Colleagues,
I want to share some important news about DC PCSB.
Naomi Rubin DeVeaux, our long-time Deputy Director, has decided to leave DC PCSB on July 19 to join the senior leadership of the National Charter Schools Institute. Rashida Young, DC PCSB’s Director of Equity and Fidelity, will take over many of Naomi’s responsibilities as our new Chief School Performance Officer. Rashida will be a member of our senior team and will manage the internal departments that Naomi oversaw.
Naomi has been my partner for the past seven years. I have relied on her judgment, her relationships, her creativity, and her thoughtfulness in every major decision we have faced. In her time here she has enhanced every aspect of our oversight, making our processes more consistent and fair, focusing on quality and equity, and finding smart ways to do our work while respecting school autonomies. I have never met anyone more committed to this work - to our schools, to the ideals of the charter school movement, and to the students we serve. Her passion is matched by her extraordinary work ethic. I cannot imagine achieving what we have without her and I will miss her very much.
While Naomi leaves big shoes to fill, I am extremely confident in Rashida Young as she steps into the role of Chief School Performance Officer. A former teacher, Rashida Young has been at DC PCSB for eight years. Over that time she has been involved with, or led, every aspect of our core authorizing work, from new charter applications to school compliance to school reviews. She has represented DC PCSB around the country and before the City Council, where she is a recognized subject matter expert on attendance and truancy. She is known for building strong teams, and I’m very pleased to welcome her to the senior leadership team at DC PCSB.
Please join me in congratulating Naomi in her new role and welcoming Rashida into hers.
Scott Pearson
Executive Director
DC Public Charter School Board
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear School Leaders and Education Partners,
After 15 years in DC education, I have decided to join the senior team of the National Charter Schools Institute (NCSI). Working in DC has been an amazing and humbling journey. Coming from California district schools, I began in July 2004 at SEED Public Charter School, then spent six years at Friends of Choice in Urban Schools, followed by seven and a half years at the DC Public Charter School Board.
I remain inspired by the incredible work done at DC PCSB, DC government, charter support organizations, DCPS, and public charter schools. I am proud of our accomplishments as a city that have resulted in more students becoming college and career ready each year. This includes families having broad choices in schools without admission tests -- including earning high school International Baccalaureate diplomas, becoming biliterate, experiencing models of education usually only found in the private sector such as Montessori and Expeditionary Learning, adults going back to school to earn high school diplomas, and much, much more.
At NCSI, my first project will be to work on accountability measurements for alternative schools--both charter and district. I have been inspired by the work of many of our adult education and alternative charter high schools and want to pave the way for more schools to educate students most in need. I am extremely excited to bring expertise that I have gained from working as a charter school advocate, an authorizer, and a teacher.
What makes leaving so difficult is the people I get to work with every day. I will miss my boss and partner for the past seven and a half years, Scott Pearson. He is an inspiring and dedicated advocate of students. I will also miss my dedicated and strong-minded colleagues at DC PCSB, including Rashida Young, who I am delighted will become the Chief School Performance Officer and continue leading the School Performance Department work.
I am committed to continuing to serve the students of DC in my new role and hope that I will be able to work with many of you in the future! Please keep in touch!
Sincerely,
Naomi Rubin DeVeaux
Important information about leadership updates at DC PCSB