Who We Are

Our goal is to ensure every DC student receives a quality education that makes them feel valued and prepares them for lifelong learning, fulfilling careers, and economic security. We do that by creating the policies and conditions that empower teachers and school leaders to do their best work, and that's educating students.

DC PCSB is an independent government agency of the District of Columbia, created in 1996, led by a volunteer seven-member board. As the sole public charter school authorizer in our nation’s capital, we provide oversight to 134 public charter schools which are managed by 68 independently run nonprofit organizations called local education agencies. These schools educated 46,358 students in school year 2023-24, nearly half of DC’s public school students.

DC PCSB Organization Chart

DC PCSB Bylaws

Our Vision

Every DC student receives a quality education that makes them feel valued and prepares them for lifelong learning, fulfilling careers, and economic security.

100

OF DC CHARTER SCHOOL STUDENTS

Our Mission

DC public charter schools are environments where all students, especially those in historically marginalized groups, thrive. As DC’s charter authorizer, we:

Approve, monitor, and evaluate schools, with an emphasis on equity and academic excellence

Create policies and conditions to empower educators to do their best work in service of students

Actively engage families, schools, and communities to inform our decision-making

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COMMITTMENT

Our Commitment to Race, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Work

Grounded in our Race, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) work, we pledge to take time to reflect, listen, and hold space for one another in service of our mission. We are united in the following beliefs and commitments that will guide our authorizing work moving forward:

We acknowledge the prevalence of interpersonal, institutional, and systemic racism in our country

We seek to understand the collective impact of racism and inequity on public education and our role in perpetuating these harms

We believe an excellent school is equitable

We work to eliminate the impact of racism and inequity on students as DC’s public charter school authorizer

We commit to continuous learning about ourselves, our work, and our city to inform our policies, practices, recommendations, and behaviors

We engage all voices in our decision-making process thoroughly and consistently, and we embrace discord that can come when people share their personal experiences and perspectives on our work

Everyone

DC PCSB Board

Shantelle Wright

Chair

Jim Sandman

Vice Chair

Carisa Stanley Beatty

Treasurer

Shukurat Adamoh-Faniyan

Secretary

Dwight Davis

Board Member

Lea Crusey

Board Member

Nick Rodriguez

Board Member

Executive Director

Michelle J. Walker-Davis, Ed.D.

Executive Director

Legal

Sarah Hampton Cheatham

General Counsel

Daniel Quandt

Associate Attorney

Maria Murphy

Associate Attorney

External Affairs

Tomeika Bowden

Chief External Affairs Officer

Audrey Williams

Senior Manager, Intergovernmental Relations

Drew Snyder

Senior Manager, Policy and Legislative Affairs

John Carlos Green

Manager, Community Engagement

Kierra Jenkins

Specialist, Intergovernmental Relations

Maddie Houck

Policy Specialist, Policy & Legislative Affairs

Sharif Hodges

Specialist, Communications

School Performance Department

Melodi Sampson

Chief School Performance Officer

Hannah Cousino

Director, Sector Planning and Compliance

Kirsten James

Director of Accountability

Michele Gray

Director, School Equity and Effectiveness

Bijon Lane

Specialist, Sector Planning and Compliance

Courtney Hall

Coordinator, School Equity and Effectiveness

Danielle Bell

Specialist, Sector Planning and Compliance

Gina Lucchesi

Senior Specialist, School Quality and Evaluation

Karlo Silbiger

Specialist, Sector Planning and Compliance

Kristie Dennis

Manager, Sector Planning and Compliance

Nicole Keler

Specialist, School Equity & Effectiveness

Starling Temp

Senior Specialist, Accountability

Theresa Kemp

Senior Specialist, School Equity and Effectiveness

Travis Hartberger

Manager, School Equity and Effectiveness

Tricia Francisco

Senior Specialist, School Equity and Effectiveness

Culture, Talent, and Strategy

Raven Freeman

Chief of Staff

Gabriela Batista

Director of Human Resources

Ernecia White

Senior HR Generalist

Nada Mousa

Strategic Initiatives Manager

Shakerah Sampson

Specialist, Learning and Development/Recruiter

Data, Operations and Finance

Will Henderson

Chief Operating Officer

Aaron Hall

Operations Manager

Michael Bayuk

Director of Finance

Carol Harris

User Support and Knowledge Management Specialist

Charlene Haigler-Mickles

Operations Specialist

Eduardo (Eddie) Roblero Diaz

Operations Coordinator

Gordon Read

Analytics Engineer

Jonathan Fisher

Manager, Data Analytics

Kathleen Rickmann

Finance Manager

Lawrence Hayes

Senior IT Lead

Mitch Suzara

Data Engineer

Natalia Iannucci

Analytics Engineer

Valeria Sanders

Finance Manager

Vanessa Pinto

Analytics Engineer

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DC PCSB Board

DC PCSB is governed by a seven-member volunteer Board, nominated by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the DC Council.

Contact This Department

DC PCSB Board

Shantelle Wright

Chair

Jim Sandman

Vice Chair

Carisa Stanley Beatty

Treasurer

Shukurat Adamoh-Faniyan

Secretary

Dwight Davis

Board Member

Lea Crusey

Board Member

Nick Rodriguez

Board Member

Contact Us

Executive Team

Culture, Talent, and Strategy

The Culture, Talent, and Strategy Department leads all of DC PCSB’s human resources, strategic roadmap design and monitoring, racial equity diversity and inclusion priorities, cross-agency alignment, and other strategic initiatives and outreach.

Contact This Department

Executive Director

Michelle J. Walker-Davis, Ed.D.

Executive Director

Culture, Talent, and Strategy

Raven Freeman

Chief of Staff

Gabriela Batista

Director of Human Resources

Ernecia White

Senior HR Generalist

Nada Mousa

Strategic Initiatives Manager

Shakerah Sampson

Specialist, Learning and Development/Recruiter

Contact Us

External Affairs

The External Affairs Department is responsible for making sure communications, public affairs, community outreach, and intergovernmental efforts fulfill the agency’s mission.

Contact This Department

Executive Director

Michelle J. Walker-Davis, Ed.D.

Executive Director

External Affairs

Tomeika Bowden

Chief External Affairs Officer

Audrey Williams

Senior Manager, Intergovernmental Relations

Drew Snyder

Senior Manager, Policy and Legislative Affairs

John Carlos Green

Manager, Community Engagement

Kierra Jenkins

Specialist, Intergovernmental Relations

Maddie Houck

Policy Specialist, Policy & Legislative Affairs

Sharif Hodges

Specialist, Communications

Contact Us

Data, Operations and Finance

The Finance and Operations Department is responsible for DC PCSB’s finances and office maintenance, and school’s finances and contracts and procurement.

Contact This Department

Executive Director

Michelle J. Walker-Davis, Ed.D.

Executive Director

Data, Operations and Finance

Will Henderson

Chief Operating Officer

Aaron Hall

Operations Manager

Michael Bayuk

Director of Finance

Carol Harris

User Support and Knowledge Management Specialist

Charlene Haigler-Mickles

Operations Specialist

Eduardo (Eddie) Roblero Diaz

Operations Coordinator

Gordon Read

Analytics Engineer

Jonathan Fisher

Manager, Data Analytics

Kathleen Rickmann

Finance Manager

Lawrence Hayes

Senior IT Lead

Mitch Suzara

Data Engineer

Natalia Iannucci

Analytics Engineer

Valeria Sanders

Finance Manager

Vanessa Pinto

Analytics Engineer

Contact Us

Legal

The Legal Department provides legal and policy knowledge, expertise, and advice across all aspects of DC PCSB’s operations, including both school oversight, such as charter agreements and charter reviews, and internal agency functions. The Legal Department processes all Freedom of Information Act requests.

Contact This Department

Executive Director

Michelle J. Walker-Davis, Ed.D.

Executive Director

Legal

Sarah Hampton Cheatham

General Counsel

Daniel Quandt

Associate Attorney

Maria Murphy

Associate Attorney

Contact Us

School Performance Department

School Performance

The School Performance Department is responsible for reviewing academic performance for schools, including creating the Accountability Framework, conducting Qualitative Site Reviews, reviewing and renewing charters, new charter application reviews, and monitoring students with disabilities and Emerging Multilingual Learners.

Contact This Department

Executive Director

Michelle J. Walker-Davis, Ed.D.

Executive Director