Kaya Henderson

On June 21, 2011, the D.C. Council confirmed Kaya Henderson as Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools. Ms. Henderson is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington D.C., where she received a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a Master’s degree in Leadership.

Ms. Henderson’s career in education began as a middle school Spanish teacher in the South Bronx. She’s also served as both a Recruiter and National Director of Admissions for Teach For America and, in 1997, became the Executive Director of Teach For America-DC, where she was responsible for 170 teachers in more than 50 D.C. public schools.

In 2000, Henderson began work with The New Teacher Project, where she eventually became the Vice President for Strategic Partnerships, overseeing the organization’s work on improving teacher hiring for school districts. She came to D.C. Public Schools as Deputy Chancellor in 2007 and led the district’s human capital efforts, as well as the development of IMPACT, a new and innovative teacher assessment system designed to ensure that an effective teacher is leading every classroom.