Announcing Yu Ying's New Executive Directory
Dear Yu Ying Community,
We are delighted to announce that the Board of Trustees has unanimously approved Carlie Fisherow as Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School’s next Executive Director. This announcement is the culmination of a robust search conducted by Edgility, which included more than 60 applicants from around the country. Yu Ying community members – including students, families, faculty, staff and Trustees – participated in the search process, from defining the core attributes of the next Executive Director, which informed the job description and selection process, to engaging directly with the finalists. With the community’s insight, we were able to select an inspirational leader who is aligned with Yu Ying’s mission and vision and will lead us into the future.
Here is what community members shared about Carlie:
“Experience as a teacher and then leadership positions in DC areas make her a great fit; she understands what opportunities and challenges we face; she is invested in the school community; it sounds to me she can get things done!”
– Staff member
“She’s a known and respected instructional leader. She has family engagement credibility with deep experience East of the River. The funders know and love her. She’s well-connected with city government, and understands the flow of education, politics and policy in this city. Decision-makers across both sectors (charters and DCPS) collaborate with her. She’s an excellent team builder who teachers will trust.”
– Vincent Baxter, parent of former Yu Ying students and previous Yu Ying Board of Trustees Chair
“Carlie is bringing really valuable relationships and experience in DC schools leadership to the role, while also offering fresh perspective and energy to drive Yu Ying’s next phase.”
– Liza Douglas, parent and Yu Ying Board Trustee
We are so excited for you to get to know Carlie. She has been a part of the Yu Ying community for the past two years, first as a PreK 3 room parent for the Water Buffalo classroom, and this year as a supporter of Parent Association events including the Lunar New Year Celebration and KidFest. Professionally, she most recently served as the Chief of Staff in the Office of the DC Deputy Mayor of Education, where she worked closely on COVID-19 recovery initiatives and helped support the development of annual Mayoral budgets by working across agencies on more than two dozen initiatives to stabilize the early childcare sector, accelerate K-12 learning and promote youth safety.
Carlie is proud to have spent much of her career working with DC schools and nonprofit leaders. Since graduating from Georgetown, she taught elementary and middle school, was the Founding Principal at Excel Academy Public Charter School, DC’s first public charter school for girls, and served in chief-level roles at Scholar Academies/DC Scholars Community Schools. Carlie was also the principal at DC Scholars Stanton Elementary, where she helped the campus become a national model for family and community engagement, led measurable student performance improvements, and built a supportive program for teachers resulting in 95% staff retention. Carlie also holds a Master of Arts in teaching from American University. She is thrilled to join the Yu Ying team as the next Executive Director. She is committed to learning from the incredible team here and balancing inquiry with action, as she leads the Yu Ying team into its next exciting chapter.
Carlie will start meeting with Maquita Alexander, Amy Quinn, Melissa Volpe and staff this month so she can hit the ground running when she officially starts on July 5. She looks forward to launching a series of engagements with the Yu Ying community over the summer. Stay tuned for more in the coming week.
We would like to thank Maquita for 13 years of outstanding service to the Yu Ying community. We are also grateful that she will work as a special advisor to Carlie over the summer to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
In partnership,
Kelly Yee
Chair, Washington Yu Ying Board of Trustees