New Dawn Charter Schools Leadership
New Dawn Charter Schools Organizational Model
While New Dawn policy is set by its Board of Trustees, the Board delegates day-to-day decision making to the Chief Executive Officer and holds the Chief Executive Officer responsible for the administration of policy, the execution of Board decisions, the operation of New Dawn and for keeping the Board informed about the operation of the school and other functions. In turn, the Chief Executive Officer delegates responsibility to members of the Leadership Team as necessary to ensure the efficient operation of New Dawn.
Chief Executive Officer: Dr. Sara M. Asmussen
New Dawn's CEO and founder, Dr. Sara M. Asmussen
Dr. Sara Asmussen, CEO of New Dawn Charter Schools, is from the state of Idaho and is an avid cat-lover. She is passionate about education and equity for all students. She has dedicated her career to being a champion for students, parents and families, faculty, and staff. She is responsible for all school operations and she is accountable to our Board of Trustees. Dr. Asmussen guides the policy of the school and follows through with Board decisions on a day to day basis.
In addition, Dr. A has been awarded numerous grant and funding opportunities. She has led the charge during financing, purchase, and full renovation of our founding location at 242 Hoyt Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.
E-mail: sasmussen@ndchsbrooklyn.org
THE NETWORK'S HIGHLY SKILLED LEADERSHIP TEAM INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS:
Dr. Lisa DiGaudio, Chief Academic Officer
E-mail: ldigaudio@ndchsqueens.org
Dr. DiGaudio was the Founding Principal of both the Brooklyn and Queens schools and is proud to support both campuses as the Chief Academic Officer. A graduate of Adelphi University, class of 1997, she was a History major and graduate of the Honors College. Lisa's passion for history grew from her admiration of her high school social studies teacher, and from there she knew that she had to pursue teaching to share that same passion for learning. The road to becoming a successful teacher was long and full of many roadblocks. However, by 2005, Lisa found her stride and settled into the charter school arena at Merrick Academy Charter School in Queens Village. It was there that she honed her pedagogical skills and grew into an administrator. From 2005 to the present, Lisa has been busy earning her Masters in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, her Advanced Certificate in Education Leadership, and finally in 2016, Lisa obtained her PhD in Leadership, Policy and Change in Education. In 2011, Lisa joined Dr. Asmussen in opening New Dawn Charter High School as a founding board member. In 2012, she became the Founding Principal of New Dawn Charter School - Brooklyn.
In addition to being passionate about teaching and learning, Lisa is also passionate about music. She has written and arranged music for small ensembles and has played professionally at various venues and musical productions. Dr. DiGaudio feels it is important to model for her staff, and she can be seen regularly teaching a class throughout the school year and for professional development sessions with larger cohorts of teachers and administrators through the PICCS project. Lisa views education as a lifelong process, and is confident that the excellent staff she leads at New Dawn will provide engaging opportunities for our students, ones that they will hopefully recall and be influenced by in their own career decisions.
Mrs. Nazli Flores, Chief Strategic Officer for College & Career Readiness
Ms. Dominique Fuentes, Chief Human Resources Officer
Email: dfuentes@ndchsbrooklyn.org
Ms. Donna Lobato, Chief Compliance Officer for Student Services
E-mail: dlobato@ndchsbrooklyn.org
Holding a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and Special Education from Dowling College, Ms. Lobato has been teaching special education for the past 20 years, ranging from Early Intervention services to high school students with a variety of populations. Her experience also ranges from classroom teacher to administrative roles both in public and private school settings, but she always maintains a connection with students by teaching classes and collaborating with faculty. Donna enjoys the challenging of finding ways and strategies to support student success. When she is not working Donna enjoys time on the beach with a good book.
Mr. Jose A. Obregon, Chief Operations Officer
E-mail: jobregon@ndchsbrooklyn.org
September 2017 saw Jose Obregon become a member of New Dawn Charter Schools as Director of Operations. An alumni of Aviation High School in New York City, after graduating, Jose joined the Army National Guard. Earning a Bachelor of Science degree in History and Political Science from Excelsior College in Albany, New York. Upon graduating from college, Jose entered active duty and served for over 22 years in the U.S. Army. During his military career, Jose held various command and staff positions. Jose's last assignment was that of officer in charge of Forward Operating Base Summerall in Bayi, Iraq from 2004-2005. Jose retired from active military service in 2006. Additionally, Mr. Obregon earned a Master of Science degree in Security Management from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.
He joined the public charter school system in New York City upon retiring from military service. In the last 14 years, Jose has been instrumental in organizing and opening several charter schools in the Bronx and Brooklyn, New York. In his first charter school assignment, Jose was the New Charter School’s Business Manager and the founding Principal’s Senior Administrator. This role expanded, and he was set in the role of Facilities Manager where he was responsible for all facilities and security oversight of seven affiliated schools. Mr. Obregon later performed in an operations/facilities manager capacity in another charter school network also located in the Bronx, New York. Similarly to his last role, he is responsible for various functions within our network of schools including the oversight of daily operational tasks and manages the school food program, student transportation, finance, facilities, and compliance reporting. During Jose’s last charter school assignment and in the absence of the Principal, Jose was the senior administrator in charge for six months before being selected for his current role at New Dawn Charter Schools. In his tenure at New Dawn Charter Schools, Mr. Obregon has successfully managed a temporary move from our founding location for one year, was instrumental in opening and executing all operational procedures for New Dawn Charter High School II in Jamaica, Queens, and leads our Security, Maintenance, and Office staff. He is also a member of the New Dawn Charter Schools Safety Committee.
Mr. Steve Ramkissoon, Chief Financial Officer
OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF WORKING AT BOTH BROOKLYN AND QUEENS LOCATIONS
Mr. Ashish Abraham, Recruitment and Marketing Specialist
E-mail:aabraham@ndchsqueens.org
Ms. Annick Aska, College and Career Readiness Manager
Email: aaska@ndchsbrooklyn.org
Ms. Emily Predmore, Data Specialist
Serving as the Data Specialist for New Dawn Charter High Schools, Ms. Predmore works with staff members and students to assist with ongoing instructional technology operations, as well as with student data management. She holds NYS teacher certification in Secondary Biology. Ms. Predmore previously served as the founding science teacher at New Dawn Queens and as a science teacher in NYCDOE. She holds an M.A. in science education from New York University and a B.S. in Biology/Neuroscience from Haverford College in Haverford, PA. Ms. Predmore is a native of Central New York who has resided in West Harlem for over 10 years. In her spare time, she enjoys watching baseball and basketball as an avid fan of the Yankees and Nets, reading nonfiction, listening to all types of music, and volunteering in the community.
