The Mind Trust Announces Second Cohort of North Star Fellows in Connecticut

CONNECTICUT — (August 17, 2026) — Four educators and community leaders have been selected to join The Mind Trust’s North Star Fellowship, a paid, full-time leadership program designed to equip aspiring school leaders with the tools, mentorship, and strategic guidance needed to launch high-quality public charter schools in Connecticut. Through the fellowship, participants develop their governance and leadership skills, refine their school models, evolve their financial preparation, advance their facilities planning, and build meaningful connections with other local leaders, ensuring their schools are deeply rooted in and responsive to the communities they serve.

“The pipeline behind this Fellowship is packed with talented leaders who have been waiting for exactly this opening. This cohort is proof that the pipeline for high-quality public school options is here, and it’s strong,” said Rebecca Greenberg-Ellis, Executive Director, The Mind Trust Connecticut

About The Mind Trust’s North Star Fellowship

To meet the need for more high-quality public school options, North Star Fellows will spend one to two years developing and launching a new charter school in Connecticut. The North Star Fellowship’s programming and structure are based on The Mind Trust’s fellowship and investment tracks, which have supported the launch of more than 50 public charter and innovation network schools in Indianapolis, Indiana, and support three growing school networks in Connecticut. 

North Star Fellows are paid a competitive salary with healthcare and benefits. Additionally, Fellows receive personalized coaching, opportunities to visit some of the nation’s most innovative schools, and support throughout the school development process.

The fellowship launched in 2024, with the first cohort supporting leaders who aim to launch and grow Libertas Academy Charter School, PROUD Academy, and TransformED Academy.

“Lily, Daniel, Stephanie, and Gianna each bring a unique vision for what high-quality public education can look like in Connecticut, and together, they represent the kind of leadership that transforms what’s possible for students and families,” said Georgia Lieber, Partner, North Star Fellowship at The Mind Trust Connecticut.

Brass City Charter School, Fellow Liying “Lily” Zhao

Brass City Charter School (BCCS) is a rigorous, standards-aligned PK-8 public charter school in Waterbury, Connecticut, that pairs high academic expectations with deep social-emotional support. Students at BCCS have consistently outperformed their host district on state assessments. In January 2026, BCCS was named the top school in the state by The 74 for beating the odds in 3rd grade reading.  

Lily Zhao, who will be the founding principal of a new campus, knows BCCS’s strengths, community, and culture from the inside out. She spent more than a decade at BCCS as a classroom teacher, math lead, and ultimately principal, leading the school from 2017 through 2023 and guiding it through a complex accreditation and charter renewal process while supporting its expansion through eighth grade. In fact, Zhao’s own classrooms produced some of BCCS’ strongest results: 100 percent of her first cohort and 92 percent of her second scored proficient or above on the Connecticut state assessment. Most recently, she has served as director of the Early Childhood Center at Central Avenue in Naugatuck, where she coached teachers in play-based instruction that builds critical thinking and problem-solving from the very first years of school. 

Zhao earned her Master of Science in Education in School Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, her Master of Education in Moderate Special Needs (Grades K–8) through the Donovan Urban Teaching Scholars Program at Boston College, and TELL certification. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Elementary Education, also from Boston College. Lastly, she holds a Superintendent Certification Endorsement from the University of Connecticut’s Executive Leadership Program and a CT Director’s Credential at the Master’s level from Charter Oak State College.

Danbury International Academy Charter School, Fellow Daniel Hicks

Danbury International Academy Charter School (DCS) is a 6-12 grade charter school that will provide International Baccalaureate programming to students in Danbury, CT. DCS will be the first International Baccalaureate charter school in Connecticut, offering a globally recognized, inquiry-based framework that challenges students to think critically, engage across disciplines, and develop into college- and career-ready graduates.

Daniel Hicks brings exactly the combination of skills Danbury International Academy’s launch will require: deep IB expertise, proven school leadership, and the ability to build the external partnerships and funding relationships a new school depends on. Most recently, Hicks served as Director of Development for New Haven Counts, a non-profit organization he co-founded in 2018 focused on improving math achievement and expanding extracurricular opportunities for young people in New Haven. Prior to that, he served as principal of Second Hill Lane Elementary School in Stratford. His earlier career includes his work as an Assistant Principal/MYP Coordinator at Connecticut IB Academy in East Hartford, where he gained direct experience implementing and managing IB programming. He has also served as assistant principal at Stratford High School, administrative resident at James Hillhouse High School, and spent five years as a classroom teacher and team leader at Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy in New Haven, where he began as a Teach for America corps member. 

Hicks holds a Master’s degree in Education from Southern Connecticut State University, earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Providence College, and completed a 6th Year Certificate in Educational Leadership and Administration from the University of Connecticut.

Rose School of Excellence, Founder and Fellow Dr. Stephanie Douglas

Rose School of Excellence will be an all-girls public charter middle school built around sisterhood, high expectations, and leadership development during a pivotal stage in young women’s lives. The school will pair rigorous, standards-aligned instruction with hands-on STEM exploration, designed to counter the well-documented drop in girls’ STEM confidence during adolescence, alongside career-connected pathways in business, the arts, and health sciences. Students will have the opportunity to explore their interests and build their identities as learners and leaders without being pushed into early specialization. Rose School of Excellence is rooted in the belief that every girl deserves a school built for her.

Dr. Stephanie Douglas, founder and founding principal of Rose School of Excellence, has been shaped by a lifetime of giving back to the students and the communities that raised her. Douglas began her career through Teach For America and has since served students and families nationally as a teacher, dean, instructional coach, assistant principal, principal, and adjunct professor. She has also volunteered in schools in Africa and South America. As principal of The Academy Middle School in Uniondale, New York, she led overall student proficiency from 39 percent to 80 percent in three years, a 105-percentage-point increase. She co-founded the Rose Daniel Legacy Scholarship, awarded annually to a student at Elmont Memorial High School, and the school’s name, Rose School of Excellence, will be a tribute to that same legacy of investment in young people. She also successfully ran for a seat on the Elmont school board and currently serves on its facilities committee.

Dr. Douglas earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Innovation at New York University. She is a graduate of Howard University, holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Loyola Marymount University, and has completed advanced leadership training at Harvard University. 

The Commons Public Charter School, Founder and Fellow Gianna Cassetta

The Commons Public Charter School (The Commons) will be a K–5 school that integrates rigorous, standards-based instruction, experiential learning, and bounded animal-assisted services in a nature-based setting. The school’s model is grounded in the belief that academic and social-emotional development are deeply connected, and that children learn best when they feel known, connected, and secure. In an environment defined by clear expectations, consistent routines, and strong relationships, students develop a sense of belonging, responsibility, and agency. The Commons is designed to show what elementary education can look like when a school is built around the whole child from day one. 

Gianna Cassetta, who will serve as the founding executive director of The Commons, brings deep experience as a teacher, school founder, and education leader. She began her teaching career in New York City, where she became one of the state’s first 25 National Board-certified teachers, and went on to co-found and lead one of only five public-to-charter conversion schools in the city, which outperformed both its host district and the city as a whole. She later helped launch the Office of School Reform and Innovation at Denver Public Schools as Director of Leadership Development, founded a school in Far Northeast Denver, and has led change initiatives for schools, districts, and state education agencies nationally. A published author of books on social and emotional learning and classroom culture, and an International Coaching Federation-certified leadership coach, Gianna believes adult learning and student learning are inseparable. She envisions The Commons as a community where adults are supported to grow so that every child is known, challenged, supported, and surrounded by the conditions they need to thrive. 

Gianna completed her school and district administrator coursework at Teachers College, Columbia University, and earned a Master of Science in Teaching from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Purchase College, SUNY. She also holds a certificate in Animals and Human Health from the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work.

To learn more about the North Star Fellowship and all fellows, visit http://themindtrust.org/north-star-fellowship.