Carry Chan-Howard has been the Community Superintendent of District 1 since 2017. She started as a teacher in Brooklyn and was inspired to become a school leader. During her tenure as an assistant principal, she was accepted to the Leadership Academy. She had the opportunity to open a new public middle school, The School for Global Leaders in the lower east side of Manhattan, in District 1. Carry was also born and raised in the lower east side and is deeply invested in the community.


cchan2@schools.nyc.gov

Kristine Mustillo is a 25-year educator who served as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal prior to joining the District 1 team as Deputy Superintendent. As a parent and an educator, she is committed to closing opportunity gaps that exist across the city. Kristine supports professional learning for school leaders and the strengthening of instructional programming across our schools. Kristine is a lifelong learner who is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in community-based leadership.


kmustil@schools.nyc.gov

In this role, Felicia supports the Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent in improving the performance of district schools and strategically coordinating services. Felicia uplifts the district’s vision and mission by serving as a conduit between our schools, Borough/ Citywide Offices, and external community partnerships. Prior to joining the District Team, Felicia served in many roles, including Operations, Youth Development and Teaching & Learning. As an educator, parent and lifelong learner, Felicia is committed to the educational equality in service of all students, families, and schools.


falvarez@schools.nyc.gov

Wilson Lam is a native New Yorker; born and raised.  He received his undergraduate degree in Economics from NYU and his graduate degrees in Education from Hunter College. He has been an educator within the Dept. of Education for over 15 years. He was an early childhood education teacher in District 25, Queens, before becoming a literacy coach in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He is excited to take on his role as an Early Childhood Education Administrator in District 1. Equity and cultural responsiveness in the education system are his priorities. He hopes to give all learners a myriad of opportunities to reveal their talents and skills through meaningful learning experiences.


WLam22@schools.nyc.gov

Christina has been an active member of the District 1 community for over 19 years. She is a proud mom of three; all of whom graduated from District 1. Christina was elected PTA President at P.S.19 Asher Levy School where she increased parent engagement. Later, she was honored to take on the Parent Coordinator role where she successfully continued her efforts to support the school’s community. Through demonstration of her various initiatives and campaigns as a Parent Coordinator, she has now transitioned to Family Leadership Coordinator for District 1. She will work closely with PA/PTA, District Leadership Team, SLT members, District President’s Council, Title 1 Committees, and CEC to support Parent Leadership and Community Engagement. Christina looks forward to serving D1 families and building community.

csahibzada@schools.nyc.gov

Angelica has been an active member of the District 1 community for over 5 years. She is a mom to 3 children, 2 of which are currently enrolled in D1 elementary school. Angelica has worked within the community as a parent advocate within University Settlement, a paraprofessional in an early childhood institution and as a community coordinator for the District 1 Family Resource Center. Continuing her dedicated service to her community, Angelica has joined the district as the Family Support Coordinator to further increase desire to empower and support families in District 1.

atorres121@schools.nyc.gov

Aldo started his career in NYC’s Department of Education 4 years ago as a Bilingual College & Career coach at District 79’s Pathways to Graduation. Throughout his time as a member of the College & Career team, Aldo assisted countless first-generation students in helping to apply to college, financial aid, and various trade programs. Aldo is an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, undocumented immigrants, and at-risk youth. He is excited to join District 1 as their Administrative Assistant.


amaldonado17@schools.nyc.gov

Heather Meisner always envisioned herself working in an elementary school when she was growing up. She began her career as an educator teaching on the Upper East side where she taught first and third grade for 12 years. Heather then became a Universal Literacy Coach where she supported multiple schools in District 2, in strengthening early literacy instruction and found that she enjoyed supporting various stakeholders in a school community. She is extremely passionate about ensuring that students leave our school system as lifelong readers. She is excited to begin a new role as a District 1 Academic Intervention Services Coordinator where she will facilitate various school teams in utilizing systems and structures to analyze data and ensure students receive the tier 2 and tier 3 academic reading interventions that will aid in them becoming lifelong readers.

hmeisner@schools.nyc.gov

Sandra Portnoy has been a passionate educator for many years. She began her career teaching 3rd grade in Broward County Florida. Although she loved teaching all subjects, her real passion has always been literacy – she just wanted students to garner a love of reading. This led her to get certified in literacy. She has worked with students at all levels- elementary, middle and high school. Her most recent experience was at East Side Community School as a Reading Specialist for students in grades 6-12.  Sandra is so excited to continue and expand upon this trajectory in her new position as an Academic Intervention Specialist Coordinator. In this role she will be working at the district level, utilizing valid, research-based data to help make instructional decisions for struggling readers, thus ensuring that students become life-long readers and learners.

sportnoy@schools.nyc.gov

Joezette Joseph is a partner, daughter, sister, friend, and pet mom who grew up in Brooklyn, NY and currently resides in Jamaica, Queens. Presently, Joezette serves District 1 as an Instructional Lead. In this role, she provides instructional and coaching support for teachers and school leaders in Math instruction, particularly through a Critical and culturally responsive lens. For the past 12 years, Joezette has had the privilege of working alongside amazing, highly dedicated educators while serving students in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan. It is her position that all students, regardless of race, gender, ethnic, or socioeconomic background, deserve access to an equitable and quality education. She is thrilled to be a part of the District 1 team and the Lower East Side community!


jjoseph70@schools.nyc.gov

Sara Polland, originally from Wisconsin, chose New York as her home in 2000.  She received her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Wisconsin- Madison.  She taught elementary grades 2-5 for many years, and received her Masters in Teaching Literacy.  Sara has a passion for teacher development and support; helping educators design learning environments where all students feel supported. She is an avid traveler, foodie and new gardener! She looks forward to returning to the Lower East Side, the community that welcomed both her as New Yorker and her great-grandparents as immigrants to America.


SPolland@schools.nyc.gov

A lifelong educator, Charles began his career as a middle school science teacher, teaching Biology, Earth Science, and General Science for 13 years. In his current role, he will be supporting the District 1 team and schools in academic policy, systems, school performance and assessment. This is a role he has served in for the past 6 years in the Manhattan Borough Office. Charlie looks forward to connecting with District 1 school communities.


CStanton3@schools.nyc.gov

Tami Sturm started her career in Education 21 years ago as a business education teacher and worked as the Virtual Enterprise Coordinator for a transfer high school. Receiving her Master’s degree in Education and Administration, she worked for central as an Accountability Data Support Specialist supporting Bronx schools, and for the past 9 years working for the Office of School Improvement supporting a few districts in State Accountability. She found her way back and is excited to continue her career with the District 1 team.


tsturm2@schools.nyc.gov

Ann Iparraguirre was born and raised on a dairy farm which launched her lifelong interest in the natural world. Ann completed her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and has taught every level of students, from pre-K through post-graduate. After working as a teacher and school administrator, Ann turned her attention to designing and facilitating Professional Learning In Manhattan. Ann joins the District 1 Team as an Instructional Lead to offer support and coaching for teachers and school leaders. She is looking forward to supporting D1 schools and families as we create opportunities for all students to succeed.

aiparra@schools.nyc.gov

Luz Maria Rojas-Vilson has worked as a teacher, assistant principal, and acting principal across the city for over 20 years. In 2000, Luz Maria left the field of corporate advertising and became a teacher for multilingual learners after she read a local newspaper article about disproportionate drop-out rates for Brown and Black children. As an educator, she believes that learning is ongoing for both our students and teachers, and teaching is most effective in a cooperative learning environment in which teachers can share best practices with each other. Her educational philosophy is grounded in combining her school leadership experience with her passion for mentoring and coaching teachers to establish a learning environment for each student.

LRojas@schools.nyc.gov

Shoshana Lief is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, who started her career in the DOE as a school-based social worker in Brooklyn. She then went on to serve at the central level as the citywide Family Support Manager helping to support and empower parents through the various challenges they encountered. Shoshana is passionate about mental health and the role that it plays in a student’s education and social-emotional development. As the Student Services Manager for District 1, she will support all schools, school leaders and school-based staff to improve school climate and culture, counseling supports and crisis prevention and intervention, in service of our students and families.

ILief@schools.nyc.gov

Before joining District 1, Sasha Sam was an ICT and Special Class (12:1) teacher, Special Education Liaison, and Academic Intervention Service Coordinator in Brooklyn and Queens. She has an undergraduate degree in Special Education, a Master’s in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Touro University, and an M.S.Ed in Leadership in Mathematics Education from Bank Street College. As an educator, her priority is ensuring equity while providing access to quality education for all students. Her love for teaching is driven by the belief that students with disabilities should be immersed in an authentic learning experience that meets their individual social-emotional and academic needs. In her current role, she hopes to advocate for students with disabilities while collaborating with District 1 school communities to provide personalized learning experiences.

ssam2@schools.nyc.gov

Claire Lowenstein started her education career as a Special Education, Reading and ELA teacher in Manhattan. She has a master’s degree in Special Education from New York University. A graduate of the Leadership Education Apprentice Program (LEAP), she received her Administration and Supervision degree from Baruch College and Bank Street College. Claire was a principal of a K-8 school in District 3 before joining the District 1 team to support special projects. Claire was born and raised in the Bronx and currently lives on the Upper West Side.

clowenstein@schools.nyc.gov