Lissette Roman leads the Cypress Hills Ascend team as founding school director after serving as dean of instruction and resident director at Brownsville Ascend Lower School. Prior to joining Ascend, Roman was operations director for the Hawaii Theatre Center in Honolulu, where she created and implemented improved data systems, directed a summer camp and afterschool programming initiative for at-risk youth, and managed human resources. Earlier, she held various educational roles in Honolulu, including instructional mentor and operations specialist at Teach For America, program specialist at Read Aloud America, and second grade teacher at a K-12 independent school. Roman has also held teaching positions at Achievement First in Bridgeport, CT, and in Las Vegas Public Schools, where she began her teaching career as a Teach For America Corps member. A native of Cypress Hills, Roman founded Home Away from Home, a volunteer tutoring service for students in Brooklyn, in 2004. Roman earned her bachelor’s degree in professional studies and human services from Metropolitan College of New York and her master of arts in education from Touro University.