Learn More About Namaste Charter School

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About the Administrators

Allison Slade, Principal and Co-Founder

Over the past decade, Allison Slade has served as a teacher, professional developer, mentor and curriculum designer in urban and suburban settings. She is certified in bilingual education and has worked as a literacy specialist who has provided professional development workshops and in-classroom coaching and mentoring for Chicago Public School teachers. Ms. Slade also taught in inner city Houston as a member of Teach for America, where she found the challenge of teaching in underprivileged areas rewarding and vitally important thereby deciding to dedicate her life to improving the educational opportunities for all young people in the city of Chicago. Ms. Slade has consulted and presented for the Illinois State Multi-Cultural and Diversity conference, the Rochelle Lee Fund, National Louis University and served as an assessor for the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. She obtained her Bachelor's degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies from Washington University in St. Louis, and Master's degree in Education Policy from the University of Chicago’s Harris School as a McCormick Tribune Fellow. She completed her Type 75 administrative credential through Loyola University Chicago.

Kathleen Clarke, Director of Operations
Kathleen Clarke serves as Director of Operations for Namaste Charter School. In this capacity, she oversees the financial, facility, compliance, and human resources' operations of Namaste. Ms. Clarke's passion for working on causes that educate and empower children in urban areas began with her service in AmeriCorps. Prior to joining Namaste, Ms. Clarke spent two years actively involved in supporting the creation and successful operation of Chicago charter schools through her work in the Chicago Public Schools' Charter Schools Office. Ms. Clarke has conducted workshops for Chicago Public Schools, Leadership for Quality Education, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago. Before making the transition to the exciting and rewarding world of charter schools, Ms. Clarke worked in the non-profit finance division of Standard and Poor's and with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Ms. Clarke obtained her Bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College and her Master's degree in public policy analysis from the University of Chicago’s Harris School as a Levin Fellow.

Rachel Dahl, Director of Assessment and Professional Development

Rachel Dahl joined the Namaste team in July 2008 with extensive classroom experience, leadership capabilities and a passionate dedication to all children. She obtained her B.A. in Spanish and Educational Studies from Denison University. After working for two years in the middle grades in Phoenix, Arizona’s public schools through Teach for America, Ms.Dahl moved to Los Angeles and joined the founding staff of a charter school incorporating dance and arts instruction into the daily curriculum in an under-resourced urban community. Through her work with Gabriella Charter School, Ms. Dahl designed a rigorous standards-based classroom curriculum for third grade students and collaborated with staff and administration. During this time, she also served as a Professional Learning Community Facilitator for Teach for America, supporting corps members as a mentor, observer and advisor. Ms. Dahl received her Master of Arts in Education with a reading certificate and K-12 Reading/Language Arts specialist credential from California State University.

Rickie Yudin, Elementary Instructional Leader

Rickie Yudin is the newest member of Namaste's administrative team and comes most recently from KIPP Austin College Prep, where he served as the fifth and sixth Grade Assistant Principal and taught fifth grade writing and sixth grade science. Mr. Yudin received his B.A. in Economics and History with a minor in Spanish from Vanderbilt University. Mr. Yudin began his teaching career as a Teach for America Corps Member in Las Vegas, where he taught first and second grades and third and fourth grade reading intervention. He received his Master of Education degree in Elementary Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Mr. Yudin's leadership experiences include: Project Leader for Wiki-Teacher.com, a website for teachers to share their collective intelligence through their resources, insights, and practices; Member of the New Teacher Induction Program Cadre; and Co-founder of EdTogether.org, a community-based education interest group serving as an advocate for students in the Las Vegas Valley.

Clare Donovan-Scane, Middle School Instructional Leader

Clare Donovan-Scane comes to Namaste with far-reaching experience as a teacher-leader, instructional coach and an unwavering commitment to urban education. Her B.A. is from the University of Iowa in Elementary Education with a Master’s of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis University.   Currently, Ms. Donovan-Scane is working towards her PhD in Literacy, Language and Culture at University of Illinois - Chicago.  As an Induction Coach with the Chicago New Teacher Center, she worked with school administrators and teachers from across the city to improve classroom instruction and increase student achievement. Ms. Donovan-Scane brings to Namaste a background in curriculum development, middle grades instruction and work professionally developing teacher-leaders at a national level.