter Schools, where she previously led the GUGCS II Elementary School in Jamaica, Queens. Tomi joined the GUGCS community in 2021, drawn to the diverse faculty and families, and the shared values of kindness, courage, collaboration, and social justice.
Tomi began her career as a science teacher at Success Academy and later taught at Community Roots Charter School, where she especially loved her time as a 1st grade teacher. She went on to serve as a Leadership Resident in the Boston Public Schools while earning her M.Ed. in School Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. During the pandemic, she served as a Principal-in-Residence at Prospect Schools. Tomi also holds an Ed.M. in Childhood General and Special Education from Bank Street College and a B.A. in Psychology and Women’s Studies from Saint Louis University.
Tomi loves to read and has a long list of book recommendations! She lives in Brooklyn with her wife and is proud to be part of a school community grounded in strong core values.
Tonya Randall
Vice Present of Academics,
Journey Community Schools
Tonya Randall is a seasoned educational leader with over two decades of experience driving student achievement, developing instructional leaders, and transforming academic systems across charter schools. As the current VP of Academics at Journey Community Schools, she has led major improvements in student achievement, including a 28% increase in K–8 reading proficiency and a 27% gain in math during the 2024–2025 school year. Tonya has also secured more than $1.5 million in grants to support innovation, summer learning, and computer science initiatives. Tonya’s expertise spans curriculum design, instructional coaching, and data-driven leadership. Prior to her current role, Tonya served as the Founding Principal of Nexus STEM Academy (now called Power Center Academy Southeast). She has held instructional leadership positions at Power Center Academy Hickory Hill and multiple KIPP schools, consistently achieving strong outcomes through her commitment to personalized learning and rigorous professional development for teachers and leaders. Tonya holds a Master of Science in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Walden University and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Spelman College. As a former Teach for America corps member, she has maintained a lifelong commitment to advancing outcomes for historically underserved students. Her journey reflects a relentless pursuit of academic excellence and a passion for developing environments where all scholars can thrive.
2024-2025 CAO Cohort
Darren Gray,
Excel Academy Charter Schools
Natasia Cooper,
Foundation Academies
Lanira Murphy,
Ednovate
Efrat Kussell,
Explore Schools
Melissa Duphiney,
Unity Prep
2023-2024 CAO Cohort
Kate Finley,
DC International School
Nora French,
Urban Community School
Brittney Jean-Louis, Etoile Academy Charter School
Cassie Pergament, DC Prep Charter Schools
Katelyn McGrath, Mastery Charter Schools
Lex Zain,
Leaders In Our Neighborhood (LION) Charter School
2022-2023 CAO Cohort
Dr. Saskia Brown, Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy
Dr. Megan Frankiewicz, Vista College Prep
Ben Johnson,
Ingenuity Prep
Jeremy Jones,
Eagle College Prep
Crystal Lane,
DREAM
Nate Lowry,
Academies of Math and Science
2021-2022 CAO Cohort
Andrew McRae, Breakthrough Schools
Anjya Thomas, Ascend Learning
Emily Fernandez,
Hebrew Public Schools
Jonathan McIntosh,
Prospect Schools
Katie Severn,
DC Prep
Leah Peters,
KIPP Colorado
Meet Our Facilitators
Erica Murphy
Former CAO, Ascend Schools
Erica joined Hendy Avenue Consulting because she believes that effective teacher development programs and high quality observation and feedback cycles are essential to supporting and growing our nation’s teachers.
Before joining Hendy, Erica served as the Chief Curriculum and Instruction Officer at Ascend Public Charter Schools. In that role, Erica managed the design and implementation of Ascend’s unique liberal arts curriculum and supervised the professional development of all instructional leaders, principals and principal managers. Prior to assuming this role, Erica served as school director of Brownsville Ascend Lower School for five years. During that time, her school’s proficiency rates increased 30 percentage points in English language arts and 34 percentage points in mathematics. In school year 2016-17, Erica’s school achieved the second-highest score improvement among New York City charter schools. Erica joined the Ascend network as a second-grade teacher, team leader, and instructional coach at Brooklyn Ascend Lower School where she consistently posted the highest math results in the network. Before joining Ascend, she was a research associate at the New York City Department of Education’s Research and Policy Support Group, and she spent several years as an elementary school teacher in a NYC Department of Education school in the South Bronx.
She holds a master’s of public administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs; a master’s in elementary education from Lehman College; and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and Spanish from Washington University in Saint Louis.
Jonathan McIntosh
Former CAO, Prospect Schools
Jonathan is the Investment Principal, School Quality at Equitable Facilities Fund. Before this role, Jonathan served as the Chief Academic and Schools Officer for Prospect Schools and was a member of Hendy's CAO Cohort.
Prior to joining Prospect Schools, Jonathan was the Founding middle School Director of Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School, a STEAM school emphasizing personalized learning and winner of the XQ Super Schools Grant. He also held several instructional leadership positions at KIPP NYC and served as a School Ambassador Fellow at the Department of Education's Office of Communication and Outreach for Secretary Arne Duncan. Before coming to NYC as a TFA Corps Member, he worked in both rural and urban Missouri, leading middle and high school programs in theater and debate. Jonathan spent his formative years in Southeast Asia, which profoundly shaped his desire to enter the education field and create spaces for agency and democratic deliberation for all.
Jonathan received a B.A. from Drury University in Missouri with a triple major in speech communication, theater, and public relations. He went on to complete an M.A. in Integrated Strategic Communication also at Drury. After moving to New York City, he earned an MS in Special Education at Bank Street College of Education and his Ed.M. at Columbia University’s Teacher College in Organizational Leadership
As the CAO, I’m responsible for making all decisions about our instructional program. This includes selecting curriculum, managing instructional implementation, and coaching and developing our instructional leaders. Hendy was helpful in many ways - both in helping me normalize some of the demands of the job and building my interpersonal leadership skills. However, the most important component of the Hendy programming was helping me get on the balcony and take some time to long term plan for the future of our organization. It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day challenges in this role and getting time to think about the big picture with a very talented and knowledgeable group of peers was tremendously helpful.
BEN JOHNSON | Chief Academic Officer, Ingenuity Prep
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If you...
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are committed to the success of all participating networks
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value partnerships with other CAOs
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are grounded in a vision of racial equity and a champion for anti-racist schools
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consider yourself a flexible thinker with an eagerness to learn from others
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exhibit willingness to push others and to be pushed
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believe in sharing best practices and resources for the good of all members
...you are a good candidate for Hendy Avenue's CAO Cohort!
Apply or Submit a Nomination
We are looking for Chief Academic Officers (or equivalent role) from high performing charter school networks across the country; responsible for setting the academic vision, goals, and strategy for all schools across the network and managing a central team to implement that vision. Our cohort members are also typically responsible for principal management.
May - June
FILL OUT THE APPLICATION SURVEY
July
COHORT MEMBER SELECTION
The Hendy Avenue team with review all applications and make selections during the month of July. Candidates will be notified of their acceptance via email.
September
FIRST SESSION
Selected cohort members will attend their first session with Hendy Avenue in the month of September. We are excited to work with you!
Questions?
If you encounter questions during either you application or nomination process, please reach out! You can email sarahrosskamm@hendyavenue.org with your inquiries.
Nomination
Please complete the form below to nominate another leader to the cohort. We will reach out to nominees with more information about how to apply. You can use this form for up to five nominations. You can submit nominations at any time.
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The CAO Cohort was energizing and clarifying. It provided me time each month to stop, reflect and learn. It was a protected time to gain perspective, to learn from others in a similar role and to get consultation and advice from trusted colleagues. I always left the sessions feeling more connected, supported and empowered to try new things to solve dilemmas I faced at my network.