Staff
Robert Bhoolai
Program Director
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Robert Bhoolai, a 2019 Cahn Fellow, has joined our team as a Program Director to assist in the development of our expansion model. Robert is the former principal of T.R. Robinson High School in Tampa, Florida. Serving traditional and magnet students in grades 9-12, Robert led the school to obtain significant academic standing locally and nationally. He also coordinated the implementation of several academic and social initiatives that focused on the cultural and social-emotional perspectives of the schooling experience. His efforts led to record graduation rates, higher percentages of college acceptance, and higher rates of post-secondary industry placement for students. Robert began his career in Hillsborough County Public Schools in 2006. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Wittenberg University, a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of South Florida, and is currently working toward his doctoral degree in Educational Program Development with a focus in Educational Innovation. Robert has served as a substitute teacher, teacher, assistant principal, principal, district trainer, and leadership mentor. He used his experiences and knowledge to identify and grow aspiring leaders, both at his school and within the district. Robert found his passion for leadership when he served in several key teacher-leader roles across several schools. In 2011 Robert was appointed assistant principal at a high needs high school. This experience helped him discover the power of building authentic relationships with students in an administrative role. The leadership team was proud to lead the school to its first and only A rating. As a 2019 fellow, Robert worked to establish an Executive Student Board at T.R. Robinson. The board works on behalf of all students to facilitate healthy and proactive communication between students and staff, aimed at creating opportunities for students to engage in school-level decisions that affect their schooling experience.
Anna Cano Amato
Alumni Network Director
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Anna Cano Amato is a 2015 Fellow, a Cahn Alumni Advisor since 2016, and most recently, a Cahn Fellowship Alumni Network Director. Previously, she was the Principal of PS 110 in Brooklyn since 2006. She joined the faculty of PS 110 in 1984 where she worked in the following positions: Assistant Principal, Literacy Coach, Teacher Trainer, Spanish and Classroom Teacher, 2nd through 5th grades. In recognition of the school’s efforts in fulfilling its vision, PS 110 was the first New York City public school to receive the “Educating the Whole Child in the 21st Century” award from the New York ASCD for creating a healthy, safe, engaging, supportive, and challenging school environment. She introduced a French Dual Language curriculum to the PS 110 school community in 2010. Anna was a recipient of the Chevalier dans I’Ordre des Palmes Académiques in 2016 for her “… remarkable role in the development of French-English bilingual programs.” She has earned advanced degrees from Queens College and St. John’s University as well as an administrative degree from the College of St. Rose.
Eva Capo
Program Coordinator
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Eva Capo, with 17 years of experience in the educational field Eva holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Puerto Rico and a master’s degree from Argosy University in school counseling. She started working as a teacher at a title one school and decided to further her education to be able to serve students’ needs on a one-on-one basis as a counselor. Her experience ranges from middle to high school as a counselor and teacher in title one and renaissance schools. Eva’s passion for education guided her students to become part of the highest graduation rate in history at her previous school. By guiding students academically and emotionally, they successfully completed their high school career and moved on to post-secondary careers. Eva’s strong perseverance in education and willingness to help others has led her to join Cahn Fellowship as a Program Assistant in August of 2022, and most recently, a Program Coordinator.
Talisa Martinez
Operations Coordinator
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Talisa Martinez is a seasoned operations professional with more than 10 years of experience, spanning multiple industries. She found her way to education in 2014 when she joined Uplift Education, the largest public charter school network in North Texas, and went on to hold a number of key operational and strategy positions in academic leadership support, campus operations, and culminating in managing an extensive portfolio of network partnerships. Talisa has a passion and high aptitude for project management and systems building that benefit mission-oriented organizations, all in service of schools, families, and students. Talisa has been repeatedly recognized in previous roles for her technical skills, dedication to the work, and contributions to organizational culture. She joined the team in August of 2021.
Crystal Mayfield Jones
Program Director
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Crystal Mayfield Jones, a 2018 Cahn Fellow, is the Program Director of the Cahn Leadership Lab, our 3-4 year principal program. Crystal has been principal of Beecher Hills Elementary in Atlanta since 2009. Her school team lives the vision of doing more every day to help students climb higher. They work to provide activities and experiences to support the academic, social and emotional growth of their students. Since 1999, Crystal has worked at Beecher in the following positions: Assistant Administrator, International Baccalaureate Coordinator, teacher and in her current role as principal. She has earned advanced degrees from Tuskegee University and Georgia State University. Beecher Hills has the distinction of being one of the few Title I schools authorized as an International Baccalaureate PYP school since 2011.
Nathan Blankenship
Development Coordinator
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Nathan Blankenship is a leader in strategic relationship management and a project specialist with extensive experience in development operations, partnership engagement, stewardship, and mission-driven initiatives. Before joining Cahn Fellowship, Nathan served as Development Associate at Chiefs for Change, where he played a key role in advancing the organization’s mission by cultivating relationships with sponsors and partners, tracking grants and funding opportunities, and managing internal systems and processes related to fundraising efforts. For four years, he was the Education Coordinator at the Anti-Defamation League-Southern Division, where he helped expand the organization’s signature K-12 anti-bullying program to over 500 schools. He also supported other key initiatives, including anti-bias programming in schools and workplaces. During his time at ADL, he received the prestigious Luzell Award for staff excellence.
Nathan comes from a family that emphasized community involvement, education, and civic engagement, which fueled his passion for purpose-driven work. He is deeply committed to making the world a more just and equitable place and ensuring that all students have access to a high-quality education.
Dr. Barbara McKeon
Senior Program Director
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Dr. Barbara McKeon has been instrumental in developing curriculum for the Cahn Fellowship expansion. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Rutgers University, a Master’s in Communication Disorders from the University of Vermont, and a Doctorate in Education Leadership, Management and Policy from Seton Hall University. She has written and been featured in numerous articles and has spoken extensively both nationally and internationally on topics in education including improving school culture, school turnaround, aspiring leadership, building relational trust and integrating restorative practices. Dr. McKeon developed language-intensive programs for various public middle and high schools and has conducted numerous workshops on the developing adolescent. Her interests are in equity, transitions that impact students and social-emotional learning. She has held adjunct professorships at Pace, Brooklyn College and the University of Vermont and she was a member of the 2015 Cahn cohort.
Dr. Jonathan Smith
Director of Finance and Business Operations
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Jonathan Smith, was a member of the Cahn Fellows inaugural Dallas cohort in 2018. Prior to becoming Director of Finance and Business Operations, Jonathan served as a Cahn Alumni Advisor. Jonathan joined the Cahn team in 2021 to lead our important work supporting education leaders across the country. With his robust leadership experience, he is strengthening and growing the organization. Jonathan Calvin Smith was a Principal in the Dallas ISD for fourteen years. He was the Principal of the iconic David W. Carter High School. Under his transformational leadership and campus turnaround model, schools at all levels have been recognized on the local, state, and national level. Since becoming a principal at age 26, Jonathan solely taught and led the school communities of his youth in Dallas. He furthered his education at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas where he graduated Cum Laude in three years, receiving his Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a concentration in human resources. His postgraduate studies include Universidad Internacional Spanish Immersion Program in Cuernavaca, Mexico, Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education’s Urban School Leadership Program and Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary and Dallas Baptist University. Jonathan holds a Master’s in Educational Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington. Jonathan has been married to his high school sweetheart, Christina, for 20 years. Together, they share their love with three sons.
Dr. Adele Tay Fabrikant
Executive Director
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After spending most of her childhood in Washington D.C., Adele graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1999 with a degree in environmental design specializing in architecture. Her career in public education began as a Teach For America corps member working with 28 second graders in the South Bronx of New York. Adele decided to return to her hometown to continue teaching in elementary schools. After earning her Masters in Educational Leadership from Teachers College at Columbia University in 2004, Adele led instructional and school design for high school students through several non-profit organizations. In partnership with several community based organizations, Adele designed, founded and served as the founding principal of a public transfer high school in Brooklyn, New York serving hundreds of opportunity youth. As the Deputy Chief of Youth Engagement at DC Public Schools in 2011, Adele oversaw policies and programs for the district’s most under-served populations.
In 2015, Adele graduated with a Doctorate in Education and her dissertation focused on student-centered, transformational school district leadership. For nearly 7 years, Adele led Teach For America's D.C. Region as Executive Director. In 2021, Adele was promoted to Regional Field Executive where she managed multiple executive leaders across regions and co-led the strategy and implementation of TFA’s first alumni innovation regions.
Today, Adele lives with her husband, three children and rescue dog in Alexandria, Virginia.