Erica Jordan-Thomas

Charlotte
Reid Park Academy
Mentor Principal: Mary Sturge

“Sustainability is not good enough; New Leaders is about radical change in the name of students.”
Erica is a member of the third New Leaders cohort in Charlotte. She is a Resident Principal at Reid Park Academy, supporting the dynamic work that principal Mary Sturge and her team have begun. Erica is excited to join the team as Reid Park Academy transitions from a K-5 school to a school serving PreK-8 students.

Prior to joining New Leaders, Erica served as a program director at Teach For America – Charlotte ensuring that 32 first- and second-year teachers serving in 19 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools achieved significant gains with their students. Erica was a 2008 Teach For America Charlotte corps member and taught Geometry, Algebra II, Tech Math and Advanced Functions and Modeling at Olympic Renaissance High School. While teaching at Olympic Renaissance, Erica increased standardized test scores by 78% in Algebra II and 54% in Geometry. She says, “I felt so fulfilled seeing the joy in my students and the impact I had on their lives as a teacher that I was inspired to make the same happen for a school of students.” She decided to become a school leader because she saw that consistent great instruction school-wide is only possible when a strong principal is in place.

Erica grew up in Columbus, Ohio and attended Columbus Public Schools. A proud Buckeye, Erica graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts in textiles and clothing and a minor in business administration.

Guillaume Gendre

Washington, D.C.
McKinley Technology Campus
Mentor Principal: David Pinder

“I believe that the leader, as holder of the vision, has the responsibility to uphold the same rigorous academic standards for all students.”

With 13 years of experience in the field of education, including leadership, consulting and teaching, Guillaume is excited to be a member of the current New Leaders Washington, D.C. Cohort. He has held a wide array of different positions ranging from teaching French to being an assistant principal of McKinley Technology High School. Additionally, Guillaume was a 9^th grade dean of students for two years, an English as a Second Language Middle School Summer Program principal, and an assistant principal at Neil Armstrong Middle School in Oregon. As a teacher, he saw measurable results in his 10th grade classroom, increasing scores by 20 percent on the state reading assessment. He consistently held high expectations for all, especially focusing on English Language Learner students by working with their parents and creating academic extracurricular opportunities.

Through all of his involvement in education, he maintains that his vision is to “instill the belief that all students can be successful and provide the support to make sure they are.” Guillaume is a systems thinker skilled at developing processes, which is what leads to his past successes in motivating staff and students. Guillaume did his undergraduate studies in Paris, and then got his Master’s in Education at Portland State University, his administrative licensure at Lewis and Clark College, and later studied leadership at Harvard University.

James Dennis

Memphis
Craigmont Middle School
Mentor Principal: Reggie Jackson

“Being a New Leader means contributing to something bigger than myself. It means rolling up your sleeves and getting to work solving the problems in our educational system.”

James serves as a Resident at Craigmont Middle School (grades 6-8) under the guidance of Mentor Principal Reggie Jackson   Ninety-two percent of Craigmont’s 818 students are economically disadvantaged, with 89 percent African American, 7 percent Hispanic, and 3 percent white. James previously served as an English as Second Language teacher at another Memphis school. At his former school, he served on the School Leadership Team and chaired the Writing Committee, where he saw a 40 percent year-over-year gain in student writing achievement. James decided to pursue the path of school leadership because he believes that “it is wrong for good people to sit by and do nothing” when students are not achieving at the levels they are capable of.

So far James is enjoying his experience at his Residency site and is learning that “everything is not always as it seems.” He holds both a bachelor’s degree in English and Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Memphis. James is a Tennessee native and is married with three children.

Brandi Patterson

Bay Area
West Oakland Middle School
Mentor Principal: Ron Smith

“New Leaders affords me a network of support that would otherwise take me years to build.”

During her Residency Year, Brandi serves as an Assistant Principal at West Oakland Middle School under the mentorship of Principal Ron Smith. Prior to joining New Leaders, Brandi was a Math Specialist in OUSD, providing direct support to site administrators to further student math growth through increased teacher productivity. She also served as a math teacher, Instructional Coach, and Department Chair in LAUSD.

Brandi says that she initially entered education “without passion” – a young woman who needed a job. Once she began teaching, however, she became an eager learner, honing her teaching craft to better serve her students “because my students represented me and there was no option for less than stellar success.” In her final year in the classroom, Brandi taught a complete second-language Algebra 1 course comprised entirely of students who spoke only Spanish. By upholding a culture of high expectations, working with parents, and using data to drive instruction, she was able to produce impressive results. Her class scored at 75% proficiency on district assessments: higher than any ELL class on campus.

Brandi says that she discovered her passion in education was to get behind a cause: social justice. She aims to become an advocate for her community, using the school as a lever for change. As a school leader, she has the opportunity to drive results for more students, while also aligning staff, teachers, parents, and partners with her mission.

So far in her Residency experience, Brandi has tried to use every opportunity to reflect on her own practice, and is feeling very supported by her mentor principal and Leadership Coach.

Angie Cramer

Memphis
Shannon Elementary
Mentor Principal: Tisha L. White

“Being a New Leader means being a part of something bigger than myself.  I consider myself  a part of  the social justice movement to bring an excellent education to every student, in every circumstance.” 

Angie serves as a Resident at Shannon Elementary School under the guidance of New Leader Principal Tisha Stewart (Cohort 4).  Shannon has 252 students in grades PK-5 and is 100% African American and economically disadvantaged.  Immediately before joining New Leaders, Angie was a 3^rd grade teacher at Evangelical Christian School (ECS), a private school located in affluent suburbs of Memphis.  She received Outstanding Teacher Recognition at ESC in both 2007 and 2010.  Not content to rest during the summers, Angie grew her leadership skills as she served as Camp Director of ESC’s summer camp from 2007-2010.

Angie decided to become a school leader to bring her strengths in classroom instruction to a larger school community. She says that she has learned something new every day of her Residency Year. She is learning to balance the role of the instructional leader with all of the other daily tasks of a school’s leader. She is working with new teachers by modeling lessons, giving immediate feedback after observations, and helping them prepare their classroom environments and systems.

She holds an Education degree from the University of Missouri with emphasis in Special Education and Elementary Education.  She earned her Masters in Educational Leadership from Christian Brothers University. Angie is married and has two children and has called Memphis home for seven years.