Staff

Jenny Sedlis
Executive Director
Jenny Sedlis joins StudentsFirstNY from the Success Academy Charter Schools, an organization she co-founded in 2006 and grew from 1 to 22 schools in eight years.
Angelia Dickens
General Counsel
Angelia Dickens is the General Counsel of StudentsFirstNY and its related entities. Previously, Ms. Dickens established and operated the legal department of StudentsFirst, a national advocacy organization founded by Michelle Rhee, from 2011 until its merger in 2016.
Crystal McQueen-Taylor
Chief Advocacy Officer

Crystal started her career as a NYC public school teacher before joining TNTP where she led the NYC Teaching Fellows. Most recently, Crystal served as the Regional Senior Director for Uncommon Schools.
Michael Nitzky
Senior Communications Director
Michael joins StudentsFirstNY with an extensive knowledge of politics and media, most recently, serving as Director of Communications for New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer. Michael is also the proud parent of two public school school students in New York City.