Current Coaches

Dr. Rochelle Hinds is an experienced educator and transformational leader. She has a  passion for helping schools and districts improve student outcomes and achieve their  goals. Throughout her 17 years in the education field, she has developed a deep  

understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities that school and district  

leaders face. She is committed to providing personalized, research-based support that  meets the needs of her clients. She has demonstrated proven ability in  

transformational leadership, organization management, curriculum and instruction,  

program development, school-wide planning, and professional development. 

As the former principal of one of the most challenging schools in New York, she has built a proven track  record of success moving the school from a Comprehensive School in Need of Improvement (CSI) to a school  in Good Standing. Her knowledge and practices of implementing a positive school culture, serving as an  instructional leader, and leveraging data to make school-based decisions with key stakeholders has transformed  and addressed the specific needs of the school resulting in a thriving educational community. Through her  unwavering dedication and collaborative approach, she has fostered an environment where all members were  empowered to reach their full potential and contribute to the success of the school. Her impact extends far  beyond the classroom, shaping the lives of students and leaving a legacy of excellence. 

Dr. Rochelle Hinds brings a wealth of experience in transformational leadership, organization  management, curriculum and instruction, program development, school-wide planning, and professional  development. She is a champion for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dr. Hinds strives to be a constant source of  support, allowing leaders to take ownership of their learning while providing a space for them to learn from  each other. She aims to provide leaders with the necessary tools to foster confidence, growth, and the  opportunity to work hands-on in the field of education.

Recently retired from the NYC public school system, Miriam Nightengale worked for over 30 years as an educator,. From 2004 – 2022, she served as Principal of the Columbia Secondary School for Math, Science and Engineering, and the High School for Law,  Advocacy and Community Justice, both schools in the New York City public school system. She is strongly driven by the desire to ensure high levels of educational achievement for a diverse pool of students. Under her watch, her schools saw graduation rates increase by over 30%, large increases in application rates, high test score levels, and expanded post-secondary opportunities for her students.

Miriam worked as a math teacher in Boys and Girls High School and Brooklyn Technical High School before being selected to join the first cohort of the Aspiring Principal Program in 2003, which began her administrative journey. She enjoys working with teachers, staff, and fellow leaders to develop comprehensive strategies to improve school effectiveness and achievement.  Her leadership was recognized through selection for various leadership programs and roles, including the Cahn Fellows and an appointment to a Master Principal role in New York City. She had the opportunity to work with schools and principals across the district in reviewing and improving teaching methodologies and designing development activities and professional modules.

Miriam’s career has been marked by her depth of experience and passion for the field of education, and by her joy in being a part of an environment that helped young people to grow and learn.

Chrissy  Keck is entering her 9th year in education. Chrissy  was born in Erie, Pennsylvania where she was the youngest of 5 children. Chrissy  then moved up to Rochester,  New York to attend the University of Rochester and had the opportunity to play college soccer and study psychology and neuroscience with a focus on childhood development. It was in Rochester where Chrissy found her passion for working with kids through internships, running camps, and after-school reading programs. Chrissy then moved down to Mississippi to be a part of Teach For America in 2013, where she taught high school science in Jackson, MS.  Chrissy  then moved to Washington, D.C. to work as a high school special education teacher at KIPP: DC where she found her passion for working with exceptional learners. Chrissy has spent 4 summers working for Teach for America’s Institute (both in Philadelphia and the Delta) working as a teacher coach and managing teacher coaches as a school director.  Chrissy then had the opportunity to help found an elementary school in Denver, CO as the founding interventionist and finally became a Dean of Students and Interim Assistant Principal of Culture at a high school in Denver. Finally Chrissy moved to Atlanta Georgia to join the Ethos Classical where she started out as the founding Special Education teacher, then became the Manager of Response to Intervention and is currently the Director of Associate Teachers. Chrissy’s career goal is to open her own charter school in Atlanta and is excited to be apart of the SPA|NOLA 2020 Cohort.

Ky Adderley is a Leadership & Education expert, mentor, super connector and networking guru – a persistent link between people and their dreams. Having conducted school reviews and training for teachers, principals, and school leaders on three continents – North America, South America, and Africa – Ky works as an advocate for social justice by increasing the number of quality schools and leaders available to low-income children worldwide. 

Ky has been a leader in the education & sports sector for 29 years, and works as a full-time education and sports guru globally, where he has led pedagogical teams learning to implement best practices in schools. As a leadership consultant in Brazil, Ky led the opening of three groundbreaking Olympic-development, college preparatory public schools, where students from throughout Rio de Janeiro enjoy a substantive mix of both academics and Olympic sport practice spanning within a nine-hour school day. 

In the seven years prior to moving to Brazil, Ky was the founding principal at KIPP AMP Academy, a public charter school in Brooklyn, New York. He was recruited there after working in the trenches of education as a sixth-grade teacher in Washington, D.C. Public Schools, as a Teach For America corps member. 

Adderley earned bachelor and masters degrees from Georgetown University as an All-American Track athlete and expects to earn a doctorate in education leadership in 2024. After 5 years of living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Ky relocated back to the USA in 2017 to his hometown of Philadelphia where he leads and mentors K-12 educators globally in school leadership while also serving the sports world as the Vice President of Sports with Maven Sports Group (Cash Money Records), as a advisor, agent, coach, and manager.

Shamus Brady currently serves as the assistant principal and special education coordinator at the Winthrop Elementary School in Melrose, MA.  He is also serving is his third year as an elected school committee member in Winchester where he lives with his partner Anthea and their two school aged children.  Shamus was a 2008 graduate from the Summer Principal Academy and has worked as an administrator since 2008 in a variety of public and private schools.  He completed his undergraduate studies at Williams College and began working in education as a Teach For America Corp member

Dr. Kristy De La Cruz is a proud first-generation college graduate and a child of an  immigrant. She has more than twenty-five years of experience in education, in which  she has served various roles such as teacher, English as a New Language (ENL)/Bilingual  Coordinator, assistant principal, principal, Director of English Language Learners, Deputy  Superintendent, and now as a Community Superintendent. Kristy started her career as  a mathematics teacher in Kansas, and after serving as an education trainer in the  Philippines for three years as a US Peace Corps volunteer, she moved to New York City in 2001 as a Peace Corps Fellow.  

As an educator, she has achieved her National Board Certification in English as a  New Language (ENL) and her National Mentor Certificate from the National Association  of Elementary Principals. Kristy earned both her Master of Education and her Doctor of  Education in Organizational Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University. She  

was a member of the second cohort of the Summer Principals Academy, and the 2013  cohort for the Urban Education Leadership Program. She also earned a master’s degree  of Arts in Teaching English to Speaking Other Languages (TESOL) at Teachers College,  Columbia University. Kristy was also a member of the inaugural EdPacesetters,  LeadDOE, Journey Mentors, the Deputy Superintendent Advisory Board, and so much  more.  

Some areas of expertise include creating systems and structures to support  English Language Learners, building positive school /district cultures that enhance learning, developing professional learning cycles for teacher and staff development, and  disrupting the inequities in our educational system. Dr. De La Cruz strives to ensure  equity through excellence by having high expectations for every learner coupled with  access to the best support and the highest quality of education possible.

Dr. Alison Gillespie currently serves as Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning within the White Bear Lake Area Schools located near St. Paul, Minnesota. Dr. Gillespie has held a variety of school leadership roles in Minnesota including: High School Principal and District Level Principal on Special Assignment for White Bear Lake Area Schools, Associate Principal at Wayzata High School and Alternative High School Supervisor for various schools supporting students in Richfield and Minneapolis Public Schools. Alison started her career as a middle school and high school educator for English Learners in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Chandler, Arizona; and Richfield, Minnesota prior to entering school leadership in 2004.   

Dr. Gillespie is passionate about transforming schools and aligning district systems to ensure high achievement and humanizing, culturally affirming experiences are realized consistently for each student. Alison is committed to organizational health and building a truly collaborative culture between district and building leaders. She is knowledgeable in leadership team development, strategic planning and continuous improvement. She serves as an adjunct professor in K-12 principal licensure programs, facilitates professional development in culturally responsive school leadership and coaches principal interns. Dr. Gillespie holds national certifications in principal mentorship through the National Association of Elementary School Principals and instructional leadership from AVID and AASA.   

Alison earned a bachelor’s degree in Middle/Secondary Education and Spanish from University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University, and M.Ed. and Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership from Teacher’s College- Columbia University.

Dr. Ramon Gonzalez is a Professor of Practice in the Educational Leadership & Policy Studies program at  Boston University. He teaches courses in school leadership, advises Master and Doctoral students, and  works with school leaders in Boston, New York, Denver, Yonkers, the Hague, Capetown, Bahrain, Rio and  Bangkok. Ramon’s focus on entrepreneurial leadership, flexible school year programming and diverse  resource allocation were featured on PBS, Wall Street Journal and the New York Times Magazine. He is  developing an executive coaching program for school leaders and communities with the Columbia  Business School and Teachers College.  

Gonzalez was the award-winning founding Principal of the Laboratory School of Finance and Technology,  created two public schools and mentored over 100 aspiring leaders to school leadership roles. Gonzalez  developed innovative practices including a community literacy programs, community school model, job  training, independent college office, and expanded day and year programs. Through Gonzalez’s determination, he was able to get the state to waive state exams and develop alternative assessments  called PBATs (Performance Based Assessment Tasks). The PBATs require students to pick tasks that are  semester long research projects that require oral, and data driven written presentations for graduation.  Today there are 33 schools out of 4,822 schools that are PBAT schools in NY state that have received this  waiver. Under his leadership his former schools, both high school and middle school, were ranked in the  top 5% on the US News and World Report. He was the first NYC principal to win the national First  Robotics Competition and Intel Mathematics Award. In 2022-2023, the Lab School achieved a 100%  graduation rate and 80% of his students were accepted and received scholarships to four-year colleges  and universities. He was awarded the White House Champion of Change. He served as the former  president of the New York Middle School Principal Association and serves as a co-director of the NYC  chapter of the New York State Association of Latino Administrators and Supervisors. He received his  Masters and Doctorate from Teachers College Columbia University.