Kaye Savage – Executive Director

Kaye Savage began her career as a certified special education teacher working with low-income students in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Her passion to make a difference led to policy research work at the Urban Institute and later into the public service arena concentrating on local and federal government programs targeting urban economically distressed communities. Kaye worked in the White House on the Historical Black College and Universities (HBCUs) Initiative. Most recently, she served the Program Manager for the District of Columbia Family Education Network, a special parent training initiative of Fight For Children.  She has also worked as the National Director for the 21st Century School Fund and as special Project Manager on a staff augmentation contract in the Office of Facilities Management of the District of Columbia Public Schools. Kaye began her college education at Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia and completed her undergraduate work with high honors at Howard University where she also earned a Master’s of Science degree with distinction with a concentration in developmental psychology. Kaye was an Intergovernmental Fellow during her tenure at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and earned her MPA from the University of Southern California. Kaye is a Building Excellent Schools Fellow.

Caroline John – Founding Principal

Caroline John has been involved in education in Atlanta and Washington, DC for a number of years. She attended leadership training at Building Excellent Schools in the fall of 2007. Ms. John was a founding literacy teacher at KIPP DC: AIM Academy.  As a founding KIPP school team member she committed to building an institution based on five values--respect, responsibility, achievement, enthusiasm, and teamwork.  At the conclusion of her first year with KIPP, Ms. John received the Kimsey Award for Excellence in Teaching.  During her second year, Ms. John assumed the role of fifth grade level chair and was responsible for providing academic and community leadership to staff and students.  The second class of fifth graders made significant growth in reading; entering with STANFORD 10 scores at the 11% and concluding the year at the 39%.  Prior to coming onboard at KIPP, Ms. John was an active member of the Washington, DC Teach for America corps: recruiting incoming corps members from Georgetown University, helping pioneer DC corps’ Adopt a Teacher program, contributing to the 2005 Teach for America Curriculum Guide on Classroom Management and Community Building, and presenting workshops to 06-07 corps.  Ms. John was nominated for the Sue Lehman Award for Excellence in Teaching. Ms. John currently holds a BA in English from Georgetown University and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from American University. 

Lela Hackley-Johnson – Dean of Students

Lela Johnson joined the Excel Academy team as the Special Education Coordinator in 2008.  Throughout the founding year, she has served an integral member of the Academic Leadership Team by creating the innovative and effective student development curriculum and family support program.  She has devoted the past ten years to supporting children with special academic, emotional, and social needs. These experiences have included working with pre-school age children with autism, teaching students with emotional and learning disabilities, and monitoring special education programs throughout the District of Columbia.  Ms. Johnson is originally from Rockville, Maryland and received her undergraduate degree from University of Maryland Baltimore County.  Ms. Johnson also holds a Master’s in Special Education from George Washington University.

Kanika Mobley – Co-Teacher

Kanika Mobley began her career at Excel Academy as a Kindergarten lead teacher.  She will provide support for the Excel team to ensure the commitment to maintaining rigorous instruction to ensure academic achievement and success.  Ms. Mobley is originally from New Jersey and move to Atlanta to attend university.  She graduated from Spelman College with a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development.  She is a certified elementary teacher and is currently working towards an additional reading specialist endorsement.  As a public school teacher, Ms. Mobley was instrumental in designing and implementing school wide initiatives.  She successfully incorporated Success For All and America’s Choice school reform models and curricula into her engaging classroom environment.  Ms. Mobley also designed a school wide behavior modification plan to support a strong school culture.  For the past two years Ms. Mobley has served as the First Grade Chairperson and New Teacher Mentor. In this leadership role, she mentored new teachers, incorporated technology into the curriculum, and developed grade wide thematic units across all instructional goals. 

Larry C. Jiggetts – Chief Information Officer

Larry Jiggetts is a native Washingtonian with a wealth of knowledge and insight into the political, social, and educational landscape of our city.  Mr. Jiggetts attended Howard University where he majored in Education.  He received a Master’s of Information Technology from American InterContinental University.  Mr. Jiggetts has extensive experience working with youth in Washington D.C. and has worked as a substitute teacher and youth shelter program administrator. Mr. Jiggetts worked at the White House as a Computer Technician and at the Pentagon as a Network Engineer and Information Security Supervisor.  He is a Certified Information System Security Professional, a Certified Information Security Specialist, a Certified Network Engineer, a Microsoft Certified Professional, and a Comp-TA Certified A+ Network Technician.  Excel Academy benefits from his expertise as an engineer and information security specialist.

Christina Cupani – Lead Teacher

Christina Cupani joins Excel Academy after two years as a Program Director with Teach For America in Atlanta.  Originally from the Washington, DC area, Ms Cupani moved south to attend Davidson College in North Carolina.  During her college experience Ms. Cupani spent a semester in Spain and continued to work towards fluency in Spanish.  After graduation she joined Teach For America in Atlanta and taught kindergarten at Benteen Elementary.  Utilizing research based early childhood practices, Ms. Cupani lead all of her students to writing paragraphs, reading on or above a first grade level and achieving 80% of all Georgia State Kindergarten standards.  After her experience in the corps Ms. Cupani transitioned into a leadership and mentoring role as a Program Director with TFA.  In her first year she was recognized as the top performing Program Director in the nation, with 81% of supervised teachers making student gains of at least 1.5 years of growth in reading. 

Courtney Jackson – Lead Teacher

Courtney Jackson is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia majoring in Early Childhood Development.  She has received her Master of Arts in Curriculum Instruction from Central Michigan University.  Ms. Jackson has almost a decade of instructional experience having taught Kindergarten, 1st and 3rd grades throughout the state of Georgia.  She has also served as a volleyball and cheerleading coach.  Ms. Jackson volunteered with several organizations, including March for Dimes Walk for America, AIDS Walk, and Hands on Atlanta.

Kerri McKay – Lead Teacher

Ms. McKay’s classroom experience has shown her that boys and girls need different strategies and approaches to instruction.  She is excited to offer a meaningful and individualized educational experience to Excel’s founding students.  Ms. McKay has many years of experience working with students in the early childhood setting.  She attended Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, where she graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education. She has taught students from infancy to third grade.  For the past two years Ms. McKay has been working with first grade students at Renaissance Advantage Charter School in Philadelphia. 

Stephanie Mishik – Lead Teacher

Stephanie Mishik most recently served as a learning team leader with Teach for America where she designed and trained corps members with instructional design, data analysis, classroom management, assessment, and elementary writing and literacy skills.  She has taught Kindergarten and 6th grade, and has coordinated the improvement of mathematics instruction at her former school. Ms. Mishik is a graduate of Lafayette College. While in college, she was the co-president for Alternate Spring Break, an organization that coordinates college students and faculty to work on issues of sustainable development, affordable housing, HIV/AIDS, hunger and homelessness, and disaster relief.

Kiarna Morrison – Lead Teacher

Kiarna Morrison is extremely excited to join Excel Academy. Kiarna was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Development with a concentration in Early Childhood Education from Howard University School of Education in 2007. While a student at Howard, Kiarna was extremely active in various mentoring and tutoring programs throughout the District. This is Kiarna’s second year as a teacher in Washington, D.C and she spent last year teaching pre-kindergarten to homeless children in the Nation’s Capitol. Kiarna is committed to providing quality early childhood education to all students and is honored to be a part of Excel Academy’s founding staff. 

Whitney Naman – Lead Teacher

Whitney Naman joins the Excel Academy Team with a decade of teaching experience.  Ms. Naman has served as an Adjunct Professor at the School of Continuing and Professional Studies of the University of Virginia. She has taught in North Carolina, Virginia, and England. She has worked with and visited a school in Guatemala to educate her students on global poverty. Ms. Naman has also secured several instructional grants to enhance her teaching of international and cultural awareness.  Ms. Naman has completed her PhD coursework at the Curry School of Education of the University of Virginia.  She received her Master’s Degree in Teaching from Queens University in North Carolina, and her Bachelor of Arts from James Madison University.  She holds a Virginia Pre-K 6 Postgraduate professional license.

Nikki Ayanna Stewart – Lead Teacher

Nikki Ayanna Stewart joins Excel Academy’s early childhood faculty as a Lead Pre-K 3 Teacher for the 2008-09 school year.  Nikki was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois by a large family of public school teachers and education reformers.  She received a B.A. in Sociology from Spelman College, an M.A. in Women’s Studies from the University of Maryland, and is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Women’s Studies and Minority and Urban Education at the University of Maryland.  Nikki has worked extensively with girls and youth in Washington, DC, including serving as the DC Community Coordinator for Girls Incorporated, as a Youth Leadership Consultant for DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, and as a classroom teacher at the Washington Middle School for Girls.  She has also conducted research on African American girls, visual media and education, which is the subject of her doctoral dissertation. 

Julianna Tabor – Lead Teacher

Julianna Tabor received her Master of Arts in Education degree with a concentration in Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies from Stanford University, and her Bachelor of Arts from Duke University, cum laude.  She studied at the London School of Economics while in college.  She has served Teach For America in several capacities as a 1st Grade teacher, a mentor, and a transition team leader.  She also has been a mathematics differentiation specialist and a mentor/tutor for young girls in rural Durham. Ms. Tabor has collaborated with the South Africa Department of Education to research, analyze, and reform a local high school through ground-up reform.

Samantha Greenwald – Co-Teacher

Ms. Greenwald was born in Baltimore, Maryland and raised in St. Louis, Missouri.  She attended Carleton College where she received her BA in History.  Ms. Greenwald has both domestic and international work experience in the field of international development, particularly in the areas of gender and education.  She also has experience teaching in summer school and afterschool programs serving public school students of all ages in St. Louis, Missouri and the District of Columbia.  Samantha believes deeply in the power of education and can think of nothing more challenging and invigorating than helping a child discover and realize her true potential.

Calder Telep – Co-Teacher

Calder Telep was born and raised in Charlottesville, VA and later went on to attend college in her hometown, receiving her BA in psychology from the University of Virginia.  She has spent the past two summers teaching natural sciences to 5th through 12th graders at Nature Camp in the George Washington National Forest and has volunteer experience working with children of all ages. 

Rebecca Haskell – Co-Teacher

Rebecca Haskell is truly honored and excited to join Excel Academy’s teaching team. Rebecca was born and raised in San Francisco, CA and was accepted early decision into Boston University’s School of Education where she majored in Elementary Education. A combination of Rebecca’s own experience as a student as well as her volunteer teaching positions inspired her to join the classroom and cemented a lifelong passion for education. Rebecca not only views education as within the walls of the classroom, but one of learning through experience, character development and guiding future leaders. Rebecca holds herself to the same educational philosophy and expectations that she has for her students and finished off her BU career winning the Scarlet Key award for excellence in campus and community leadership. Rebecca is passionate about learning, world cultures, and problem-solving towards progress – all qualities that are embodied in Excel Academy Public Charter School.  

Kimberly Colley – Teaching Fellow

Kimberly Colley is a 2009 graduate of Davidson College where she majored in German and minored in Music.  She studied German and Austrian language and culture at Salzburg College in Austria.  While in college, she was the team captain of the track and field team for three years.  She is the current school record holder in six indoor and outdoor sprint events. She has served as a piano teacher, teaching assistant, tutor, and Sunday school teacher. Ms. Colley is a violinist and pianist. She was a member of the Davidson College Symphony Orchestra, and is a pianist at the Independent Baptist Church in Georgetown.

Erin Lavigna – Teaching Fellow

Erin Lavigna is a 2009 graduate from University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and received her Bachelor of Arts in Advertising and finished magna cum laude. While in college, she interned as an advertising and marketing intern.  Ms. Lavigna comes to Excel with a diverse background in teaching having taught in a rural school in India and participated in Teach for America’s Summer Institute. 

Cassie Lynott – Teaching Fellow

Cassie Lynott is an experienced artist, photographer, and curator.  Most recently, she served as the volunteer and tour coordinator at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.  Ms. Lynott is also a resident artist at the B&C Multi Art Studio in Glen Echo Park where she teaches children and teens about art of various media.   She has constructed garments for theater productions, taken family and child portraits, and assisted with commissioned artwork.  Ms. Lynott is a graduate of Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. She also studied in Cameroon for a semester after which she published a work on ritual performance, royal and ceremonial art.

Lauren Price – Teaching Fellow

Lauren Price graduated from the University of Kentucky majoring in Broadcast Journalism with a concentration in Public Policy.  Ms. Price has gained experience in the media, political, and education fields.  She has worked as a producer, reporter, and anchor for both radio and television.  She served as deputy communications director for a Kentucky Gubernatorial Primary. Most recently, Ms. Price was the deputy to the founding partner of Dixon/Davis Media Group where she worked on the Barack Obama Media Team.  She has been a camp counselor, tutor and a substitute teacher.

Courtney Tuz – Teaching Fellow

Courtney Tuz has lived in New Orleans, Memphis, and Charlottesville, VA. A graduate of Wofford College with a B.A. in Intercultural Studies for Business and a minor in Spanish, Ms. Tuz has studied in Salamanca, Spain and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Courtney taught English as a Second Language to adults in Spartanburg, SC, and Buenos Aires. For the past seven summers Ms. Tuz has worked as a counselor, moving up to senior staff, at a coed camp in Arkansas.