Managing Director of Schools Marsha Gadsden was formerly the school director at Brooklyn Ascend Middle School, where earlier, she was the director of student life, seventh grade dean of instruction, and the director in residence. In her leadership roles, she supported and coached teachers and leaders, used data to guide instruction, and prepared students for high school and college. Gadsden previously taught eighth-grade English at the Achievement First Endeavor Charter School in Bedford-Stuyvesant as a Teach For America Corps member. She was also the director of ENCORE, an after-school program, and operated a Saturday empowerment program for girls at Achievement First. Before joining Brooklyn Ascend, Gadsden served as a founding board member of Bushwick Ascend Charter School. She began her career at the Administration for Children’s Services and Prep for Prep in New York. Gadsden earned her bachelor’s at Georgetown University and her master’s in public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where she co-founded and co-directed the Student Public Service Collaborative and served as vice chairwoman of the school’s Black Policy Conference.