Katie brings more than a decade of experience in communications, stakeholder engagement, project management, resource development, and partnership building. Before rejoining E.L. Haynes as a senior director, she served as the Deputy Chief of Communications for DC Public Schools, marshaling a team of seven to direct organic, earned, and paid media campaigns and initiatives for 117 schools. From 2020 to 2023, Katie led strategic storytelling and stakeholder engagement projects at E.L. Haynes and the DC Child and Family Services Agency. Before pivoting to youth-focused work in 2020, she drove communications and engagement initiatives for public sector, social impact, political, and higher education organizations. Katie holds a master’s in Political Management and a bachelor’s in International Affairs from The George Washington University, where she was selected as one of six Presidential Fellows in her graduating class to serve in a high-impact role and pursue a fully-funded master’s degree.
Staff Category: Senior Leadership
Our senior staff translates our mission into practice and guides the strategic direction of the school.
Pankaj Rayamajhi has more than 14 years of operational leadership expertise and experience serving diverse communities with a focus on improving the public-school education system in Washington DC. Pankaj joined E.L. Haynes as Chief of Finance and Operations in July 2023.
Member of the inaugural cohort of operational leaders in DC Public Schools, Pankaj served as Director, Strategy & Logistics at Columbia Heights Educational Campus (CHEC/Bell HS & Lincoln MS) from 2014 to 2023. At CHEC, he led the Enrollment, Recruitment & Staffing, IT, Budget & Procurement, Attendance, Safety & Security, and Facilities teams. Pankaj received the 2021 DCPS Standing Ovation Award and was profiled by National Public Radio in 2017. He was also a member of the 2016 CHEC Restorative Justice launch team.
Prior to joining CHEC, Pankaj served on DCPS Human Capital Team as Manager, Strategic Staffing with a portfolio of 60 schools from 2008 to 2014. Before immigrating to the United States in 2007, Pankaj worked in Timor-Leste and Nepal in both non-profit and corporate sectors including in finance, conflict resolution and media. He received a BA from University of Delhi, India and a Masters in Leadership from McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University. Pankaj lives in uptown DC with his wife and son. His family are strong advocates for social justice, racial equity, and quality education for all.
Alexandria Brooks currently serves as the Chief Talent Officer. Prior to joining E.L. Haynes, Alexandria was the Director of Talent Development for KIPP DC, where she led the performance management strategy for their regional teams, prioritizing clear and equitable systems around onboarding, professional development, manager training, performance evaluations, and promotion policies. Before this, Alexandria was the Manager of Teacher Recruitment and Pipelines for DC Public Schools, where she implemented a national recruitment strategy for teachers. In this role, Alexandria helped to create recruitment campaigns that increased the percentage of teaching candidates of color, and created teacher residency partnerships with Urban Teachers and the Peace Corps. Alexandria has also spent time working in Baltimore City Public Schools and Detroit Public Schools creating recruitment and hiring systems. Alexandria began her education career in Washington, DC teaching 5th and 6th grade special education at Truesdell Education Campus, a DCPS school in Petworth. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Spelman College, and a Master’s of Special Education from The George Washington University. Alexandria lives in Southeast DC with her husband and two children.
Joel Brown, Senior Director of Human Resources joins E.L. Haynes from DC Public Schools, where he served as the Director of Strategic Staffing. In this role, he led the central office and school-based staffing efforts for 118 schools while creating innovative developments to the district’s hiring and data reporting processes. During his seven years with DCPS, Joel managed the hiring and onboarding of over 3,000 employees each year. Prior to this, he was a classroom instructor with Friendship Public Charter Schools, teaching 5th and 6th ELA. A native of Mt. Vernon, New York, Joel earned a dual Master’s degree from Lesley University in Education and Special Education. Additionally, he also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Creative Writing from the University of Miami.
Rob Murphy, Senior Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, joined E.L. Haynes in 2021. Before joining E.L. Haynes, Rob worked in international schools, traditional public schools, and DC charter schools. Rob has more than 20 years experience working with students and teachers. Rob served as a English Learner classroom teacher for 15 years and was the recipient of the Agnes Myer Award for Excellence in Education presented by The Washington Post and was a nominee for Virginia Teacher of the Year. He has worked as an instructional coach and as a leader at both the school and district level. Rob holds a BS in Secondary Education and a BA in History from the University of Scranton. He received master’s degrees in Linguistics and Bilingual Education from Georgetown University, and School Leadership & Supervision from George Mason University. He is also a certified reading specialist.
Zenada Mahon-Belton, Middle School Principal, began her career in education in 2003 as an English teacher and served in various educational leadership positions during her career. Zenada was part of the first cohort for the New Leaders Emerging Leaders Program. She received national principal endorsement after successfully completing New Leaders Aspiring Principals Program in 2012. Zenada is a graduate from The State University of New York at New Paltz and earned a BA in English and secondary education. She received additional training in school turnaround leadership through Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and an executive master’s degree in leadership from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business in December 2018.
Emily Hueber Stoetzer, High School Principal, joined E.L. Haynes nine years ago as a 9th and 10th grade Math teacher. Since 2015, she has been a member of the High School Leadership Team. She previously taught at Columbia Heights Educational Campus in Washington, DC and MATCH Public Charter Middle School in Boston, MA. Stoetzer earned her Master’s Degree in Secondary Education from American University and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Delaware. Emily is a Citybridge Education Innovation Fellow alumni and graduate of Leading Educators and New Leaders for New Schools Emerging Leaders. She was a 2017 Fellow with the Relay Graduate School of Education’s National Principals Academy. Stoetzer earned her Executive Master’s Degree in Leadership from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business in December 2019.
Dr. Rikki Hunt Taylor, Chief Academic Officer, joined E.L. Haynes in April 2020 after serving as an assistant superintendent of schools in Philadelphia, a position she has held since 2018. Prior to her time in Philadelphia, Rikki worked at DC Public Schools, first as a teacher, and then an early childhood education manager, assistant principal, principal, and central office leader, serving on the DCPS leadership development team as a director for the District’s aspiring principal program. A native Washingtonian, she received a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Trinity College in Washington, DC, a master’s degree in Education Administration from Trinity University, and an executive master’s degree from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. She holds a doctoral degree in Educational Organization and Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.
Brittany Wagner-Friel, Elementary School Principal, began her career in education working with children with physical disabilities throughout high school and college, before moving abroad to teach English as a second language in Mexico. She joined E.L. Haynes in February 2007 as a teaching fellow before becoming an elementary school special education teacher. Wagner-Friel was promoted to Assistant Principal in 2012 while a member of New Leaders and became Principal in 2014. She graduated from The University of Vermont with a Bachelor’s degree in political science and earned her Master’s degree from The Catholic University of America in special education. She was a 2015 Fellow with the Relay Graduate School of Education’s National Principals Academy, and earned her Executive Masters in Leadership from Georgetown University in December 2017.
Maria Boyer is the Senior Director of Student Support Services at E.L. Haynes PCS. She oversees Special Education, Multilingual Learners, and Health and Wellness programs in this role. With over 28 years of experience teaching students with disabilities and serving as an administrator, she has worked in Westerville City and Atlanta Public Schools as a teacher for the first 14 years of her career. Later, Maria served as a Special Education Coordinator in Akron Public Schools and a Supervisor in the Office of Special Education in Baltimore County Public Schools. Maria holds a Bachelor of Science in Special Education, a Master of Science in Educational Administration from the University of Akron, and an executive master’s degree from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Additionally, she wrote a published curriculum for students with low-incidence disabilities. She taught special education courses as an adjunct professor for Loyola University, Drexel University, and the University of Akron.