meet our team members
Christopher Rinkus
Manager
Critical Response Team
Adele Fabrikant
Deputy Chief Academic Officer
Office of Youth Engagement
Cynthia Robinson-Rivers
Director
Teacher Retention and Recognition
2007: Began work as a Budget Analyst for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
2009: Joined the DCPS Central Office as a Coordinator for the Critical Response Team
2010: Promoted to Manager of the Critical Response Team
You're not going to find a school district that's more committed to changing the status quo.
What drew you to the Central Office?
At my previous job, I was doing a similar type of operations work. What attracted me to DCPS was the opportunity to work with a talented group of folks and to serve a community in a meaningful way. My job is an intersection of my career interests – operations and community relations – and my personal interest in finding an opportunity to serve.
How would you describe your colleagues?
We have people with all types of different experiences, but the one common thread is that we are really invested in turning DCPS into a world class, high-performing school district.
Some people have a lot of classroom experience, while others know about operations, business, and finance. This helps us make sure that our decisions are thorough, smart, and forward-thinking.
What sets DCPS apart?
You're not going to find a school district that's thinking more innovatively than we are. You're not going to find a school district that's more committed to changing the status quo than we are.
To learn more about Christopher's work, watch a video about Central Office »
1999: Began her teaching career in New York City
2001: Joined DCPS as a teacher at Thomson Elementary School
2007: Served as the founding principal of Brooklyn Bridge Academy in New York City
2011: Returned to DCPS as the Deputy Chief Academic Officer for the Office of Youth Engagement
What's exciting is that DCPS is willing to think outside the box and to push the envelope.
What drew you to the Central Office?
I have a very firm grounding in schools. Having been a teacher, a leadership coach, and a principal has really informed the way that I now work at the Central Office. We want our policies to reflect schools’ needs and interests, but to also push schools to be better places.
How would you describe your colleagues?
It's nice to work with people who are both really smart about the way that they approach our work and very committed to implementing it well. I'm often having conversations about how we're applying good ideas in our schools.
What sets DCPS apart?
What's exciting is that DCPS is willing to think outside the box and to push the envelope in ways that we haven't always seen nationwide. We’ve been creative, taken risks, and done some things that haven't been done before.
Change is definitely possible. We are a manageable-sized system, one that can absolutely make the change that we want to see. We have to make it possible.
To learn more about Adele's work, watch a video about Central Office »
1998: Began teaching in Oakland Unified School District
2006: Joined DCPS as a teacher at H.D. Cooke Elementary
2009: Awarded Teachers Central to Leadership Fellowship
2009-11: Served as the Director of the Master Educator Program and as an early childhood master educator
2011: Became the Manager of the Teacher Effectiveness Strategy team
2012: Promoted to Director of the Teacher Retention and Recognition team
The work that we do here in the Central Office has implications for the national landscape of education.
What drew you to the Central Office?
After working with students directly in the classroom for about 10 years, I was interested in having a wider impact. While I loved teaching and found it to be a rewarding and fulfilling experience, I wanted to touch the lives of more students and provide input on education policy. In my current role at Central Office, I am able to do just that – the policies and programs on which I work affect the lives of 4,000 teachers and 46,000 students across the district.
How would you describe your role as Director of Teacher Retention and Recognition?
It's been amazing to work on a program that does for teachers what no other school district is doing. My work focuses on providing teachers the recognition and compensation they deserve for the difficult work they do each day. Our goal is to keep as many of our high performing teachers in the classroom as possible, and we believe that honoring and respecting teachers will help us do that.
The work that we do here in the Central Office has implications for the national landscape of education.
To learn more about Cynthia's work, watch a video about Central Office »
