Mashea Ashton, CEO
Email:mashton@ncsfund.org

Mashea Ashton is the CEO of the Newark Charter School Fund, having joined the organization as a partner in February 2009. Before joining NCSF, Mashea served as the Executive Director for the New York Program and Senior Advisor for Charter School Policy for New Leaders for New Schools. Mashea has also served as the Executive Director for Charter Schools for the New York City Department of Education, the National Director of Recruitment and Selection for the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), and as a special education teacher in Williamsburg, VA and Washington, DC.

She serves on the boards of the Black Alliance for Educational Options, the National Association of Public Charters Schools and the William and Mary Alumni Association. Mashea has a M.Ed in Special Education with emphasis on learning disabilities and emotional disturbance and a Bachelor of Art in Sociology and Elementary Education from the College of William and Mary.

Janellen Duffy, Vice President for Advocacy and Policy
Email:jduffy@ncsfund.org

Janellen Duffy joined the Newark Charter School Fund as the Vice President for Advocacy and Policy in April 2010.  Prior to joining the Fund, Janellen was the Director of Policy for Governor Jon Corzine, for whom she also served as education policy advisor.  In those roles, Janellen focused on school funding, school facilities, early childhood education, and several aspects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Janellen has worked at the national level on a broader set of poverty alleviation issues for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Janellen holds an Masters in Public Affairs from Princeton University and Bachelor of Arts in English and Economics from Bucknell University.

Danielle Wright, Vice President of Quality Schools
Email: d_wright@ncsfund.org

Danielle Wright has worked in the field of education for 17 years. Danielle has served in a myriad of positions such as conflict resolution trainer/facilitator, general education teacher, education consultant, and a director of a national leadership institute. These professional experiences enhanced Danielle’s innate skills and talents of building relationships with people and developing systems and processes to support organizational goals.

In her role as a Senior Manager of Recruitment and Admissions for New Leaders for New Schools, Danielle has implemented programmatic strategy and created leadership plans to enhance the quality of the applicant pool.  Through these initiatives, Danielle has placed more than 30 administrators in the District of Columbia Public and charter schools over a two-year time span.

Through her commitment of life learning Danielle has earned degrees from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master of Science in Education, the University of Maryland at College Park with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and a graduate certificate in executive leadership coaching from George Washington University.

Kimberly Baxter McLain, Vice President of Finance and Operations
kmclain@ncsfund.org

Kimberly Baxter McLain, Vice President of Finance and Operations, joined the Newark Charter School Fund in July 2010.

Previously, Kimberly was a Managing Director with Teach For America, where she led the team responsible for headcount planning and salary budgeting and forecasting.  Prior to transitioning to the nonprofit sector and education reform movement, Kimberly worked in the corporate sector as an Investment Banker with Credit Suisse and an auditor with KPMG.

Kimberly, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), holds a Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University and a Bachelors Degree in Accounting from the University of South Carolina.  Kimberly and her husband, Quincy, have two daughters, Gabrielle and Madison.

Gabrielle Mosquera, Project Manager of New School Development
gmosquera@ncsfund.org

Gabrielle Mosquera joined the Newark Charter School Fund in August 2010. Prior to that she worked as an Educational Proposal Writer and Project Manager at EdisonLearning. There, she wrote and edited proposals to establish charter schools as well as qualify the company to provide educational supports including online education, school turnaround services, and Supplemental Education Services throughout the country.

Before joining EdisonLearning, Gabrielle worked as a program coordinator and grant writer for the Belmont and Family Charter Schools in Philadelphia. She has also held a variety of editing and project management positions in the trade magazine, book, and newspaper publishing industries. Gabrielle holds a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism from Boston University.

Emir Davis, Executive Assistant
edavis@ncsfund.org

Emir Davis, Executive Assistant, joined the Newark Charter School Fund in July 2010. 

Emir joined the Fund after serving as a Teach for America math teacher at Olney High BMC in Philadelphia. While teaching, Emir pursued his masters in urban education at the University of Pennsylvania.  Prior to that, Emir completed his undergraduate degree at Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

Outside of the professional arena, Emir enjoys playing basketball, expanding his movie collection, and coaching his high school track and football teams. 

Cody Evans, Executive Assistant and Office Manager
Email:cevans@ncsfund.org

Cody joined NCSF in the fall of 2008, after working for 5 years in Newark City Hall. While in City Hall, Cody was assigned to a variety of departments, including the Mayor’s policy staff and the Department of Neighborhood and Recreational Services.

Michelle Surette, Director of Operations and Finance
Email:msurette@ncsfund.org

Michelle joined NCSF in the summer of 2008 as its Director of Operations and Finance. Before joining NCSF, Michelle spent over 25 years in private sector companies in various finance and operations roles.

De’Shawn Wright, Partner
Email:dwright@ncsfund.org

DeShawn is a partner at NCSF. De’Shawn joined NCSF in the summer of 2008 after serving as the Chief Policy Advisor to Mayor Cory Booker since the Mayor’s election in 2006. Before serving in City Hall, De’Shawn worked in the New York City Department of Education Chancellor’s Office and as a teacher and administrator in the New York City public schools.