District 1 Team

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.

Kristine Mustillo is a 28-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 recently completed a doctoral degree in community-based leadership.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Daemian is enthusiastic about the opportunity to work in the district where he was raised. He and his children are products of NYC Public Schools, and currently has two grandchildren attending NYC elementary schools. With a lifelong commitment to education, he is deeply dedicated to delivering equitable services to students and their families. Throughout his career, he has held various roles in the NYC DOE, including serving as a school counselor, coordinating special education, acting as an assistant principal for guidance and special education, and being a central office manager. In his role, he is excited to support and partner with the schools and the district one community, in navigating academic policy, and assessing, analyzing, and increasing school performance to benefit youth and their families.

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.

Wilson Lam is a native New Yorker who earned a degree in Economics from New York University and graduate degrees in Education from Hunter College. He began his career as an early childhood teacher in Queens and later served as a literacy coach in Brooklyn before becoming an Early Childhood Education Administrator for District 1. He is committed to equity, culturally responsive practices, and creating meaningful learning experiences that allow all students to demonstrate their strengths and potential.

Ellie started her teaching career with the DOE in 2004 as one of the founding members of KAPPA IV (M302) in district 5 where she taught middle school English Language Arts and was a model teacher and ELA coach. In 2022, Ellie continued to support schools in districts 29, 5, 9 and 3, this time as a Literacy Collaborative Coach and in 2023 became an Intensive Reading Specialist in district 26. Ellie is excited to continue her work as an IRI, supporting school leaders, teams and families in district one.

Selina has served NYC DOE for over 15 years in multilingual education, intervention, curriculum development, and teacher leadership. As a UFT Teacher Center District Literacy Coach, she supports schools in strengthening literacy and expanding access for diverse learners. She is passionate about blending literacy, student voice, robotics, and AI to create engaging, accessible learning experiences.

Stephanie Luongo has been an educator for NYC Public Schools since 2012.  Stephanie has worked as a Special Education Teacher, Dual Language Teacher, Literacy Coach and an Intensive Reading Interventionist in districts across NYC.  Stephanie has completed many post-graduate courses in the education field, including literacy education fieldwork in the British Public School System.  Stephanie’s current role as an Intensive Reading Interventionist combines her expertise of using diagnostic assessments to target specific reading skills the student needs support with and delivering highly-effective literacy instruction.  Stephanie is excited to continue this work as an Intensive Reading Interventionist in the District One Community.

Kelliann began her career as a social studies teacher in 2004.  Over the past 20 years, she has held a variety of roles, including teacher, dean, new teacher and student mentor, coach, and assistant principal. Kelliann is especially passionate about creating positive school environments and ensuring that every student has access to the resources, guidance, and opportunities needed to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Her work has consistently centered on building strong relationships, fostering inclusive school communities, and advocating for the needs of all learners. Kelliann is excited to bring her experience, leadership, and dedication to District 1 in her new role as Student Services Manager. 

Shilpa Shankar is the new Administrative Assistant for District 1. Shilpa is a communications professional, public relations specialist and a human-centered designer. Previously, she worked in program communications at the YMCA of Greater New York and as a researcher and designer at the General Assembly. Her work centers on clear messaging, creative problem-solving, and building strong connections across schools, families, and local partners. Her background spans leadership support, outreach coordination, accessible communications, and media event management for diverse communities. With an M.S. in Communication and Media Studies and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Applications, Shilpa looks forward to bringing her collaborative style and people-centered approach to the District 1 community.

Lori-Ann Lowe is a dedicated special education professional passionate about improving outcomes for students with disabilities. In her previous role, she supported educators who served students with severe cognitive disabilities in NYC’s District 75 to deliver impactful professional learning and coaching to educators and school leaders.  As an expert in specially designed instruction (SDI), Lori-Ann is excited to bring her knowledge and expertise to the District 1 school community as the district’s first Specialized Student Support Lead (SSSL).