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Kristy Len has served as principal of Charles W. Henry School since 2023. Under her leadership, teacher attendance of 90% or more days has increased by 3.3%, PSSA Math proficiency for Grade 3 has increased by 8.2%, PSSA and Keystone Math proficiency for grades 3–8 has increased by 4.7%, and STAR literacy proficiency for grades K–8 has increased by 6.1%. She has also cultivated five new school partnerships, ensuring that all students have access to a well-rounded educational experience, and led Henry’s transition to becoming a Relationships First school focused on restorative practices, which has contributed to a reduction in out-of-school suspensions.
Kristy began her career in education as a Fulbright Teaching Fellow in South Korea, followed by 10 years teaching middle school in public schools in New Orleans and Washington, D.C. Returning to Pennsylvania, she served as a coach, curriculum specialist, and assistant principal in the School District of Philadelphia before assuming her current role as principal of Charles W. Henry School in 2023.
Kristy Len grew up in Allentown, PA and attended Parkland High School.
Dr. Benita Jessup has served as principal of Lowell Elementary School since 2024, bringing over 20 years of experience as an inquiry-driven leader committed to accelerating student achievement, strengthening instructional practice, and building equitable school communities.
Under her leadership, Lowell Elementary has demonstrated significant academic and operational growth. Dr. Jessup led the school to earn a PSSA Improvement Award for a 10% year-over-year increase in overall math proficiency on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, along with sustained growth in reading and math across grades 3–4. Teacher attendance increased by 6.4% year over year, representing a 9.4% increase over three years, and student attendance improved, with more learners achieving 90% or higher attendance. Dr. Jessup also launched inaugural boys’ and girls’ mentoring programs to strengthen student identity, engagement, and belonging.
Dr. Jessup has expanded school-community partnerships at Lowell Elementary, including Extended Day and Extended School Year programming in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Education and the Olney Arts Project, providing students with enriched learning opportunities beyond the school day.
Throughout her career, Dr. Jessup has been recognized for her impact on student achievement and community service, including the PSSA Improvement Award (2025), the Community Service Award in Education from Highway Word of Faith (2013), and a Service Award from the PBT Christian Education Department.
Her prior experience includes serving as assistant principal at Benjamin Franklin High School, supervisor of English language arts (K–8) at Chester Community Charter Schools, and earlier roles as director of early literacy (K–2), literacy coach, curriculum writer, and classroom teacher within the School District of Philadelphia. Her leadership is guided by Maya Angelou’s words— “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Dr. Jessup was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA and is a graduate of Central High School (Class of 254).
Bianca C. Gillis has served as Principal of Charles C. A. Baldi Middle School since 2023, bringing over 20 years of experience in education within the School District of Philadelphia. As a dedicated instructional leader, Principal Gillis is committed to cultivating a school environment where academic excellence, cultural inclusivity, and student wellness are at the forefront.
Under her leadership, Baldi Middle School has demonstrated sustained and measurable academic growth. The school earned Accelerate Philly recognition for high proficiency in both reading and math for three consecutive years in 2023, 2024, and 2025. For the past six years, 85–88% of students have scored proficient or advanced on the Algebra I Keystone Exam, reflecting strong instructional alignment and student mastery in mathematics. Attendance outcomes have also remained strong, with approximately 85% of students attending school 90% or more days annually over the past five years.
During the 2025–2026 school year, Baldi met all district performance goals, with 59.6% of students in grades 6–8 scoring proficient or advanced on the ELA PSSA, 42.0% scoring proficient or advanced on the Math PSSA, 85.1% of students attending school 90% or more of instructional days, 95.9% of students having zero out-of-school suspensions, 94.3% of teachers maintaining 90% or higher attendance rates, and a 0% dropout rate among students in grades 7–8.
In 2023, Principal Gillis expanded opportunities for students by introducing Career and Technical Education programming at the middle school level, including Construction, Film and Media Production, Graphic Design, and a Robotics elective, providing students with early exposure to career pathways and hands-on, industry-relevant learning experiences.
Prior to becoming Principal of Baldi Middle School, Principal Gillis served as a Principal Resident at Girard Academic Music Program and Northeast High School through the Office of Leadership Development. Before that, she was an Assistant Principal at Central High School and Julia de Burgos Elementary School. Earlier in her career, from 2005 to 2020, Principal Gillis served as an educator and instructional leader across multiple schools, including William Hunter K–8, Alexander Adaire Elementary School, John Paul Jones Middle School, Mayfair Elementary School, Dimner Beeber Middle School, and Julia R. Masterman School. During this time, she held a variety of roles, including sixth-grade math and science teacher, K–8 technology instructor, Dean of Students, PBIS coordinator, Instructional Coach, Mentor Teacher, and Track Coach.
Principal Gillis grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she attended James Rhoads Elementary, Dimner Beeber Middle and Overbrook High School.
Dr. Khailiah C. Edwards has served as principal of Benjamin Franklin High School since July 2021, bringing over 18 years of experience dedicated to the students and families of Philadelphia. Under her leadership, she has cultivated a culture of shared accountability and professional reflection, providing teachers with rigorous, constructive feedback and building leadership capacity within her staff to ensure excellent instruction is a school-wide standard.
Dr. Edwards’ career in education spans over 18 years. She has served as principal of Discovery Charter School from 2016 to 2018, where she led instruction for 774 students in grades K–8, developed the School Improvement Plan, and utilized data-driven professional development to meet yearly growth targets, achieving a 100% success rate in competitive high school placements for 8th-grade graduates. She later served as assistant principal at John Bartram High School from 2019 to 2021, where she played an integral role in stabilizing school climate and managing day-to-day operations.
Dr. Edwards grew up in Long Island, NY before relocating to Philadelphia, where she attended Germantown High School.
Dr. Crystal Edwards has served as principal of W.D. Kelley School since 2017, bringing 27 years of experience across the educational landscape. At W.D. Kelley, Dr. Edwards has led consistent and measurable gains in student achievement and school culture. During the 2024–2025 school year, the school met or exceeded School Board Goals 1, 2, and 3, with 23.5% of students in grades 3–8 scoring proficient or advanced in English Language Arts, a 6.4 percentage point increase, and 15.9% in mathematics, a 2.0 percentage point increase, on the PSSA. Early literacy outcomes saw dramatic growth, with 57.7% of kindergarten students meeting or exceeding benchmark on the STAR Early Literacy assessment, an increase of 43.4 percentage points from fall to spring. These gains build on a sustained trajectory of success, including historic highs in ELA and math performance, a 95% attendance rate — the highest since 2018–2019 — and a strong school climate where 98% of students incurred zero out-of-school suspensions.
Dr. Edwards has been recognized with numerous honors throughout her career, including the 2023 Lindback Award for Distinguished Principals, the 2020 Philadelphia 76ers Outstanding Leadership Award, and the 2016 Outstanding Community Service Award from the University of Pennsylvania. A published author and sought-after speaker, she has presented at national conferences including ASCD, ISTE, and the National Alliance of Black School Educators.
Dr. Edwards has facilitated more than 30 organizational partnerships, directly negotiating over 20 to secure critical resources and funding for her school community. Most notably, she led the establishment of a first-of-its-kind school-based dental clinic in partnership with Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry — the only full-service dental clinic of its kind in a United States school — expanding access to care for students and families. She is also the founder of Empowering Single Moms, Inc., a nationally recognized organization.
Dr. Edwards extends her leadership through board service and civic engagement, including roles with Philadelphia Outward Bound Schools, the Temple University Black Alumni Alliance, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Committee, and the School District of Philadelphia’s Principal Advisory Committee and Black Women in Leadership Think Tank.
Dr. Edwards has served in a variety of educational roles, including high school English teacher, curriculum developer, instructional leadership coach, assistant principal, adjunct professor, and correctional educator. Prior to her career in education, Dr. Edwards worked in television broadcasting, earning Temple University’s Jessica Savitch Memorial Scholarship for Outstanding Journalism.
Dr. Edwards grew up in Atlanta, GA & Prince George’s County, MD. She graduated from Parkdale Senior High School in Riverdale, MD.
Kazmir Davis has served as principal of YouthBuild Philly Charter School since June 2023. Serving one of the most vulnerable student populations in Philadelphia, she leads a reengagement model that supports young people pushed out of traditional educational settings to achieve academic completion, develop workforce training, and persist toward postsecondary success.
Under her leadership, enrollment increased by 19.6%, reflecting strengthened recruitment, onboarding, and retention systems, and is on pace to grow by over 60% since 2023, with expansion plans increasing total enrollment to 400 students and creating more flexible pathways for young people with diverse needs.
In January 2026, YouthBuild Philly was exited from Comprehensive Support and Improvement status by the Pennsylvania Department of Education due to sustained improvement in graduation rates and student outcomes. The school was also recognized by the City of Philadelphia Mayor’s Office for its contributions to anti-gun violence initiatives supporting young people and communities.
During her tenure, YouthBuild Philly has secured major competitive grants, including a $1.5 million U.S. Department of Labor grant to support building trades programming, a $500,000 William Penn Foundation grant to advance middle-wage job placement, and a $100,000 Elevate215 grant to expand enrollment capacity.
Kazmir has been an educator for over 20 years, serving across the School District of Philadelphia, KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools, and Mastery Charter Schools. Her principal experience includes serving as principal of KIPP Philadelphia Preparatory Academy from 2017 to 2019 and assistant principal of instruction at Frederick Douglass Mastery Charter School.
Kazmir Davis grew up in Philadelphia and is a proud graduate of Central High School’s 260th graduating class.
Dr. Bridget Bujak has served as Principal of The LINC High School since 2015. Under her leadership, the school has implemented a project- and problem-based instructional model centered on authentic learning experiences, fostering a strong adult learning culture grounded in collaboration, reflection, and continuous growth. Through this work, she is committed to ensuring all students have equitable access to high-quality learning experiences that support both their academic growth and personal development.
Dr. Bujak has demonstrated measurable growth in student achievement at the LINC. Most notably, during the 2024–2025 school year, within-year Biology Keystone scores increased from 1.6% to 15.3% proficiency. This academic growth is paired with innovative programming, including a partnership with WHYY that supports a dynamic media program showcasing student-created projects.
Since 2020, Dr. Bujak has served as a Board Member of the Selective Service System, and in 2024 she became a mentor for aspiring leaders in the University of Pennsylvania’s School Leadership Program.
Dr. Bujak’s career in education spans over 20 years, having served in a range of leadership roles throughout her career. Her experience includes positions as a math teacher, department chair, and dean of students at Thomas Edison High School, as well as assistant principal at Olney Charter High School.
A proud Philadelphia native, Dr. Bujak is a graduate of Nazareth Academy High School.
Will Brown has served as principal of Parkway West High School since 2022, where he is dedicated to ensuring every student is prepared and connected to a post-secondary pathway that leads to their own definition of success.
Under Mr. Brown’s leadership, Parkway West has seen transformative growth in both school climate and academic rigor. Between 2022 and 2025, he cultivated a culture of belonging that resulted in a 15.4% increase in student attendance and a 9.5% increase in teacher attendance. His focus on instructional excellence has yielded significant gains on state and technical assessments, including a 15.6% improvement in ELA Keystone scores, a 21.0% increase in NOCTI Career and Technical Education scores, and an 8.1% rise in Algebra 1 Keystone scores. He has also maintained a robust graduation rate of approximately 90% while successfully decreasing student dropouts.
Mr. Brown has been recognized with prestigious honors for his leadership and impact, including the Philadelphia Academies Inc. Educator of the Year award (2025) and the University of Pennsylvania’s Priscilla Dawson Alumni Award (2023). Mr. Brown serves on the Board of Directors for YOACAP and the Sigma Tau Gamma-Gamma Alpha Alumni Association.
Mr. Brown’s career in education spans 14 years, including roles as a middle school math teacher and teacher leader at Northwood Academy Charter School from 2012 to 2018, and the 9th and 10th Grade assistant principal at Jules E. Mastbaum AVTS from 2018 to 2022. Early in his career, Mr. Brown worked as a peer educator for YOACAP and as a camp counselor at Variety Club Camp for students with disabilities, experiences that first sparked his passion for building inclusive communities and empowering young people.
Mr. Brown grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is a graduate of Central High School.
Nina Brevard has served as Principal of William M. Meredith School since 2024. Under her leadership, student attendance increased and teacher attendance increased by 12.2%. Grade 3 Math scores increased by 3%, grades 3–8 Math scores increased by 6%, and Algebra 1 proficiency — available to eighth-grade scholars alongside their grade-level math course — increased by 19.4%.
The 2026–2027 school year marks Nina’s 24th year in education. Throughout her career she has served as a classroom teacher, academic coach, testing coordinator, assistant principal, principal, and chief officer. She has also served as an adjunct professor in the education departments at Saint Joseph’s University and Lincoln University.
Her educational experiences have afforded her the opportunity to collaborate with a diverse group of people to meet the common goal of increasing student achievement and emotional well-being. Her educational philosophy is rooted in the belief that all students can learn, given a positive learning environment, strong and knowledgeable leadership, a committed and focused educational team, an encouraging community, and “hands-on” real-world experiences. She is focused on the infusion of the discovery model and high-quality instruction.
Nina grew up in Harlem, New York.
Liz Blessing has served as principal of Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School since 2025. In her first year of leadership, she implemented several high-impact initiatives to strengthen student outcomes and family engagement. She hired additional college counselors, increasing advising touchpoints fourfold and ensuring 100% of families participated in individualized meetings. She introduced MAP benchmarking assessments for incoming students and launched a summer skills program to support academic readiness. She also strengthened Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) teams and data tracking systems, contributing to a significant reduction in course failures — currently, only 2 of 135 ninth-grade students have a GPA below 2.0.
Liz is in her sixth year as a principal and has been an educator since 2010, serving in a variety of roles, including teacher, instructional coach, and school leader. She has served in Catholic Jesuit high schools in Boston and Washington, DC, the Singapore American School, and schools within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. She served as Vice Principal of Academics at Cristo Rey Boston High School before serving as principal of Mount Saint Joseph Academy in Flourtown, Pennsylvania, where she founded the Learning Team and approximately 20% of students benefited from tiered supports.
Throughout her career, Liz has focused on advancing academic achievement in urban Catholic education through research-based instructional practices and strong systems of teacher collaboration. Her graduate work at Harvard University centered on leveraging team teaching to improve outcomes for diverse learners. She has consistently strengthened MTSS frameworks across the schools she has served, improving intervention systems and student support structures.
Liz grew up in Little Compton, Rhode Island and attended Tiverton High School.
Sakia Beard Brinkley has served as principal of Richard R. Wright Elementary School since 2021. In this role, she has led a sustained effort to improve academic achievement, school climate, and community engagement for one of Philadelphia’s most historically under-resourced school communities.
Under her leadership, Richard R. Wright has demonstrated meaningful and measurable growth across key academic and operational indicators, as reflected in the School District of Philadelphia’s 2024–2025 SPOTlight report. Student attendance grew from 25.1% in 2021–2022 to 56.0% in 2024–2025, a remarkable 30.9 percentage-point gain over three years, meeting District targets. Grade 3–8 Math proficiency more than quadrupled from 3.9% in 2021–2022 to 16.4% in 2024–2025, a 12.5 percentage-point improvement over three years, with 2024–2025 results meeting District targets. Grade 3 Math proficiency surged from 4.6% in 2021–2022 to 21.6% in 2024–2025, a 17 percentage-point three-year gain, also meeting targets. Grade 3–8 Reading proficiency improved from 10.6% in 2021–2022 to 11.9% in 2024–2025, reflecting a 1.3 percentage-point gain over three years with continued year-over-year growth. Teacher attendance likewise improved from 78.6% in 2021–2022 to 87.0% in 2024–2025, an 8.4 percentage-point three-year gain, reflecting a strengthened school culture and professional community.
Mrs. Beard Brinkley is the 2026 recipient of the Lindback Award for Distinguished Principal, one of the most prestigious honors in the School District of Philadelphia, presented annually by the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation.
Mrs. Beard Brinkley has secured and facilitated significant funding and partnerships that directly benefit Wright’s students, families, and physical campus. Through the office of Congressman Dwight Evans (PA-3rd Congressional District), Richard R. Wright Elementary School was awarded $850,000 in federal Community Project Funding for schoolyard improvements, infrastructure upgrades, and equipment. Richard R. Wright is also among the Philadelphia elementary schools selected to participate in Temple University’s Philadelphia Healthy and Safe Schools (PHASeS) program, which received $1.5 million in federal funding secured through the Department of Justice’s Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Act. The PHASeS program works to build awareness of trauma’s impact on school communities, integrate trauma-sensitivity into professional practice, and sustain a culture of wellness through school-wide policies and practices. As a recipient of the Lindback Award, her school community will additionally receive a $20,000 stipend administered through the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia.
In addition to her school leadership, Mrs. Beard Brinkley serves as director of the LITE Program for Read to Succeed Philadelphia, contributing to system-wide efforts to develop and support literacy across the city.
Mrs. Beard Brinkley’s career in education spans more than 15 years of service to the School District of Philadelphia, beginning in 2009. She has served as a 3rd and 4th grade classroom teacher, school-based teacher leader, and assistant principal before assuming her current role as principal in 2021.
Mrs. Beard Brinkley was raised in South Carolina, relocated to Pennsylvania at age 16, and is a graduate of William Penn Senior High School in York, PA.
Meerim Kanatova is a Communications and Research Manager at the Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders (PASL).
Before joining PASL, Meerim worked at the University of Pennsylvania, supporting academic initiatives across the Wharton School and the Master of Science in Social Policy programs through communications, event coordination, and program operations.
She earned her M.S.Ed. in Learning Sciences and Technologies from the University of Pennsylvania, where she focused on educational innovation and learning design in STEM. Before moving to the United States, Meerim spent over six years working in the nonprofit sector within youth leadership and education equity in Central Asia. Part of this work included U.S. Embassy-supported initiatives in Kyrgyzstan under the Emerging Leaders pillar, where she helped expand leadership and educational opportunities for young people. Her work also included developing digital educational media — a comic book and documentary on gender equality — that led to an invitation from UN Women Kazakhstan to share her work.
Originally from Kyrgyzstan, Meerim is passionate about building programs and stories that help young people and educators feel supported and empowered to lead meaningful change.
Katharine O. Strunk is the Dean of the Graduate School of Education and the George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. A nationally recognized scholar, her work focuses on partner-driven, multimethod research that addresses pressing policy challenges facing educators and education systems. Her research is grounded in close collaboration with district and state education leaders, including partnerships with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the California and Michigan Departments of Education. She served as the sole researcher on Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Student Recovery Advisory Council, which helped shape statewide COVID-19 recovery efforts in education, and she has advised on numerous major local and state education reforms.
Dr. Strunk served as president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy from 2021 to 2022 and is a member of the Executive Leadership Board of the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH). From 2017 to 2023, she was director of the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) at Michigan State University, where she led research partnerships with the Michigan Department of Education and local school districts to produce policy-relevant, practitioner-informed scholarship.
Prior to joining Penn GSE, Dr. Strunk was the Clifford E. Erickson Distinguished Chair in Education and a professor of education policy, with a courtesy appointment in economics, at Michigan State University. From 2009 to 2017, she served on the faculty of the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education and the Sol Price School of Public Policy. She began her academic career at the University of California, Davis School of Education, where she served on the faculty from 2007 to 2009.
Rosie Tarnowski is a Program and Development Manager at the Philadelphia Academy of School Leaders. Prior to joining PASL, Rosie served as a Director of Special Projects in the School District of Philadelphia’s Office of Professional Learning. In this role, she led The Pathway to Leadership Principal Preparation Program, a key initiative delivered in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University. Before joining the School District of Philadelphia, she was a Medical Education Program Specialist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Rosie’s work is characterized by building strong relationships, fostering meaningful learning, and connecting resources to ensure success for those she serves.
Before moving back to the Philadelphia area, Rosie spent eight years working in Division I college athletics at Texas Christian University and Penn State University, serving as a dedicated advocate for student-athletes by guiding their academic progress and classroom achievements.
A graduate of Archbishop Wood High School, Rosie earned her Bachelor’s degree from Washington State University, where she also competed as a student-athlete. She went on to earn her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Texas Christian University. A resident of Center City, she enjoys exploring the city on foot and Philadelphia’s vibrant restaurant scene.
