Our School Leaders
FirstLine School leaders are chosen for their commitment to high achievement for every student, and the unfailing belief that all young people can succeed. School leaders helm a faculty, staff and corps of volunteers to ensure our schools are successful.
Sabrina Pence, Director, Arthur Ashe Charter School
Sabrina Pence graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and subsequently joined Teach For America, teaching in Pointe Coupee Parish for four years. During that time, she received her Master’s Degree from Louisiana State University in Educational Administration in 2005. She served as a teacher leader, leading parish-wide professional development and teaching a K-3 alternative teacher certification course through the New Teacher Project. In 2006, she moved overseas to Qatar and worked in educational reform as a science consultant for K-6 schools, training Qatari teachers to implement standards-based science instruction. In 2008, she returned to the U.S. to join New Leaders for New Schools, because of a belief that all students have the right to attend an excellent school. After completing her New Leaders residency at Arthur Ashe, Pence served as Principal of Albert Wicker Literacy Academy, where the school saw unprecedented gains, then returning to Ashe as Vice Principal, because she knew it was home. In 2011 she became the School Director at Ashe.
Ava Lee, Director, Samuel J. Green Charter School
Ava Lee received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Dillard University, earned a Masters in Elementary Education from Brooklyn College in New York City and earned a second Masters in School Administration at Xavier University. In 2000 she was elected teacher of the year by her peers at Lafayette Elementary School. In 2002 she received a Fulbright Memorial Teacher Scholarship to Japan where she studied the school system and collaborated with her peers and government officials. Ava is a National Board Certified Teacher and school administrator. Most recently, she has served as a Literacy Facilitator, Vice Principal and Principal. She has served as a classroom teacher for over fifteen years teaching both in New York and New Orleans. However, she is most proud of her work in returning to New Orleans immediately following Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild the education system of the city.
Sivi V. Domango, Director, Dibert Community School
Ms. Domango began her teaching career at Lusher Extension School in language arts, then joined the staff of James Lewis Extension School in history. Sivi was the Program Director for New Orleans Outreach for four years before coming to New Orleans Charter Middle School as the School Culture and Behavior Specialist. After Katrina, she worked for a year as Program Director in the Children’s Charter School in Baton Rouge. Ms. Domango returned to New Orleans to help take over and rebuild Samuel Green Charter School in 2006 as Director of Student and Family Support Services and Community Partnerships. She became Dean of Students and then Vice Principal at Green, as well as Director of Culture and Behavior for FirstLine Schools in 2008. She is a member of the 2008 class of Leading Educators, and a graduate of Joseph S. Clark High School, Class of '88, which is now a proud FirstLine School!
Diana J. Archuleta, Middle School Principal, Dibert Community School
Diana graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 2003 and came to New Orleans through Teach for America (TFA) at McDonogh #42 Elementary School. She taught fifth-seventh grade and became a Learning Team Leader for other TFA members her second year in the program. Ms. Archuleta became a Program Director at Teach for America New Orleans in 2005 and subsequently rose to become a Senior Program Director and then Managing Director of their operations. Diana has excelled at teacher retention and raising student achievement.
Alice Meyer, Primary School Principal, Dibert Community School
Alice graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, then went to work for Joshua Butler Elementary School through Teach for America. She was a first grade teacher and reading interventionist. In 2006 Ms. Meyer moved to New York City and became a Program Director for Teach for America. A year later she began teaching first grade and kindergarten at Edward Brooke Charter School in MA. She returned to New Orleans in 2009 as an Incubation School Leader at Samuel Green Charter School before becoming Primary School Principal at John Dibert Community School.
Mark Martin, School Director and Elementary Principal, Langston Hughes Academy
Currently the School Director of Langston Hughes Academy in New Orleans, Mark has firsthand experience running an effective charter school. Mark began his career in education as a Teach for America corps member teaching first grade in Atlanta. After earning his MBA from the University of Georgia, Mark moved to New Orleans where he co-founded Langston Hughes. Mark is deeply passionate about engaging families and community in the schoolʼs mission and investing students in their big dreams.
Jeanyll Morris, Middle School Principal, Langston Hughes Academy
Jeanyll Morris is originally from Atlanta, GA. She studied at Hampton University (BA), Auburn University (MBA) and Georgia State University (Teaching Cert) before beginning her teaching career in Atlanta Public Schools for 6 years. In 2008, she was accepted into New Leaders for New Schools and became a principal resident at Langston Hughes Academy. She became Middle School Principal in 2009, and was thrilled to graduate LHA's first 8th grade class in 2011.
Vanessa DeGuia, Co-Director, Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School Freshman Academy
Vanessa has a B.A. in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago and began her teaching career at John Hope College Preparatory High School on the south side of Chicago through Teach For America. She gained an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis University and served as a TFA Summer Institute Corps Member Advisor as well as a Teacher Selector for the Chicago Teaching Fellows program. After four years at John Hope, she joined the faculty of Pritzker College Prep as a Noble Network Founding Teacher and became the Director of School Culture for the Noble Network in 2008-9. Vanessa was also a founding member of 6 to 16 Curriculum Design Team at the University of Chicago. In addition to her passion for spokenn word poetry, she is currently pursuing her Ed.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership from Vanderbilt University.
Eric Milton, Co-Director, Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School Freshman Academy
Eric Milton was born and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago and earned a Bachelor’s degree from Olivet Nazarene University where he double majored in Physical and Health Education. One of the biggest highlights from college was getting to spend a semester in Romania, learning the language, people and culture. This is where his love of travel was sparked. Mr. Milton completed his master’s in Educational Leadership at Concordia University where he received his Type 75. He taught for over five years before becoming an athletic director at Pritzker College Prep in Chicago. Mr. Milton is excited about the education reform happening here in the lovely city of New Orleans.
Reginald Coleman, Principal of Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School, Core Program
Reginald graduated with a degree in Child Psychology from Lewis University, where he also played varsity basketball. Mr. Coleman worked with many non-profit organizations, such as Maryville Academy's Shelter for Boys and Girls and Luther Social Services Center before becoming the founding Dean of Discipline, Athletic Director and boys basketball coach at Chicago's ACE Tech Charter High School. In 2006 Mr. Coleman was the founding Dean of Discipline at Pritzker College Prep, a Noble Network School, where he also coached boys' and girls’ basketball and track, as well as serving as Athletic Director for the Noble Network. In 2010 he moved to New Orleans to bring his experience developing high performing urban high schools to Clark Prep.
Elizabeth Ostberg, Director of The NET @ Clark
After completing her masters degree at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in 2006, Elizabeth moved to New Orleans to help rebuild the public education system. She was the Director of Student Services at the New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School until 2008 when she joined the leadership team at FirstLine Schools. Prior to her work in New Orleans, Elizabeth was as a social worker in a Hispanic community in central Pennsylvania and then taught at and managed an education program for students who had dropped out of high school and adults who were returning to work from prison in Philadelphia.
