Washington

Our Team

Our Team
- Henterson Carlisle
- Kaaren Andrews
- Ajai Huja
- Jennifer Wiley
- Melissa Rysemus
- Douglas Judge
- Molly Lawson
Henterson Carlisle

Henterson is a Seattle native who has always been a champion for students from marginalized communities. Henterson leads with his core values: integrity, trust, equity and empathy. He believes these values are the cornerstone of effective leadership within any organization. He has worked tirelessly to have a positive impact on all those he engages with.

Henterson comes with 21 years of public-school experience. Most recently, he served as an Associate Principal at Mercer Island High School. While at Mercer Island High School, Henterson was instrumental in leading them in their journey into diversity, equity and inclusion work. Prior to that he was the Principal at Madison Middle School for four years. Henterson started his educational career as a middle school math and science teacher.

Henterson’s work with communities that are underserved and marginalized span longer than the 21 years of education. He has participated in community advocacy through volunteerism and youth mentorship. Henterson looks forward to his role at Stand and working with high school teams to provide nineth grade students the structures, strategies and conditions necessary for them to thrive during their high school career.

Henterson is married and has two adult children. He loves to travel and experience different cultures, with his latest travels to Accra, Ghana and Cape Town, South Africa. Henterson played collegiate football at Portland State University, where he majored in Economics. He earned his master in education and administrative credentials from the University of Washington.
Kaaren Andrews

Over the past 20 years, Kaaren has worked as a leader in public schools in Washington and California to address systemic and structural inequities that continue to negatively impact the most vulnerable youth. She’s served as a principal for five schools, serving students from preschool through 12th grade. While recognizing the structural challenges of meeting the diverse needs of individuals, particularly those impacted by institutional racism, poverty, and inequitable access to opportunity in our communities, she maintains a firm belief in our public schools as the central ecosystem most capable of promoting broad social change through thoughtful assessment, provision, and monitoring of intentional and intensive academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and vocational support.

She’s spent the past nine years building an alternative high school program in Seattle called Interagency Academy that serves almost 2000 students each year across twelve campuses. The students served represent almost all the students in Seattle who have not been supported adequately by traditional schools. Disproportionately students of color, they represent the failure of a large system to recognize and dismantle the forces of institutional racism. For most students, Interagency is the last chance for education after falling behind due to suspension, incarceration, homelessness, untreated mental health issues, drug and alcohol addiction, and other life-changing events that have left them discouraged and years behind their same age peers. All of her work was done in partnership with multiple local government and community organizations bringing resources and expertise in adolescent health, housing support, addiction, mental health, vocational training, community college, and the arts. She’s learned very intimately what happens to students when they don’t succeed in high school, and she has been integral in correcting the course for many students through alternative school education.

Kaaren played basketball and graduated from Princeton University, and it was there that her passion for this work began. She received her Master’s from Stanford University in Education Policy and Administration. She lives in Seattle, is married, and has two school age daughters that she loves to coach in community sports.
Ajai Huja

Born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia as a First-Generation Punjabi-American. Ajai has worked in the field of education for 20 years, the last six as the Principal of the Centennial Park School, a public alternative high school in the Centennial School District.

Ajai’s work in education is driven by a desire to fundamentally change an education system not designed to serve the needs of all students. During his career, he has worked to ensure Oregon’s education system holds high expectations and ensures equitable outcomes for all students. The bulk of that career has been spent working with students who have struggled in our traditional systems, ranging from separate programs to very inclusive settings. Ajai is grateful for what he has learned from students every day in his work.

When not working, he can be found in SE Portland with his wife Christin, of 12 years, daughter Meera (8yrs old) and son Simran (4 years old), who happily occupy most of his time outside of school. They are often found on their bikes, exploring Oregon, cooking and eating delicious food, and spending time with family and friends.
Sarah Smith

A native of Virginia whose family had deep roots in the Civil Rights movement, Sarah earned a scholarship to attend boarding school at Phillips Exeter Academy for her later high school years. That experience set the course for her life’s work in education, with a particular focus of closing the gaps in our society via access to equitable educational opportunities. A singular book, Jonathan Kozol’s Savage Inequalities, assigned in an 11th grade ethics class shaped the course of her next 30+ years as a public school educator and non-profit founding team member.

For the past 20 years, Sarah served in multiple roles at Rainier Scholars (executive director for the past ten), an educational and leadership development program in Seattle which she helped to start in 2000. Rainier Scholars identifies low-income students of color striving to become the first in their family to graduate from college and offers academic enrichment, leadership, college and career development opportunities from 5th grade through college graduation. She has worked with thousands of scholars and families over the past two decades and is ever-inspired to see where their hard work, commitment and belief in the power and value of education has taken them. A growing core of alumni graduates emerging into the community stepping up to work, serve and lead serves as the humblest reminder of how impactful the work has been.

Sarah is excited to join the Stand team and return to her roots in public education. Early in her career, she taught at Nathan Hale High School, co-designing a “9th grade academy” program which shared so many of the goals of the Washington High School Success program. Believing deeply in the power of the transition experience into high school shaping so much of what’s to come, she’s excited to work with principals and freshman teams to design and deliver impactful outcomes.

Sarah graduated from the University of Virginia where she served as captain of the women’s rowing team and earned a Master’s in Education degree from Stanford University. She remains a nationally competitive rower, avid runner, backpacker and college hoops fan. She lives in Southeast Seattle with her spouse, son and daughter who while proving to be great company in quarantine 2020, do look forward to getting back to their baseball and soccer teams respectively when the pandemic has slowed.
Jennifer Wiley

Jennifer’s 29-year career in education includes developing and directing multiple K-12 instrumental music programs and teaching mathematics within public schools in Hayward, Ca. As a first-generation college student, she experienced first-hand the liberation power of a highly effective classrooms. Early in her teaching career she witnessed extreme disparities in public education. These disparities motivated her to pursue advanced degrees in education leadership and policy studies.

Jennifer has spent the past 24 years as a high school principal in a wide range of settings to include suburban and urban high schools as well as leading a K-12 urban alternative school. Most recently she served 16 years as a turnaround principal of the highly diverse and nationally recognized Franklin High School in Seattle.

Jennifer has spent the whole of her career building inclusive educational systems with focused emphasis on educational equity as a critical strategy toward social justice. She earned her doctorate from the University of Washington studying effective school leadership in urban schools in the United States context as well as abroad culminating in a dissertation focused on the unique challenges and opportunities of school leaders in township schools in post-apartheid South Africa. Jennifer unequivocally believes that public education can and should be a pathway for personal liberation and engine for our representative democracy.

Outside of her unrelenting passion for working with schools, Jennifer can be found enjoying long walks, playing her steel drums, traveling, listening to music, enjoying friendships, or chasing her new Boston Terrier, Zazu.
Melissa Rysemus

Melissa Rysemus has spent the last 20 years in public education as a teacher, instructional coach, and school leader. Driven by a deep belief in social justice and a commitment to improving school systems, she knows that education is a powerful tool for change and that our schools can and must be better.

Most recently, Melissa was the principal of Interagency Academy, an alternative high school that supports students who have experienced some sort of disruption to their high school journey. Interagency students get individualized support to reach their goals, explore future opportunities and reimagine what success in school looks like for them. Twelve years at Interagency has taught Melissa that restorative practices, culturally sustaining instruction, and welcoming school environments are critical for students to find success.

Melissa earned her bachelor's degree in art history at Pomona College, her teaching certificate at UCLA, and her master's in educational leadership and principal credential at University of Washington. She is a National Board Certified Teacher. Melissa is married with two teenage children, and you can often find her near the water in West Seattle. She also loves to read and walk her pandemic pup, Apollo.
Douglas Judge

Doug Judge grew up in Renton, Washington a community just south of Seattle. After graduating from the University of Washington School of Social Work, he worked in foster care, as a school social worker, and as a juvenile probation officer in Seattle. In response to disturbing race, class, and special needs‐based disproportionality in these impactful public systems, he shifted his professional focus to public schools, and after earning his MA from Western Washington University, taught high school special education in comprehensive, alternative, and correctional school settings. To deepen his knowledge of effective, evidence‐based, and culturally‐affirming school systems and interventions, he earned his PhD in special education from the University of Washington, where he also completed the Danforth Educational Leadership program.

Dr. Judge’s areas of research, publication and practice include PBIS, racial disproportionality and school discipline, function‐based behavior supports and coaching, secondary trauma/resilience supports, international comparative special needs education, MTSS, school mental health, and anti‐racist Social Emotional Learning (SEL). He has served as an adjunct faculty member and research assistant at UW Seattle and Seattle University. For 3 years he served as an assistant principal at Interagency Academy, an incredible trauma‐informed alternative high school in Seattle Public Schools, and from 2018‐2021 he was the Director of SEL at Highline Public Schools in Burien, WA. In this role he engaged in professional development and coaching with school principals and student support teams, and he and his team implemented and evaluated a comprehensive Pre‐K‐12th SEL program rooted in anti‐racist SEL, family funds of knowledge, and preventative supports across the MTSS framework.

Doug lives in Seattle with his wife Kelly, and their strong and inspiring daughters.
Molly Lawson

Molly was born and raised in Gig Harbor, Washington. Molly has worked in education for the past eight years, the last two as the Assistant Principal at Wahluke High School in Mattawa, Washington.

Molly has a Masters degree in Educational Leadership along with an Administrative Certificate. She recently completed an add-on certificate in Special Education Administration. While an assistant principal, Molly was the lead administrator for Wahlukes Freshman Success Team. Molly and her team increased their freshmen on track rate by over 90% over the last two years. Her team provided Wahluke 9th grade students and families with several resources and support that led to this success. Her drive to do what's best for all students is reflected in her work. Molly's passion for this work along with her dedication to student success will be an asset to the Stand team.

Molly lives in Ellensburg, Washington with her youngest daughter Quinn. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her four children, traveling, playing and coaching soccer, and riding horses.

Washington

Our Team

Henterson Carlisle

Kaaren Andrews

Ajai Huja

Sarah Smith

Jennifer Wiley

Melissa Rysemus

Douglas Judge

Molly Lawson