Executive Coaches

Each practitioner works with an executive leadership coach for 6 months. Our leadership coaches are alumni of the Distinguished Program who have been trained and certified at the Berkeley University Institute for Executive Coaching. As a listener and a thought partner the coach will help our practitioners discover what matters while remaining open to outcomes. 

Sharon Briscoe

Cahn Fellow 2019
Principal, Mary Lin Elementary School, Atlanta Public Schools
Atlanta, GA

  • Sharyn Briscoe has been the principal at Mary Lin Elementary since 2015. Prior to this role, she served as the Program Administrator at Morris Brandon Primary and the principal of Cook Elementary. Originally from New Jersey, Sharyn moved to Atlanta to attend Spelman College and Georgia State University. She began as a teacher in Atlanta Public Schools in 1994, moving on to become a Model Teacher Leader and then Assistant Principal. Sharyn has served on the Superintendent’s Principal Advisory Council, is a Principal Mentor for new principals in APS, and received awards for Leading Politically and Capacity Building. Mary Lin Elementary has been awarded the Gold Award from the state of Georgia for Highest Performance on the Georgia Milestones Assessment. Sharyn’s favorite part about being a principal is spending time with the students and watching them thrive.

Jodie Cohen

Cahn Fellow 2020
Principal, James Madison High School, New York City Department of Education
Brooklyn, NY

  • Jodie Cohen has dedicated much of her life to creating and sustaining an inclusive culture at James Madison High School. As a student she led the boosters and was a captain of her SING team in each of her years at Madison, bringing the student body together under her vision. She returned four years later as an English teacher in Madison’s burgeoning Humanities House and built it into the largest of all of Madison’s houses, building bridges between English and Social Studies curricula to better meet students’ needs. In 2008 she became the APO of Madison and continued her work of building bridges throughout the school and the community.

    When she assumed the principalship of Madison in 2013, it was not long before her vision for an inclusive, closely-knit community became manifest. With student achievement at the forefront of every decision, she interwove support at every level for students, parents, and teachers, empowering them to answer for themselves the question that drives Madison: What’s Next?

Amber Cronin

Cahn Fellow 2020
Principal, Lithia Springs Elementary School, Hillsborough County Public Schools
Tampa, FL

  • Amber Cronin is has been a Principal in Hillsborough County, Florida for nearly a decade. She received her Undergraduate Degree in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida in 2001, and her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from NOVA Southeastern University in 2006. She has been a passionate educator since 2002, serving in Title One schools her entire career in the capacity of teacher, Assistant Principal for Instruction, and most currently, Principal.

    Amber has had the privilege to present to nationwide audiences at conferences including Learning Forward and the National Summit for Principal Supervisors. Throughout her career, she has served on panels for candidate entry to Hillsborough County-based Future Leaders Academy and the Principal Pipeline. She has also served as a mentor to new Assistant Principals, provided professional development to the participants in the Assistant Principal Induction Program, trained district-wide professional development offerings, and served on both the Assistant Principal Council Executive Board and Principal Council Executive Board. Turnaround Leadership is a passion of hers, and she is dedicated to ensuring every child receives a high quality, equitable education.

Maribel Dotres

Cahn Fellow 2019
Administrative Director, Professional Learning/ Career Development, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Miami, FL

  • Maribel Dotres began her career more than twenty years ago in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. During her career, Maribel has held various leadership roles including Lead Teacher, Educational Specialist and Assistant Principal. She served as Principal of Palm Springs North Elementary Community School that serves over one thousand students and offers a variety of enrichment programs including the Cambridge Elementary Level Program which is offered school-wide. As a school leader, Maribel believes that the most important contribution she can make is to ensure that she develops future leaders committed to diversity and inclusion. She strongly supports that creating, embedding and embracing a distributed leadership approach, ultimately, improves the culture of teaching and learning. This commitment has contributed to the academic growth and success of the school.

    Maribel currently serves as Administrative Director of Professional Learning and Career Development with Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

Terrycita Perry

Cahn Fellow 2019
Deputy Chief of Schools, Network 12, Chicago Public Schools
Chicago, IL

  • Terrycita Perry was born and raised in Chicago Illinois. She is a product of the Chicago Public School System, attending Arthur Dixon Elementary School, and Chicago Vocational High School. Terrycita holds a Bachelors in Special Education, from Chicago State University; a Masters in Early Childhood Development from Chicago State University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Loyola University-Chicago. She has 4 years of experience as a principal, 10 years of experience as an assistant principal, 7 years of experience as a special education teacher, and 5 years of experience as a daycare teacher and teacher assistant. Terrycita was the principal of (her alma mater) Dixon Elementary School. Dr. Perry was the 2002 recipient of (Comer’s) Teacher of the Year, the Network 12 Principal of the Year for 2018, and was recently inducted into her high school’s hall of fame. She serves on the Principal Advisory Council, Professional Learning Community team; Summer Institute for administrators committee and is a principal mentor for the district. She was promoted to the Deputy Chief of Schools in Network 12, CPS, in 2021.

    Dr. Perry’s school is ranked at a CPS Level 1+, ranking #7 as one of the best elementary schools in Chicago. Under Dr. Perry’s leadership, Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel visited the school recognizing the school’s accomplishment for receiving a perfect score on the school quality rating report. Her recent travels to Alaska, Rome, and China broadened Terrycita’s knowledge and exposed her to new and different strategies to bring back to the students. Terrycita’s mission is to travel around the world to work with children.

    She is a recipient of the 2020 Excellence in Leadership Award.

Dr. Marilou Rebolledo

Cahn Fellow 2019
Principal, Chicago World Language Academy, Chicago Public Schools
Chicago, IL

  • Marilou Rebolledo was raised on the island of Guam and moved to Chicago where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Marilou wanted to further her learning in education and received her Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Governor’s State University and also became a National Board Certified Teacher. From these experiences, she found her strengths as a teacher leader developing a strong, rigorous program for early learners, participating in various school committees, and school-wide workshops. In 2010, Marilou transitioned into a school-wide role and became the Assistant Principal co-leading the academic and social-emotional success of all students as well as increasing family engagement school-wide. Being in these different capacities was a catalyst to go further in her career. In 2013 she became a Cahn Ally and an Emerging Leader through the New Leaders Chicago program. Marilou’s passion for school leadership inspired her to seek her Doctorate of Education in Administration and Supervision at Loyola University Chicago. Marilou is currently the principal of the Chicago World Language Academy, formerly named Andrew Jackson Language Academy where her career began over twenty-five years ago. Marilou lives in Chicago with her husband and two daughters.

    In 2022, the Illinois State Board of Education’s Official Summative Designation for Chicago World Language Academy is: EXEMPLARY.

Zawadaski Robinson

Cahn Fellow 2020
Principal, Forest Hill Academy, Atlanta Public Schools
Atlanta, GA

  • Zawadaski Robinson started serving as the principal of Forrest Hill Academy in 2015. Having earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Clark Atlanta University, Zawadaski has strategically impacted scholars in the roles of middle and high school teacher, Instructional Coach and Assistant Principal for the Atlanta Public School System.

    He earned a Master of Public Administration from Troy State University and a Doctorate of Education from Clark Atlanta University. It has been his vision to develop a strong culture of communication, learning, and academic growth as his urban, Atlanta school has taken an influential district role in implementing Social-Emotional Learning, restorative practices, and therapeutic/trauma-informed practices on the Forrest Hill campus.

    Zawadaski has served as a Principal Mentor for new principals in APS, a Stellar Leader Award recipient, and he has been recognized for multiple Building Culture awards. Under his guidance, Forrest Hill Academy has been recognized three years as a “Beat The Odds” School by the State of Georgia.

Ken Zapata

Cahn Fellow 2019
Principal, I.S. 075 Frank D. Paulo, New York City Department of Education
Staten Island, NY

  • Ken Zapata has served as the principal of Frank D. Paulo Intermediate School 75 in the New York City Department of Education since 2012. Ken earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English Literature from Seton Hall University. It has been his vision to develop a strong culture of professional learning and collaboration as his school has taken a lead role in several district and central initiatives. In 2015-2016, his school was selected by the NYC Department of Education as a Showcase School for their outstanding work in the arts. They demonstrated how setting high expectations for middle school students can result in extraordinary outcomes. The school then participated in the NYC Learning Partners Program as a host in both the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years. Ken’s school is also a host school in the District Impact Teams Guiding Coalition, as they support other schools in the district with impact team structures and protocols.