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
2026-2027 Cohort Members
Emily Carroll-Chocolaad
Director of Academics and Instruction,
Access Bronx Charter School
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Emily Carroll-Chocolaad is an education leader with over 20 years in education, and 11 years in educational leadership. She has grown and shown strength in leading teams through change with three experiences as a founder, one experience leading a school through a successful school merger, and two school building moves from the Principal seat. She is adept at building teams, growing leaders through supportive coaching, engaging all stakeholders in the school experience, and aligning execution to reach big goals for student outcomes. Committed to equity, collaborative problem-solving, whole child focus, and ensuring that alongside a high rigor bar is deep and authentic joy in the learning process for all. Through this leading and guiding schools through change, she has also seen consistent growth academically in her schools, as well as ensuring that the schools she leads are places that value and push joyful learning experiences for all to cultivate lifelong learners who have choices for their futures! She earned a Bachelors of Science degree majoring in Political Science from Washington University in St Louis, a Masters in the Art of Teaching with NYC teaching certification in Grades 1-6 from Pace University, and a Masters in Education with a focus on Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. When she is not working in schools, Emily loves to explore the many different NYC neighborhoods, have fun adventures with her two sons and husband, and try new restaurants with friends. |
Mairin Finn
Chief Schools Officer,
The Accelerated Schools
Mairin "Mo" Finn is Chief Schools Officer of The Accelerated Schools, a three-school public charter network in South Los Angeles, where she oversees teaching and learning, academic strategy, and school leader development network-wide, spanning grades TK-12. She brings more than fifteen years of experience leading urban schools to the role. A founding teacher at KIPP Sol Academy in East Los Angeles, she advanced through roles as Instructional Coach, Dean, Assistant Principal, and Principal; under her leadership, the school was named a California Distinguished School, achieved academic growth for every student group, and supported the developed of many leaders who advanced into school and district leadership positions. Following her principalship, Ms. Finn served as Director of Secondary Literacy with the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, leading district-wide initiatives to expand access to high-quality instructional materials across middle and high schools. She holds a B.S. in Child and Adolescent Development and an M.Ed. in Education, Curriculum and Instruction, from California State University, Fullerton, as well as an M.Ed. and Administrative Services Credential from UCLA's Principal Leadership Institute. In her free time, you can catch her on a field or a court cheering on her kids' sports teams, cooking, and gardening.
Elika Fredrickson
Chief of Academics,
Bullis Charter School
Elika Fredrickson is the Chief of Academics at Bullis Charter School in Los Altos, CA, where she leads teaching and learning, curriculum, assessment, professional development, and academic innovation across TK-8. A multilingual educational leader, she is passionate about building cultures of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement and helping teams translate ambitious ideas into meaningful outcomes for students.
Throughout her career, Elika has led complex change initiatives, developed educators and leaders, and championed innovative approaches to teaching and learning, including emerging technologies, project-based and experiential learning, and data-informed practice. She is deeply committed to creating inclusive, student-centered learning environments where every child can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Elika holds multiple master’s degrees in education and earned her undergraduate degree from UC San Diego. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, running, tennis, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with her daughter.
Andre Lamar Smith
School Manager, Community Charter School of Paterson
André Lamar Smith is an educator and school leader committed to educational excellence, strong school culture, and expanding opportunities for children and communities. A native of Fanwood, New Jersey, André graduated from Newark School of the Arts in 2007, where he studied vocal performance . He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a concentration in Vocal Performance and a minor in Psychology from The George Washington University in 2011, followed by a Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education in 2013. He later continued his graduate studies at Seton Hall University, pursuing a second master's degree in Educational Leadership Management Policy. André began his career through Teach For America in 2011 at Success Academy Bed-Stuy 1 in New York City. In 2014, he joined KIPP New Jersey, where he spent nine years growing from classroom teacher to Assistant School Leader at KIPP Newark Community Prep.
André later joined Community Charter School of Paterson (CCSP) as Director of School Culture. His leadership expanded as he became School Leader of 8 Morris Middle School, K–8 School Leader, and ultimately School Manager. In his current role, André provides strategic leadership across academics, school culture, operations, talent development, and organizational systems while developing leaders and strengthening alignment across campuses. For André, education is deeply personal. He believes schools should be places where children are excited to walk through the doors, adults feel inspired to do their best work, and families know they are valued partners in their child's journey. He brings energy, joy, high expectations, and a genuine love for people into every space he leads, believing that excellence and fun should never be opposites. Whether he is developing a leader, celebrating a student, connecting with a family, or creating a memorable experience for an entire school community, André leads with one goal in mind: to make school a place people are proud to be part of. More than a career, education is his life's work, and he is committed to building schools where people work hard, laugh often, feel seen, and leave better than they came.
Margaret Marrer
Deputy Chief of Academics,
KIPP Team and Family
Margaret Marrer is the Deputy Chief of Academics at KIPP Team and Family, a role she stepped into in Winter 2025. She began her career as a seventh-grade math teacher in a NYC Department of Education school through Teach for America, then spent over a decade at Democracy Prep Public Schools — teaching, founding and leading a middle school as principal, and eventually serving as Vice President of Academics overseeing curriculum, assessment, and instruction across the network. She holds a bachelor's degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a master's in teaching secondary mathematics from Pace University, and a master's in educational leadership from Columbia University's Teachers College. In 2017, she was selected for the Cambiar Catalyst School Systems Leaders Fellowship, a national cohort for school system leaders. Across every role, she's focused on building the systems that help level up instruction and create excellence across classrooms.
Tonya S. McIntyre
Director of Student Academic Success,
Amherst Regional PS
Tonya McIntyre is the Executive Director of Student Academic Success for Amherst Regional Public Schools. She has spent more than 30 years in public education, including 25 years as a high school mathematics teacher before moving into district leadership. Her leadership experience has included curriculum and instruction, educator development, community engagement, teacher recruitment and retention, and school improvement. At the center of her work is a belief that equity and excellence must go hand in hand and that strong relationships are essential to meaningful, lasting change.
Originally from Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina, Tonya is a proud graduate of Savannah State University and The Broad Center at Yale School of Management. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Strategic Leadership in Education at Belmont University, where her research focuses on the leadership experiences of African American female superintendents.
Outside of work, Tonya loves spending time with her family, especially her 8-month-old twin grandbabies, Leo and Hyacinth, who have quickly become two of her favorite people. She loves learning, connecting with other leaders, and being part of a cohort community where people can be candid, support one another, and grow together.
Leangelo Emperator
Chief of Academics and Operations,
DC Scholars Public CS
Coming soon!
Martin Palamore
Chief Schools Officer,
East Harlem Scholars Academies
Martin Palamore is the Chief Schools Officer at East Harlem Scholars Academies, where he leads academic strategy, instructional improvement, and school leadership development across a network of Pre-K–12 schools in New York City. He is committed to building excellent schools where rigorous instruction, strong leadership, and coherent systems work together to ensure all students thrive.
In his role, Martin partners with principals and network leaders to translate academic vision into strong classroom practice and improved student outcomes. His work focuses on developing school leaders, strengthening Tier 1 instruction, building effective systems for assessment and intervention, and creating the conditions for schools to continuously learn and improve.
Martin is particularly interested in creating coherence across curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional learning, and leadership development while ensuring that strong systems leave room for educators to innovate and respond to the students they serve. He is excited to join the Hendy CAO Cohort to learn alongside other academic leaders, sharpen his approach to system-level instructional leadership, and contribute to a community committed to improving outcomes for students.
Rahul Patel
Chief Academic Officer,
Northside Charter HS
Rahul Patel is a New York City education leader, currently the Chief Academic Officer of Northside Charter High School in Brooklyn and the Founder of ConnectInk, an AI-powered writing coach designed to elevate student voice and teacher feedback—without auto-generating student work. Through his consultancy, Insights & Innovations, he has trained 300+ educators and district leaders on AI fundamentals, prompt engineering, policy guardrails, and workflow redesign. Rahul believes schools should be on the leading foot of innovation: start with strong pedagogy, add clear guardrails, and then use AI to extend teacher capacity—so learning stays human.
Alyssa Starinsky
Chief Academic Officer,
Partnership Schools
The product of two educators, Alyssa Starinsky, or Ms. Star to her students and staff, began her educational journey as a Teach For America Corps member, teaching middle school history in Indianapolis Public Schools and looping with her students through high school. In her second year of teaching, she was named Teacher of the Year, and the community service group she advised earned a National Jefferson Award. She then became a founding teacher and Service Learning Director at Carpe Diem Charter School, guiding students to a 92% pass rate on the state assessment while her service group earned two more National Jefferson Awards, raised over $500,000 in grants, and logged over 10,000 service hours with 100% student participation.
Following a year working with a service-learning nonprofit at the US-Mexico border and teaching in schools in India and Nicaragua, she returned home to Cleveland, Ohio, where she spent a decade with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. She began by coaching elementary and high school principals on instruction, with 93% of schools in her portfolio meeting or exceeding their goals, then became Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Glenville High School, which earned a State Momentum Award during her tenure. She was subsequently charged with founding Rhodes College and Career Academy (RCCA), a turnaround high school focused on social justice. Over eight years as founding principal, RCCA consistently produced the district’s largest graduating class with a 99% graduation rate, earned three State Momentum Awards, 4 Stars on the State of Ohio Report Card (with 5 stars in Gap Closing, which measures how well a school is closing achievement gaps for its most vulnerable student populations), and a Mayoral Recognition for Achievement.
As Chief Academic Officer at Partnership Schools for the past year, Ms. Star leads academic strategy across a network of seven urban K-8 schools. Under her leadership, the network grew bright spot classrooms — those where students exceed their growth targets — from 31% to 61% in a single year. She built and launched a network-wide framework for school-wide improvement and excellence, now driving turnaround planning at every school, and led the design of new dynamic instructional systems that produce metrics empowering schools to respond to student needs in real time. She is a firm believer that best practice for students is best practice for adults, we can do hard things, and we are better together!
2025-2026 CAO Cohort
Tonya Randall,
Journey Community Schools
Dr. Keena Day,
Breakthrough Public Schools Schools
Tomi Okuyemi,
Growing Up Green Charter School
Sabrina Banwait,
Hebrew Public Schools
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 Facilitator
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.
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!
Investment
The 2026-27 cohort experience is being offered free-of-charge through a subsidy provided by Hendy Avenue Consulting to CAOs selected to participate. Participants will have the option to access one-on-one coaching aligned to the cohort experience for a fee.
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 jessicawilson@hendyavenue.com 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.