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Who Are Our Leaders

Maquita Alexander | Executive Director

M.S., Education Technology Leadership, George Washington University
B.S., Psychology & M.T. Early Childhood Education, Virginia Commonwealth University

 

An active problem solver and strategist, Maquita enables Yu Ying to utilize the flexibility of the charter school structure to maximize the benefits of immersion education. With over 20 years of public education experience, Maquita brings a wealth of knowledge to Washington Yu Ying PCS as Head of School. Beyond her normal responsibilities, Maquita integrates the values she promotes at Yu Ying into her everyday life. Whether she’s traveling to China to find potential sister school partnerships or immersing herself in local, national and global education conferences, Maquita is continuously looking for innovative ways to evolve the learning curriculum and student experience at Yu Ying. As a non-native Chinese speaker, she’s also hoping to soon become fully bilingual in Chinese. For now though, she “loves the chance to shape the future” by nurturing open-minded, global citizens that celebrate diversity.

Cheri Harrington | Chief Operating Officer

M.A., Public Administration, University of Massachusetts Amherst
B.S., Human Development from the University of California at Davis

 

With nearly 20 years of leadership experience in both the public and private sectors, Cheri is committed to ensuring Yu Ying’s continued success and long-term sustainability. Before Yu Ying, Cheri spent almost 10 years at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), where she analyzed social policies and made recommendations to Congress on ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of federal programs. She has extensive experience in budget analysis and operational effectiveness. As the COO of Yu Ying, Cheri goes above and beyond to ensure that Yu Ying provides an optimal learning environment for both students and staff.

Audrey d’Assignies

Human Resources Manager

B.A., International Affairs and Economics, American University of Paris

Stephanie James

Learning Support Coordinator

Master of Public Health (MPH), Walden University

M.S., Education Administration, Trinity University

Nicole Mayes

Assistant Principal

Bachelor’s Degree in History, a teacher certification, and a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration. Currently, Nicole is finishing her PhD in Adult and Continuing Education Leadership.

Brian Nelson

Systems Administrator

B.A., English, Frostburg State University

Jennifer Olin

Data Specialist

Master of Public Policy, University of Minnesota

Sarah Perkins

Grants Coordinator

MPH, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

MA, East Asian Studies, University of Pennsylvania

Amy Quinn

Co-founder & Director of Teaching and Learning

M.S., Education-Curriculum & Instruction, University of Kansas-Lawrence

Becky Rosenberg

PYP Coordinator

BS (Elementary Education) and MS (Curriculum and Instruction) from University of Wisconsin-Madison

Annie Schleicher

Director of Operations

B.A., Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh
B.A., English Education, Mercyhurst College

Lijin Yang

Chinese Curriculum Coordinator

Yu Ying Board Member

“I enrolled my daughter in Yu Ying because I insisted upon a world-class education in the basics, I wanted her to grow up with the skills to succeed as a global citizen. I joined the board because I wanted to ensure that Yu Ying will be twice as strong when it comes time to enroll my grandchildren in school.”

Board Members

As a nonprofit organization, Washington Yu Ying is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees.  Among its many duties, the board provides governance, fiscal oversight, and strategic planning for the school as we continue to work hard to provide a world-class education to students.  Yu Ying’s board meets monthly and holds an annual public meeting open to the whole school community.  Below is a list of Yu Ying’s current Board of Trustees.

Ned Cabot

Board Chair

Industry Manager, Government at Cisco Systems

Vincent Baxter

Vice Chair

Deputy Chief, Family Engagement, District of Columbia Public Schools

Fatema Sumar

Treasurer

Deputy Vice President, Millennium Challenge Corporation

Tom Porter

 

Vice President, Mid-Atlantic Region at Building Hope

Marcus Walker

Parent Representative

Director of Operations, DC Sustainable Energy Utility

Sarabeth Berman

 

Vice President of Public Affairs, Teach for All

Jose C. Sousa

 

Chief Administrative Officer, Urban Alliance

Kimberly Tignor

 

Public Policy Counsel, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights

Jevon Walton

 

Principal, The Philanx Group

Kelly Yee

 

Management Consultant at BCS Incorporated

Tzu-I (Amy) Lee

 

Employment Taxes Manager, PA Consulting Group, Inc.

Building Leadership

Yu Ying is constantly working towards enhancing the capacity of its educators. We do this because we know that our students’ success is intrinsically tied to the success of our teachers. Our teachers regularly participate in a variety of professional development, ranging from internally led workshops on classroom management to external trainings on inquiry-based education.

Our teachers also deepen their knowledge and hone their skills by attending and presenting at national conferences.  In fact, Yu Ying educators are often regular presenters at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and the National Chinese Language Conference.  Locally our staff lead learning sessions for International Baccalaureate Mid-Atlantic conference, Washington International Summer Institute for Teachers, and other various workshops in the DC Metro area.

Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School