Semeka is a newer member of the IFSEL team. She is currently the Upper School Dean of Students at the Calhoun School, a PreK-12 independent school in New York City. Semeka was a member of the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) Diversity Committee for ten years and is now the Co-Director of the Justice, Equity & Diversity Institute.  For more than twenty-five years, Semeka has taught and championed students’ voices from 3-year-olds to Seniors.  Semeka’s deep belief — that adults support students best when we work together and utilize an equity lens— has shaped countless opportunities for school professionals, parents and school leaders to expand their cultural competency, sharpen their anti-bias practices, broaden curriculum and work toward developing inclusive school communities.

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Prior to becoming an educator, Semeka attended Central Park East Secondary School, which was a model school on education reform and schools with progressive principles. It was there at CPESS that the Habits of Mind became a part of her educational experience and approach to being a life-long learner.  Semeka went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT) in African American and American Studies and a Master of Science degree in Early Childhood & Elementary Education from Bank Street College of Education, in NYC.

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Semeka is a native New Yorker and she enjoys exploring all that NYC has to offer with her family and friends

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