Mission & Vision

Celeste Douglas-Terry,

Community Superintendent

Kwanisha Young,

Superintendent Administrative Assistant

Daveida Daniel,

Director of District Development

Shirley Wheeler-Massey,

Executive Director

Simone Hampton,

 Achievement and Instructional Specialist

Kishayna Hazelwood,

Achievement and Instructional Specialist

Allyson Smith,

Felicia Johnson,

ML/ELL Services Administrator

Simone is a passionate education leader and proud mother who is committed to advocacy and being a voice for students in all spaces.  She is a product of New York City Public Schools and seeks to contribute to the school system that helped to cultivate her into the leader she is today.  During her 21 years, she continues to work towards educational transformation for students in underserved communities.  She believes that it is a moral imperative to continuously develop to meet the needs of students and school communities to impact student achievement and create healthy, productive, and sustainable communities. Prior to joining District 18 she served as a Borough Instructional Lead in the Division of Teaching and Learning within the Brooklyn South Borough Office, which served five school districts of New York City Public Schools.  This work required building cross functional relationships with other Divisions within the Borough Office, District Teams, and School Communities to conduct needs assessments, analyze student and school data, to determine the necessary supports for schools.

Kishayna is an Education Leader committed to removing barriers and creating positive outcomes for all students. Her contributions to the field of education span various roles, including classroom teacher, peer collaborative teacher, new teacher mentor, Chair of Community School Advisory Board, Member of Governor Cuomo's Common Core Standards Task Force, Member of the NYSED Standards Review Committee to develop Next Generation Standards, UFT (United Federation of Teachers) Teacher Center Specialist, Developer, Instructional Coach, and her most recent role as Academic Response Team Specialist at Brooklyn South Borough Center Office where she coached school leaders and designed systems and structures to ensure schools have the support needed to help students achieve.   

Allyson's career as an educator span two decades. She began her journey as an elementary teacher in Brooklyn before becoming a Borough Instructional Lead in Literacy. Her 13 years of classroom teaching experience along with leadership roles have given her the prowess to provide schools with meaningful support to help improve teaching and learning.

Felicia is a graduate of St. John's University with a Bachelor’s degree in Childhood Education and a Master’s in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages K-12. She is also a graduate of Touro University with a Master’s degree in School Building and District leadership. Felicia has over ten years of educational experience working as an ENL Teacher, Coordinator, department lead and currently an ML/ELL Services Administrator. Throughout her years working with the NYC Department of Education, she has written advisory and ENL curriculums, an ENL handbook, provided professional development on ways to scaffold and modify instruction and organized and hosted Family Engagement events. Felicia has also been a PREP coach for a Postsecondary Readiness Program for MLLs and a testing coordinator. Felicia holds a mentor certification; where she has previously mentored fellow colleagues and plans to share her passion for teaching and expertise in support of all MLL students across District 18.

Valerie Paul,

Student Services Manager

Nigel Powell,

Supervisor of School Social Workers

Raquel Berry,

Special Education Administrator

Nadya Laborde-Williams,

 Attendance Coordinator

Valerie is a Servant and Transformational Leader. She has been committed to the educational field for the past twenty-one years, and her educational philosophy is rooted in the belief that all children can and will learn.  Valeria received her Bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College in Childhood Education, a Master’s Degree in School Leadership from Touro College, and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University. She is a graduate of the NYC Leaders in Education Apprenticeship Program (LEAP). Valerie served in various educational and leadership capacities, such as an Assistant Teacher, School-Based Data Specialist, Academic Instructional Coach, Classroom Teacher, Teacher Recruitment Coordinator, Assistant Principal, and Principal.   She is the mother of three handsome boys. She is also a Children’s Author and Certified Life coach.  She is excited about this opportunity and looks forward to learning and growing together! 

 Nigel is here to support our school community during these unprecedented times where our students present with various issues that can be impediments towards their academic success. She comes with over 20 years of experience as a Social Worker, with much of that experience coming from her work in a clinical outpatient mental health facility and working in the DOE as a SBST (School Based Support Team) School Social Worker. Nigel is also trained in Restorative Practices, Life Space Crisis Intervention, Grief, Loss, and Bereavement, Trauma Informed Therapy, Solution Focus Brief Therapy, and Family Engagement.

Raquel Berry is an Administrator of Special Education. Throughout her career, she has worked with special education students and staff in various capacities, including both teaching and supervising. She has been supporting District 18 for the past 6 years, working with Principals, school staff and District 18 parents. She looks forward to continuing support in District 18 to ensure all students with disabilities receive the appropriate accommodation to be successful.  

Nadya has been an educator with the New York City Department of Education for over 25 years with experience at public, charter, and graduate level settings. As a NYC public school teacher, she taught middle school science for grades six through eight, served as District 23 Summer Staff Developer for Veteran Teachers, and led her students to have the highest average proficiency in science for the district. Expanding her talents in the charter school realm, she served as founding academic dean of the National Blue Ribbon awarded, Achievement First Bushwick Middle School. During her tenure, she also served as Science Department Chair and Science Coach. Compelled to prepare teachers not just in the field but those preparing and building their pedagogical toolbox, she worked as an adjunct professor at Hunter College, supporting rising and in-service teachers with effective planning in science. In 2011, she returned to NYC DOE public schools as a District 23 assistant principal and has led in that capacity for the last 11 years while accepting opportunities to serve as multi-district Extended School Year Supervisor and interim-acting principal. 

Kristen Pelekanakis,

Academic Policy, Performance, and Assessment (APPA)

Kay Murray,

 AIS Coordinator

Darla Jones,

AIS Coordinator

Stephanie Howard

Family Support Coordinator

Kristen is the Academic Policy & Performance Assessment Specialist (APPA).  Kristen has more than 20 years of experience in NYC Public Schools and has worn many hats. She has worked as a classroom teacher,  instructional coach, and Assistant Principal across three districts. She is proud to serve the students, staff, and school leadership of District 18!

Kay is an educator who has taught in New York City public schools for over 15 years serving schools in both district 16 and 18. She has worked to support schools in a variety of roles including AI provider, TLP teacher developer/leader, mentor teacher. Kay's most recently was as a universal literacy coach supporting school communities within district 18. In this role she worked with school building leaders, teachers, students and families to ensure continuance of educational equity.

Darla has twenty-two plus years of teaching and learning experience. Some of her educational service roles include the following: teacher, theater teacher, Teacher Advisory Board member (Chancellor Levy); teacher leadership roles:  new teacher mentor, academic intervention services provider, data/testing coordinator, teacher ambassador, field visitor coordinator, teacher selector, and her most recent role as a Universal Literacy Reading Coach (District 18). Darla is honored to continue the work of ‘cracking the reading code’ for ALL of our earliest learners to thrive

Stephanie Howard has over 14 years of expertise in customer service and patient care. Her extensive background in delivering top-notch service and her unwavering dedication to client satisfaction have been pivotal in her career. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, enhancing her ability to understand and cater to individual needs. Her commitment to her role goes beyond professional duty; it's a reflection of her deep empathy and passion for making a positive impact. 

Christoper Padmore

Senior Achievement Manager and Instructional Specialist

Rashiem O'Connor

Family Leadership Coordinator

Christopher Padmore is an educator who has worked for the NYC Department of Education for nearly 20 years. He has fostered innovative leadership as school principal of D18’s Middle School for Art and Philosophy and demonstrated an unwavering enthusiasm and commitment to youth education, cultivating creativity, intellectual curiosity, and critical thinking at the crucial stages of learning and youth development. In 2020, Mr. Padmore moved to Atlanta where he worked as an Executive Leadership Coach for Elementary and Middle School principals. He focused on providing equitable access to higher-quality instructional opportunities for historically marginalized communities, students of color, and students living in poverty. Upon his return to NYC, he returned to the role of principal at D13’s PS 44, The Marcus Garvey Magnet School for Engineering and Design where he developed a culture of using data to drive instructional practices and create project-based learning opportunities for his students.

With over two decades of experience in youth development and community engagement, Rashiem O’Connor, also known affectionately as Mr. O brings a diverse range of qualifications and training to the role of Family Leadership Coordinator, as a dedicated professional. His extensive background includes expertise in the principles of youth development, workshop facilitation, coaching, mentoring, and staff development. He has honed his skills in these and other areas ensuring the successful execution of programs and initiatives. Within his professional years of commitment to program quality and evaluation, coupled with his proficiency in group facilitation and training development, it has allowed him to drive positive outcomes in various settings, most recently as Community School Director at P.S. 272, for the past 6 years. Mr. O has successfully built and maintained critical relationships with various stakeholders, including students, parents, administration, faculty, and community partners. His ability to identify viable partnerships and recruit and develop collaboration agreements has been instrumental in the success of the communities in which he served.