District 2 Superintendent’s Office
Stacey Altruda
Special Instructional Coach - PE
Email:
saltruda@schools.nyc.govStacey Altruda started her career in the Bronx as a physical education teacher in 2009. After 6 years of teaching grades 6–12 and 2 years of teaching grades Pre-K–5, Stacey transitioned to the Office of School Wellness Programs as a PE Instructional Coach for Manhattan schools. During her time there, she led professional development sessions citywide in areas of community building, strategies for inclusion in PE, and adapted PE. In 2022, Stacey joined the District 2 team and is excited to continue supporting physical education in our schools.
Rachel Benoff
Instructional Lead - Math
Email:
rbenoff@schools.nyc.govRachel Benoff joined the DOE in 2004 as an elementary school teacher in District 15. She worked with multilingual students and their families and is passionate about the inherent brilliance of students in historically marginalized communities. After 13 years as a teacher and math coach, Rachel joined the Manhattan Borough Office as Instructional Lead for Mathematics. In District 2, she continues supporting elementary mathematics teaching and learning.
Yanet Bueno Gonzalez
Special Instructional Liaison
Dr. Yanet Bueno is a public education practitioner and researcher. For almost two decades, her work has focused on math education in urban public schools. Before joining the District 2 team in January 2022, Dr. Bueno worked as a classroom teacher for twelve years in a Brooklyn high school. She then worked as a Math Curriculum and Instruction Specialist for CUNY where she supported high school seniors in achieving college-level proficiency before graduation. Dr. Bueno has also worked as a part-time math consultant for the English Learners Success Forum (ELSF), a non-profit organization that works to improve the quality of instructional materials for ENLs.
Evelyn Burgos
Mandated Counseling Compliance Coordinator
Email:
eburgos2@schools.nyc.govEvelyn serves as the Mandated Counseling Compliance Coordinator for Districts 1-6 and as the Related Services Contracting Out for Districts 4, 5, and 6. She can support schools by monitoring reports from Central in regard to students not being served, SESIS, SETSS (P-4), Enhanced Rate, contracting out related services, FAMIS, Galaxy, provider assignment encounter attendance, RSAs, First Attends, and billing issues. She supports parents and schools securing Independent Providers to serve the students when the DOE does not have a DOE provider to provide the services. When Evelyn is not busy supporting our schools, she loves to enjoy the beach, music, and seafood
Lucilla Chan
Administrator of Special Education
Email:
lchan10@schools.nyc.govLucilla has worked with the NYC department for over 15 years supporting predominantly Special Education related positions as an ICT, Special Class, SETSS teacher, SpEd Lead, CSE/CPSE admin and Special Ed. AP. Prior to working in the public school system, Lucilla comes to us with an array of experience from International, private, Catholic, and charter schools. She is Early Childhood, Special Education, and TESOL certified alongside leadership licenses of both SBL and SDL while also conversant in both Mandarin and Cantonese, Chinese.
Lucilla hopes to continue her work to support the District 2 Community engaging in stronger practices in supporting all learners. While compliance and implementation of mandated IEP services are key parts of the work, the hope is to embed and inter-thread building skills and systems in providing access to all, including support for staff, families, and diverse learners.
Tegan Costanza
Student Services Manager
Tegan has worked in the DOE since 2008, beginning as a high school math teacher before becoming a school social worker. She later served as an Assistant Principal in Manhattan for six years. In District 2, she supports schools regarding counseling, crisis response, and culture and climate.
Stavroula Dapontes
Administrator of Special Education
Stavroula has been the Administrator of Special Education, for the past 8 years, supporting District 2. For the 22 years prior, she worked in District 30Q, which included classroom teacher, AIS coordinator, dean and SEIS, Special Education Instructional Specialist.
In D2, she will continue to support schools to ensure the implementation of Special Education services with an emphasis on compliance and to support special populations within the field of Special Education, promoting student policy and advocacy.
Iris Escollies
Special Education Community Support Coordinator
Email:
iescoll@schools.nyc.govIris serves as a Special Education Community Support Coordinator. In this role, she monitors and supports all special education 311 complaints and ensures that all cases are resolved in a timely manner. When she is not busy supporting our schools, she enjoys sitting by the lake.
Rose Greco
Instructional Lead - ELA/Social Studies
Email:
rgreco@schools.nyc.govRose Greco joined the NYCDOE in 2000 as a middle school teacher in District 2 after teaching in New Jersey for 7 years. Her 13 years of teaching included roles as a special education and general upper elementary teacher and middle school ELA, social studies, and humanities teacher. She has served as a school-based and DOE leader (literacy coach, staff developer, assistant principal, instructional specialist/lead) across the 5 boroughs for the last 17 years. She feels it is a privilege to work alongside leaders and teachers who show up for children and strive to make a difference in their lives each and every day. Rose currently supports District 2 as a District Achievement Instructional Specialist (DAIS,) focusing on literacy and social studies instruction. She is a longtime resident of Manhattan and recently moved to Yonkers, NY.
Reginald Higgins
Deputy Superintendent
Email:
rhiggins@schools.nyc.govDr. Reginald Higgins began his education career as a NYC Teaching Fellow in Brooklyn, NY. With 10 years of teaching experience at P.S. 45—Horace E. Greene Elementary School, he was accepted into the NYC Leadership Academy in 2010. Later that year, he became the principal of P.S. 125—The Ralph Bunche School. Today, Dr. Higgins proudly serves as the Deputy Superintendent of Community School District #2.
Throughout his career, Dr. Higgins has been an active member of several key educational boards and professional organizations. He serves as an Alumni Advisor for the Cahn Fellows Program for Distinguished Principals and the New York Academy of Public Education. His roles in these organizations have focused on advocating for equity in education and promoting best practices in educational policy.
In his free time, Dr. Higgins enjoys spending quality time with his family, traveling to Japan, watching English Premier League Football (Glory, Glory Man United the Reds are marching on!), and reading. His personal interests reflect his well-rounded character and commitment to lifelong learning. Dr. Higgins's journey in education is a testament to his unwavering commitment to excellence and his ability to inspire and lead.
Kelli Licata
Teacher Development and Evaluation Coach
Email:
klicata@schools.nyc.govKelli works with building administration to support the supervision and professional learning plans of teachers.
Ellenia Lyons
Academic Intervention Coordinator
Email:
elyons2@schools.nyc.govEllenia has been in education for 20 years in the NYCDOE. Most of her experience teaching was in Early Childhood. She taught in Spanish Harlem and Corona, Queens. She worked with children that struggled in reading for about 3 years. She was an AIS intervention teacher for 3-5th grade students. She became a Universal Literacy coach and worked in Ridgewood, Queens for 4 years. She worked in 2 schools supporting teachers and administrators. This is her second year as an AIS coordinator for District 2. She is excited to support and work with everyone. Ellenia has 3 children- James, Katelynn, and Aidan. She has a dog named Mickey. Her husband’s name is Charlie. Currently, she is going back to Hunter College to study for her School Building Leader and School District Leader licenses.
Sarah Maiolo
Student Services Manager
Email:
smaiolo@schools.nyc.govSarah Maiolo joined the DOE in 1999 as a School Counselor for a middle school in District 3. In 2009, Sarah moved to District 2 when the Spruce Street School first opened with only Kindergarten, and continued there as they grew to a full K-8 school. Before coming to work at the District office as the Student Services Manager she worked as the Supervisor of Guidance and then the Director of Enrollment for the Family Welcome Center in Manhattan. Sarah is also a longtime resident of District 2, still living downtown with her husband and two children who are now both attending college.
Kathy Marra
Principal on Assignment
Email:
kmarra@schools.nyc.govKatherine Marra joined the D2 team in 2022. Prior to that, she has worked as a HS Mathematics teacher, Mathematics AP, Senior ATR Field Supervisor/Rating Officer and HS Principal. Katherine is a product of the New York City school system and taught at her alma mater Hillcrest HS at the beginning of her career. She also graduated from the NYC Leadership Academy. Kathy is serving as the District Attendance Coordinator supporting our schools. Her eldest daughter is an attorney and youngest is in Finance. She lives on the Upper East Side with her husband.
Jeannine Michele
Academic Intervention Coordinator
Email:
jmichele@schools.nyc.govJeannine Michele is the Academic Intervention Service Coordinator (AIS) for District 2. Jeannine works with building administration and teaching staff in implementing, utilizing, and making educationally appropriate decisions regarding literacy instruction. She serves as a resource in identifying appropriate instructional strategies and interventions to improve student achievement for all. Jeannine began her career in District 2 at PS 2 21 years ago and then continued to support the district as a Universal Literacy Reading Coach for 4 years before joining the D2 Team. When she is not supporting schools, Jeannine enjoys living downtown with her cat, Norman, and her husband as a long-time resident of District 2.
Tina Sibulkin-Yacker
Family Support Coordinator
Tina joined the District team in 2018 as the District 2 Family Support Coordinator. In this role she provides guidance and information to parents and helps navigate concerns that are brought to the district office. Tina has been a part of District 2 for over 15 years. She resides in lower Manhattan with her husband and two sons, both of whom attended District 2 elementary, middle and high schools. While her children were in school, she was an involved parent leader and volunteer. Tina is grateful for the opportunity to use her experience in her current work to serve the District 2 community.
Neha Sobti
Instructional Lead - Math/Culture & Climate
Email:
nsobti@schools.nyc.govNeha Sobti started her career as a HS Math teacher in NYC teaching Algebra I, Geometry, and Pre-Algebra. She was also a Restorative Justice Coordinator and is passionate about making schools and classrooms places of belonging and care for all students. She joined the Manhattan Borough Office four years ago working in District 4,5, and 6 in Manhattan, and was excited to join the D2 team last year. She is also a Doctoral Candidate at NYU studying Educational Leadership and Policy.
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