Eight new leaders, trained through a leadership fellowship started by the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), have secured principal positions within the school system for the 2014-2015 school year. These rising principals have spent the last 18 months in training and leadership roles at schools in DCPS, preparing for a full-time principal job as part of the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship (MJP Fellowship).  These principals are part of the first group of graduates from the fellowship, which prepares high-potential, high-performing DCPS employees for principalships. The fellowship is currently in its second year training the next cohort of future leaders.

“DCPS is filled with hard-working, focused, driven and passionate educators, many of whom we know would make great principals given the right training and support,” said DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson. “To capitalize on this pool of talent, we began a new fellowship to target and  build the leadership skills of future school leaders and to keep them in DC, serving DCPS students. Now, we have eight new awesome principals who are trained, ready and excited in their new roles.  I am so proud of these inaugural members of our MJP Fellowship and can’t wait to see them in action as principals!”

To qualify for the MJP Fellowship, DCPS employees must have strong instructional expertise, an ability to analyze classroom- and school-level data to help teachers inform instruction, strong communication skills, and an ability to work collaboratively in a learning community, among other leadership qualities. The fellowship includes a series of learning sessions with professors from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, individualized leadership coaching, mentoring by high-performing DCPS principals, high-stakes performance assessments requiring Fellows to demonstrate their knowledge and developing skill set, and working thoughtfully to build their professional network – inside and outside of their learning cohort. MJP Fellows meet twice a week, investing approximately 25 hours of outside-of-school time monthly. Fellows also serve one year, in two different school contexts, as Resident Principals, learning and leading alongside their high-performing mentor principals.  

The eight Mary Jane Patterson Fellows who will begin in the 2014-2015 school year as new principals are (in alphabetical order):

Eric Bethel – Turner Elementary School
Eric Bethel has served the students of Washington, DC for the past 12 years. He spent 8 years as an elementary school teacher at Marie Reed Elementary School before becoming a DCPS master educator and later a senior master educator. After two years of serving at the district-level, Mr. Bethel returned to school-based leadership as an assistant principal at Powell Elementary School. In 2013, he was selected as a member of the inaugural cohort of the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship, a rigorous 30-month program designed to prepare DCPS's highest performing leaders for the principalship. This unique pipeline program also provides intensive support and targeted coaching during fellows' first year as MJP principals. As a fellow, Mr. Bethel has served as a resident principal at Ketcham Elementary School and Kelly Miller Middle School. He holds both a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in elementary education from Mount Saint Mary’s University.  

Lloyd Bryant – Anacostia High School
Lloyd Bryant began his career as a history teacher in Indianapolis Public Schools. In 2003, he relocated to Maryland and taught in both Prince George’s County and Prince William County before transitioning into school leadership. Mr. Bryant joined DCPS in 2008 as an assistant principal at Dunbar Senior High School. He also served as an assistant principal at Spingarn Senior High School before becoming a member of the inaugural cohort of the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship, a rigorous 30-month program designed to prepare DCPS's highest performing leaders for the principalship. As a fellow, Mr. Bryant has served as a resident principal at both Maury Elementary School and Banneker Senior High School. Mr. Bryant holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Hampton University as well as a master’s degree in educational administration from Trinity University.

Charlette Butler – Hart Middle School
Charlette Butler began her career in education as a 9th grade English and reading teacher in DeKalb County, Georgia. She later worked as a dean of students in Broward County, Florida and a literacy coach in Montgomery County, Maryland before transitioning to DCPS. In 2008, Ms. Butler became an assistant principal at Wilson Senior High School, and in 2013, she was selected to become a member of the inaugural cohort of the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship, a rigorous 30-month program designed to prepare DCPS's highest performing leaders for the principalship. This unique pipeline program also provides intensive support and targeted coaching during fellows' first year as MJP principals. As a fellow, Ms. Butler has served as a resident principal at Leckie Elementary School and West Education Campus. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English education from North Carolina A&T University as well as a master’s degree in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University.  

Donyale Butler – Savoy Elementary School
Donyale Butler began her career in education as an elementary school teacher in St. Paul, Minnesota. She later became a curriculum coordinator and professional development specialist before relocating to Washington, DC in 2006. She served as the instructional coach at Simon Elementary School for seven years before being selected as a member of the inaugural cohort of the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship, a rigorous 30-month program designed to prepare DCPS's highest performing leaders for the principalship. This unique pipeline program also provides intensive support and targeted coaching during fellows' first year as MJP principals. As a fellow, Ms. Butler has served as a resident principal at Beers Elementary School and Browne Education Campus. She holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from University of Illinois and a master’s degree in gifted, talented, and creative education from University of St. Thomas.  

Heather Hairston – C.W. Harris Elementary School
Heather Hairston began her career in education as an elementary school teacher at Watkins Elementary School in Washington, DC. She served as a teacher, math-data coach, assistant principal, and mentor/master teacher in Prince George’s County, Maryland before become a founding teacher at KIPP West Philadelphia Prep Public Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She returned to Washington, DC in 2011 as a teacher at Beers Elementary School. In 2013, she was selected as a member of the inaugural cohort of the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship, a rigorous 30-month program designed to prepare DCPS's highest performing leaders for the principalship. This unique pipeline program also provides intensive support and targeted coaching during fellows' first year as MJP principals. As a fellow, Ms. Hairston has served as a resident principal at Jefferson Academy Middle School and Maury Elementary School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Hampton University as well as master’s degrees in both teaching and educational leadership and supervision from Trinity University.   

Katie Larkin – H.D. Cooke Elementary School
Katie Larkin has nearly 14 years of experience in DC Public Schools. She spent 10 years as a classroom teacher at Ross Elementary School before becoming the school’s instructional coach. As an instructional coach, she also served as a seminar leader for The New Teacher Project’s DC Practitioner Teacher Program. In 2012, she became the assistant principal at Hearst Elementary School. She was later selected to become a member of the inaugural cohort of the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship, a rigorous 30-month program designed to prepare DCPS's highest performing leaders for the principalship. This unique pipeline program also provides intensive support and targeted coaching during fellows' first year as MJP principals. As a fellow, Ms. Larkin served as a resident principal at Kelly Miller Middle School and Key Elementary School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Rhode Island College and a master’s degree in teaching from George Mason University.  

Katie Lundgren – Marie Reed Elementary School
Katie Lundgren began her career in education as a 3rd grade teacher in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 2004, she relocated to Washington, DC and became the center director of the Ward 6 Achievement Center. After serving as the director of site operations for the Higher Achievement Program, she became the assistant principal at Stuart-Hobson Middle School where she served for 4 years. In 2013, she was selected to become a member of the inaugural cohort of the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship, a rigorous 30-month program designed to prepare DCPS's highest performing leaders for the principalship. This unique pipeline program also provides intensive support and targeted coaching during fellows' first year as MJP principals. As a fellow, Ms. Lundgren served as a resident principal at Truesdell Education Campus and Ketcham Elementary School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Rhodes College and a master’s degree in school leadership from Harvard University.

Jennifer Thomas – Hearst Elementary School
Jennifer Geoffroy Thomas has served the students of DCPS for the past 13 years. She began her DCPS tenure as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher at Powell Elementary School and has since served as an elementary teacher, an instructional coach, and a manager of the instructional coaching program. In 2013, she was selected to become a member of the inaugural cohort of the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship, a rigorous 30-month program designed to prepare DCPS's highest performing leaders for the principalship. This unique pipeline program also provides intensive support and targeted coaching during fellows' first year as MJP principals. As a fellow, Ms. Thomas has served as a resident principal at Thomson Elementary School and Mann Elementary School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Boston University as well as master’s degrees in both English to Speakers of Other Languages and Elementary Education from American University.  

Other Leadership Changes

In addition to leveraging the Mary Jane Patterson Fellowship as a talent pipeline, DCPS sought after principal talent from a nationwide pool this year. Each school is unique and recruitment efforts sought to find a complementary mix of both established talent and rising stars within DCPS and across the country. These efforts drew in school leadership talent from Illinois, California, Maryland, Virginia, and DC.

“Recruiting great principals is critical to our success. Our recruitment efforts rely on the same tools successful businesses use to seek top talent: networking and building relationships with proven leaders and informing those leaders of the unique opportunities to positively impact student learning at DCPS,” said Henderson. “I am very proud of the amazing new principals we will have leading schools across the city in the upcoming school year.”

In alphabetical order, these new leaders include:

Debra Bell –  Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School
Debra Bell began her career in education as an elementary teacher and spent four years teaching in both California and Michigan. She then served as a math specialist for 4 years and a reading specialist for 10 years. In 1997, she became the supervisor of language arts, gifted, foreign language and Title I for Hopewell Public School in Hopewell, Virginia. She transitioned into school-based leadership as the principal of Emily Spong Preschool Center in Portsmouth, Virginia where she served for four years. In 2007, she assumed leadership of C.M. Bradley Elementary School in Warrenton, Virginia. Ms. Bell has been an instructional coach in the DC Public Schools Office of Early Childhood Education since 2010. She holds a bachelor’s degree in special education from Wayne State University as well as a master’s degree in educational administration and curriculum design from San Francisco State University.

Carrie Broquard – Lafayette Elementary School
Carrie Broquard began her career in education as a science teacher in Los Angeles, California. Within the Los Angeles Unified School District, Dr. Broquard later served as a chemistry teacher, gifted and talented education coordinator, and an assistant principal. In 2008, she relocated to Normal, Illinois where she has served as an assistant principal, an emotional disabilities coordinator, and a clinical assistant professor in educational administration. Dr. Broquard holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a minor in education from Bryn Mawr College as well as both a master’s degree in educational administration and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from University of California, Los Angeles.

Mayra Canizales – Oyster-Adams Bilingual School
Mayra Canizales has served the students of Washington, DC since 2009. She began her career in DC Public Schools as a 6th grade English language arts teacher at Columbia Heights Education Campus (CHEC). In 2012, she was awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award and transitioned into school leadership as an instructional coach at CHEC. Ms. Canizales has also served as a teaching faculty member for the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers, a Teaching for Results seminar leader for The New Teacher Project, and a curriculum and instruction fellow for the DCPS Teachers Central to Leadership program.  In 2013, she became an assistant principal at CHEC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in American studies and urban educational policy from University of California, Berkeley and a master’s degree in elementary education from Boston College.

La’Mont Geddis – Malcolm X Elementary School
La’Mont Geddis has over 15 years of experience in education. He began his career as an adjunct faculty member at Prince George’s Community College and a technology coordinator at multiple secondary schools before moving into school administration. Mr. Geddis served as an assistant principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels for four years in Maryland schools. In 2009, he became the principal of Maya Angelou Public Charter School in Washington, DC and remained there before transitioning to DCPS in 2013. For the past year, Mr. Geddis has served as the assistant principal at Malcolm X Elementary School. He holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in education from Howard University.

Jennifer Jo Huff – Plummer Elementary School
Jennifer Huff began her career in education as an elementary school teacher in New Orleans, Louisiana. She also worked as a secondary teacher and librarian before becoming a school library product manager for Heinemann-Raintree Education Publishers. In 2008, she relocated to Baltimore, Maryland and returned to the school-level as an academic coach and instructional support teacher. She went on to serve as an academic dean before transitioning to DCPS in 2013. For the past year, Ms. Huff has served as the assistant principal at Plummer Elementary School. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from University of West Florida and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from University of New Orleans.

Dr. Carolyn Jackson-King – Orr Elementary School
Dr. Carolyn Jackson-King has over 24 years of experience as an educator. She began her career in Norfolk, Virginia as a classroom teacher, reading recovery teacher, and Title I math specialist. In 1999, she briefly joined DC Public Schools as a change facilitator. She then became an assistant principal at Techworld Public Charter School in Washington, DC before returning to the classroom as a 1st grade teacher inWoodbridge, Virginia. In 2005, she returned to DCPS as a mentor/teacher. For the past five years, she has served Wheatley Education Campus as a dean of students and as an assistant principal. She holds both a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and a master’s degree in educational administration from Norfolk State University as well as a doctoral degree in educational administration from Nova Southeastern University.

Kemi Husbands – Langdon Education Campus
Kemi Baltimore-Husbands has 17 years of experience as an educator. She began her career in education as a 2nd/3rd grade teacher in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She has also held teaching positions in both Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, DC. In 2010, she became the intervention specialist/test coordinator at Friendship Southeast Academy, and she has served as the Academy’s vice principal/academy director since 2012. She holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood and special education from Bowie State University and a master’s degree in teaching from American University.

Elizabeth Namba – Hyde-Addison Elementary School
Elizabeth Namba began her career in education as a middle school teacher in Boston, Massachusetts. She has since held teaching positions at the elementary, middle, and high school levels and has taught in Washington, DC, Moscow, Russia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and New Delhi, India. In 2010, Ms. Namba relocated to Alexandria, Virginia where she has served as a school improvement coach, an International Baccalaureate program coordinator, and an assistant principal. Ms. Namba holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and geography from George Washington University as well as a master’s degree in education from University of Pennsylvania.

John Payne –  Duke Ellington School of the Arts
John Payne has over 19 years of experience in education. He began his working career as the Associate Pastor of Saint Augustine Roman Catholic Church in Washington DC, before transitioning to the world of education in 1995. He began as the Director of the He Rose Project at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where he focused on reducing suspensions and expulsions for African American men at the school. In 2000, he was named the Dean of Students at Duke Ellington, where he expanded his role to focus on student discipline and school culture. He helped to maintain Ellington’s impressive 98% graduation and 95% college acceptance rates during his tenure. In 2007, Mr. Payne was once again promoted to the Director of Student Affairs, where he took on the responsibility of facilities management in addition to his responsibilities regarding student services. Mr. Payne has a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from Villanova University and a master’s degree in systematic theology from Washington Theological Union. In 2014, Mr. Payne was named the Head of School at Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

Dr. Yetunde Reeves – Ballou High School
Yetunde Reeves began her career in education as a social studies teacher in Oakland, California. She later went on to serve as a vice principal before becoming the founding principal of EXCEL High School also in Oakland. At EXCEL, Dr. Reeves built a college-going culture where over 75 percent of the school’s graduates went on to college. In 2010, Dr. Reeves assumed leadership at East Palo Alto Academy High School in Menlo Park, California, and she has served as the Hayward Unified School District executive director of secondary education in Hayward, California for the past two years. Dr. Reeves holds a bachelor’s degree in history from University of New Orleans, a master’s degree in education from University of California LA, and both a master’s degree and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Mills College.

Kim Spence – Simon Elementary School
Kim Spence has 14 years of school leadership experience in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, Maryland. She served as an assistant principal at Maryland School for the Blind in Baltimore and Hall’s Cross Elementary School in Aberdeen before becoming the principal of William S. James Elementary School in Abingdon. In 2008, she assumed leadership of Church Creek Elementary School in Belcamp and she has successfully led the school for the past six years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in special education and elementary education from Goucher College and a master’s degree in special education from Coppin State University.

Gary Washington –  C.H.O.I.C.E. Academy
Gary Washington has served DCPS students for the past 24 years. He joined DCPS in 1989 as an assistant principal at Shaw Junior High School. In 1997, he was appointed as the interim principal at MacFarland Middle School, and he assumed leadership of Backus Middle School the following year. In 2001, he became the principal of C.H.O.I.C.E. Middle and High School, and he led the school for 9 years before becoming the principal of Spingarn Senior High School. Mr. Washington holds a bachelor’s degree in recreational leadership/therapeutic recreation from George Washington University and a master’s degree in administration/supervision from University of the District of Columbia. Mr. Washington is also currently pursuing a doctoral degree through University of the District of Columbia and Grambling University.

Eugenia Young – Roosevelt STAY
Eugenia Young has served as the principal of Youth Chance High School, an alternative high school in San Francisco, California, since 2009. Under her leadership, the school’s annual graduation rate grew from under 3 to over 20 students. Ms. Young began her career as an academic advisor in Fresno, California and has also served students in the San Francisco bay area as an academic counselor, a vice principal, and a college counselor. Ms. Young hold a bachelor’s degree in communication from California State University Fresno as well as a master’s degree in counseling from California State University San Francisco.

Contact: Melissa Salmanowitz (DCPS) | 202-535-1096 | Contact Email