About Hendy Avenue
Announcing an Exciting Leadership Transition at Hendy Avenue Consulting!
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We have exciting news to share: Sarah is passing the baton and the wonderful Jessica Wilson has been named the new President of Hendy Avenue Consulting!
Jessica Wilson has been a cornerstone of the Hendy Avenue Consulting team since 2017, bringing unparalleled expertise, dedication, and vision to our work. Jess is an experienced consultant, school district leader, school board member, and all around warrior for kids. Her leadership has been instrumental in driving our mission forward, and I am confident that she will guide Hendy to even greater heights. Jess has the full support of the entire Hendy team and is looking forward to working with them to continue to improve our client support and grow our impact.
I am extremely proud of the Hendy team and the work we’ve done together over the past 12 years. We’ve grown from me and my laptop, a long contact list and some big ideas, to a thriving organization with an unparalleled team of education consultants and coaches. Together, we’ve served more than 40 school systems and facilitated multiple cohorts for more than 50 district and charter leaders. We are trusted partners to education leaders across the country, supporting schools and districts with their talent and academic strategies, people development, leadership transitions, curriculum changes, and initiative implementation. We have accomplished this all within the tumultuous time of the last decade including a global pandemic, racial equity movements, the introduction of AI, political divides, culture wars, and so much more. We’ve gained long-time partners and friends in this work as we’ve provided a unique level of arm-in-arm support to school and district leaders.
I’m particularly proud of not just what we’ve accomplished, but how we’ve approached it. For Hendy, the bottom-line has always been about improving educational opportunities for kids by supporting the teachers and leaders they depend on. We approach our work with curiosity, integrity, kindness, and commitment, resulting in strong relationships and multi-year engagements with our partners. We’ve also created a work environment where experts in their field can make a difference while maintaining autonomy and flexibility to meet the needs of their personal lives. And we have a great time doing it.
Thank you so much to the very best team I could ever hope for. Jess, Jeremy, Erica, Rachel, and Grant. I admire and adore each of you and cannot thank you enough for the magic you’ve each brought to the Hendy team.
Looking ahead, I will continue as an Executive Advisor to Hendy, supporting the team’s continued success, cultivating opportunities, investigating challenges and solutions in the field, and exploring new ways to impact our collective mission of educational opportunity for underserved children. The challenges we face at this moment are extraordinary and I look forward to finding new ways to contribute to more equitable and opportunity-filled lives for all.
It has been an honor to partner with so many of you to improve educational opportunities for students and empower leaders to create lasting change. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to all of you who have supported Hendy Avenue Consulting, and me personally, throughout this journey. Your partnership and trust have been invaluable, and I look forward to supporting the continued success of Hendy Avenue Consulting under Jess’s capable leadership.
Please join me in congratulating Jess on her well-deserved new role. And please reach out to her directly if the Hendy team can support you in the upcoming school year: jessicawilson@hendyavenue.com.
I am excited for the road ahead and remain deeply committed to the mission and vision of Hendy Avenue Consulting – and to you as our partners and friends.
With gratitude and optimism,
Sarah Rosskamm
Founder, Hendy Avenue Consulting
sarahrosskamm@hendyavenue.com
415-577-2789
The CAO Cohort: Where Vision Meets Action
In education leadership, the role of Chief Academic Officer stands at a critical intersection: where strategic vision meets daily implementation, where data meets human experience, and where individual school success connects to systemic change. Yet too often, CAOs navigate these challenges in isolation.
A Different Kind of Professional Community
The CAO Cohort breaks this isolation by bringing together academic leaders from high-performing charter networks who share an unwavering commitment to educational equity. This isn’t just another professional development program – it’s a carefully curated community where every member brings both expertise to share and a willingness to grow.
What Sets Our Members Apart
Our cohort members share core values that drive their work:
- They embrace the power of partnership, recognizing that collective wisdom surpasses individual insight.
- They maintain the flexibility to adapt their thinking while staying true to their core mission.
- They welcome productive friction, knowing that growth comes from being both challenged and supported.
- They freely share their resources and best practices, lifting all boats in the pursuit of excellence.
Real Impact Through Structured Collaboration
Throughout the year, cohort members engage in:
- Regular data review cycles that inform strategic planning
- Collaborative problem-solving around shared challenges
- Resource exchange that accelerates implementation
- Deep discussions about equity and anti-racist practices
- Strategic planning sessions for systematic improvement
Beyond Professional Development
What truly distinguishes this cohort is its impact beyond individual growth. When CAOs collaborate at this level, their insights and solutions ripple across multiple school networks, potentially impacting thousands of students’ lives.
Join a Community of Change-Makers
The CAO Cohort isn’t just about professional growth – it’s about joining a movement of leaders committed to transforming education through collaboration, equity, and excellence. If you’re ready to both contribute to and learn from a community of visionary academic leaders, we invite you to learn more about joining our next cohort.
The Power of Cohorts
In today’s complex educational landscape, leadership can feel isolating. Whether you’re a Chief Academic Officer driving instructional excellence, a Superintendent exploring AI implementation, or a CTE leader shaping career pathways, the challenges you face are unique to your role—and often, you’re the only person in your organization navigating them.
At Hendy Avenue Consulting, we’ve witnessed firsthand how cohort learning transforms educational leadership. Our experience has shown that the most powerful professional growth happens when leaders come together in structured, purposeful communities.
Why Cohort Learning Works
The power of cohort learning lies in its fundamental truth: leaders need other leaders. When we bring together diverse talent in similar roles, something remarkable happens. Challenges that seemed insurmountable become opportunities for collective problem-solving. Individual expertise becomes shared wisdom. And perhaps most importantly, professional isolation transforms into lasting community. From adaptive leadership skill-building to tactical strategic planning to navigating change within an organization or across the broader educational sector, our cohorts aim to create space for thoughtful engagement and planning for leaders. We currently facilitate four distinctive cohort experiences, each designed to address specific leadership needs in education:
Chief Academic Officer Cohort: For CAOs in high-performing charter networks, this cohort creates a space where academic leaders can sharpen their vision and deepen their impact. Members engage in data-driven discussions, share remediation strategies, and collaborate on achieving equitable outcomes for all students.
AI Explorers Cohort: In partnership with AI for Equity, this nationwide community of practice supports senior executives as they navigate the AI revolution in education. Participants collaborate on everything from organizational planning to product evaluation, ensuring thoughtful and equitable AI implementation in their systems.
Career & Technical Education Group: Tailored for New York state CTE leaders, this program combines strategic planning with practical leadership development. Whether you’re a principal, assistant principal, or district director, you’ll find a community dedicated to advancing career and technical education.
District Educator Effectiveness Leader Cohort: Created for senior talent leaders in large public school districts, this cohort addresses the unique challenges of managing educator effectiveness initiatives at scale. Members find crucial thought partnership among peers who understand the complexities of their role.
The Hendy Approach to Cohort Learning
What makes our cohorts different? We believe effective cohort learning combines:
- Structured learning with organic relationship-building and thought partnership
- Immediate problem-solving with long-term strategic thinking
- Individual growth with collective wisdom
- Theory with practical application
Join Our Community
Educational leadership doesn’t have to be a solitary journey. Whether you’re looking to enhance your leadership, tackle complex challenges, or find a community of fellow leaders, our cohorts offer a proven path forward.
Interested in learning more? Explore our Cohorts page and discover how collaborative learning can transform your leadership journey.
Jeremy Abarno, Welcome To The Hendy Team!
We’re thrilled to announce that Jeremy Abarno, former Chief Talent Officer of DREAM Charter Schools in NYC, joined the Hendy team in October 2019. Jeremy will specialize in school leader coaching and development, network leader coaching (especially talent and academics), curriculum development and training, and comprehensive talent strategy and implementation. Jeremy is the smart, thoughtful person you want to help you solve problems and we are so happy he’s bringing his many talents to support our partner organizations and to continue to make our Hendy team stronger.
Jeremy started as a teacher in East Harlem in 2000 and has dedicated his career to the children of New York City. He served as the Principal at PAVE Academy public charter school. Jeremy was the Managing Director of Mathematics and later Talent at Ascend Public Charter Schools in Brooklyn, a network of nine schools serving more than 4,000 students in central Brooklyn. Before joining Hendy Avenue, Jeremy was the Chief Talent Officer of DREAM in East Harlem. In this role, Jeremy led the development of DREAM’s overall talent strategy including recruitment, professional development, workforce planning and human resources for DREAM’s schools, afterschool and community programs. Jeremy holds a Master’s in Special Education from City College and a School Building Leader license from Baruch. He is a graduate of New York University in elementary education. Jeremy lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three children.