Meet the Chancellor and Deputy Chancellors who lead the New York City Department of Education
Melissa Aviles-Ramos, Chancellor
Melissa Aviles-Ramos is Chancellor of New York City Public Schools, the largest school system in the nation. She was formerly the Deputy Chancellor of Family and Community Engagement and External Affairs, as well as the Chief of Staff to former Chancellor David C. Banks. In those roles, she oversaw innovative family engagement programs such as NYC Literacy Hubs and our Family Literacy Ambassadors; she also launched and led Project Open Arms, our unprecedented effort to welcome, enroll, and support 45,000-plus of our newest New Yorkers.
Chancellor Aviles-Ramos began her career as an English teacher and NYC Teaching Fellow at Harry S. Truman High School in the Bronx. She later served as principal at Schuylerville Prep and then became the acting superintendent to Bronx HS District 8, 10 and 11. Chancellor Aviles-Ramos earned her bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, Master of Arts in English Education from the City College of New York, and Advanced Certificates in school and district leadership from College of Saint Rose. She is a native New Yorker, a Latina, and a proud NYCPS parent.
Daniel Weisberg, First Deputy Chancellor
As First Deputy Chancellor, Dan Weisberg is focused on ensuring that the Department’s strategies advance Chancellor Aviles-Ramos' vision and priorities. The First Deputy Chancellor’s office manages a portfolio that includes Pathways, General Counsel, Labor, Human Resources, Policy, and Enrollment.
For over a decade Dan helped lead TNTP, one of the premier education non-profit organizations in the country, serving as its Chief Executive Officer for the past seven years. The organization supports approximately 300 school systems across the country on talent, academics, community engagement and policy, reaching over 12 million students a year.
Prior to joining TNTP, Weisberg served as Chief Executive of Labor Policy and Implementation for the NYC Department of Education under Mayor Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel Klein. In this role he was responsible for leading the DOE’s relationships with its union partners, including negotiating groundbreaking collective bargaining agreements covering teachers and principals. Additionally, Dan played a key role in establishing a rigorous tenure system for teachers, incentive pay for principals aligned to student outcomes, and creating after-school intervention and enrichment time for underserved students.
Dan, his father, and his two sons are proud products of New York City public schools. Weisberg has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College and is a graduate of New York University Law School.
Christina Foti, Deputy Chancellor of the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning (DIAL)
As the Deputy Chancellor of the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning (DIAL), Christina Foti serves to ensure the needs of historically marginalized students are centered throughout the department. In this capacity, she oversees both the Special Education Office and the Office of Multilingual Learners within a unified division.
In her previous role as Chief of Special Education for NYCPS, Christina led initiatives impacting over 200,000 students, managing citywide special education services and implementing specialized programs for students with diverse needs, including those with autism, dyslexia, intellectual disabilities, and students who benefit from bilingual special education.
Before her tenure as Chief of Special Education, Christina held various roles, including Deputy Chief Academic Officer, Chief Executive Director of the Special Education Office, principal, assistant principal, literacy coach, and middle school teacher.
Christina holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Women’s Studies from Vassar College, a Master’s degree in Special Education from the City University of New York, and a Postgraduate degree in Educational Leadership from Hunter College. She is currently pursuing her doctoral studies at Columbia University’s Teachers College.
Simone C. Hawkins, Deputy Chancellor of Early Childhood Education
As Deputy Chancellor of the Division of Early Childhood Education, Simone C. Hawkins oversees birth to 5 education, including 3K and Pre-K, and the implementation of NYC Reads in early childhood classrooms.
Simone previously worked under this administration as the Chief Executive of Early Childhood Operations, and is rejoining New York City Public Schools from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene where she most recently served as Chief Equity Officer and Deputy Commissioner for the Center for Health Equity and Community Wellness. Simone has also held roles as the Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of Child Care in the Division of Environmental Health at DOHMH, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer at Covenant House, Deputy Director of Budget and Operations at The Children’s Aid Society, and as a Senior Budget Analyst for the New York City Office of Management and Budget, where she managed over six billion dollars for the education task force.
Danika Rux, Ed.D, Deputy Chancellor of School Leadership
As Deputy Chancellor of School Leadership, Dr. Danika Rux oversees the work of Community District Superintendents and High School Superintendents, which in turn provide schools with coordinated strategic support, resources, and guidance. She also oversees the Department’s student wellness and school climate work.
Danika Rux is an instructional leader with over 27 years of experience in the areas of speech pathology, literacy instruction, special education, school leadership, district leadership, and systems level educational administration. Most recently, Danika served as Chief of School Support. Prior, Danika served as Executive Superintendent, Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, Field Support Liaison and Principal.
Danika holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Sage College, Albany, NY. She earned her M.S. Ed. and B.S. from Long Island University and Advanced Certificates from Baruch College, Mercer University, Georgia State University.
Emma Vadehra, Chief Operating Officer I Deputy Chancellor for Operations and Finance
As Chief Operating Officer, Emma Vadehra oversees finance and budget, procurement, the division of instructional and information technology (DIIT), school health, and school operations, which includes facilities, transportation, school food, emergency planning, and space management.
Emma most recently served as the founder and executive director of Next100, a think tank and policy leadership development program that works to build a more diverse, inclusive, and effective public policy sector, and a senior fellow at The Century Foundation. Emma previously served as chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Education during the Obama administration, where she worked closely with the White House and across the department to develop, execute, and oversee the administration's pre-K-through-workforce education agenda.
Until recently, Emma proudly served on the boards of Blue Engine and Govern For America, and on the Federal Advisory Committee of Results for America, and as a non-resident senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. She has a JD from Yale Law School and a bachelor's degree from Brown University. Emma is a native New Yorker.
Kenita Lloyd, Chief of Staff
As former Deputy Chancellor of Family and Community Engagement and External Affairs, Kenita Lloyd oversaw the Chancellor’s priority of authentically engaging families, as well as the Department’s external affairs work.
During her time as deputy chancellor of FACE+EA, Ms. Lloyd led several successful initiatives aimed at changing the narrative for NYCPS and engaging families and communities as authentic partners in our schools. She initiated the rebrand of the ‘Department of Education’ to ‘New York City Public Schools,” created NYCPS’ first interfaith advisory council, and ushered in an expanded Panel for Educational Policy with a revised set of bylaws and a code of conduct. Under her leadership, NYCPS launched its first regular ‘State of Our Schools’ and monthly cultural events to celebrate the diversity of our public schools.
Previously, Kenita served as Chief Operations Officer at The Eagle Academy Foundation, where she was instrumental in the foundation’s growth and ability to support the Eagle Academy for Young Men schools, overseeing the foundation’s budget, day-to-day operations and marketing, and communications and development efforts. Prior to joining The Eagle Academy Foundation, Lloyd was appointed Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs in the Office of New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Kenita has also held leadership roles at the Museum for African Art, the National Action Network, and the New York City Mission Society (Minisink Townhouse).
Additional Senior Leaders
Karine Apollon, Chief Diversity Officer
Karine Apollon is the New York City Department of Education’s Chief Diversity Officer. In this role, she leads the DOE’s MWBE strategies to greatly expand economic opportunities for women- and minority-owned businesses and our diversity, equity and inclusion strategies in hiring practices. Previously, Karine served as Chief Executive Officer of the educational nonprofit Reading Partners. Prior to this, Karine worked for over two decades in a variety of leadership roles at the children’s publisher Scholastic, where she scaled literacy and mentorship initiatives and launched Scholastic’s family and community engagement work, with a focus on supporting and empowering marginalized communities.
Flavia Puello-Perdomo, Chief of Schools for Community Supports and Wellness
Flavia Puello-Perdomo is the Chief of Schools within the Office of Community Supports and Wellness. In this role, she oversees the district wide strategy for advancing student wellness, the nationally recognized Community Schools model, and related programming for supporting the needs of the whole child and developing social-emotional learning competencies. Flavia has over 20 years of experience in education, including serving as an educator, school leader, deputy superintendent, and senior level central administrator. She has dedicated her career to supporting vulnerable student populations, developing collaborative partnerships with families and communities, and mentoring educational leaders at both the school and district level. She brings a wealth of leadership experience to this role, including her ability to work across siloed workstreams, her commitment to modeling sound and ethical leadership practices, and her uncompromising approach to centering the needs of students as well as maintaining standards of excellence.
Seritta Scott, Chief Financial Officer
Seritta Scott is the Chief Financial Officer for the NYC Public Schools. In this role, she is responsible for managing a budget of $40B which entails directing, controlling, and setting policy for all financial and budgetary operation activities within NYC Public Schools. She brings years of experience in budget and finance within the public sector. Prior to joining NYCPS, Seritta held key roles at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), an agency that implements the Mayor’s vision and fiscal policies by overseeing the city’s expense and capital budget, providing critical support to NYC's Budget Director. Seritta is a product of NYC Public schools from kindergarten to grade 12. She continued her education in NYC and holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from CUNY Hunter College and a Master of Science in Business Management & Leadership from the CUNY School of Professional Studies.
Liz Vladeck, General Counsel
Liz Vladeck is the General Counsel, representing and advising the DOE on all legal matters, including general practice issues, labor and employment matters, equal opportunity, employee discipline, special education, administrative/state/federal law and compliance, and commercial transactions. Prior to joining the DOE in 2021, Liz served as Senior Labor Policy Advisor in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Policy & Planning and as a Deputy Commissioner and founding Director of the Office of Labor Policy and Standards in the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs.