Kindergarten Teacher

Caitlin Triolo-Knight is a third year Kindergarten teacher. She moved here after teaching in Cincinnati for two years. Before Cincinnati, she lived in Colorado and grew up in California. She just finished her Teach for America program and graduated from University of Colorado Springs in 2022 with her Masters in Sociology. In her free time, Caitlin likes to spend time with her husband and  one year old son. She has one very orange cat and one dog. She also likes to hike, build Lego sets and swim. 

6th grade Science/SS

Attendance Officer
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Ms. Dillard was born in Dayton Ohio. She graduated from Roth High School and attended Central State University where she major in Communication/ Radio and TV. Since 2010 she has been humbly honored to work at Dayton Leadership Academies. As Office Manager, Ms. Dillard has learned best practices to operate with excellence in a school office setting, as well as assisting students to make good choices and to become a positive leader. For the past 20 years, Ms. Dillard has served as Neighborhood Assistance Office with the Dayton Police Department.  Her favorite part of DLA are the students and being able to serve her community! She loves the great outdoors and spending time with family. 

Culture Keeper

Building Substitute

Dean of Students
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Mr Matthews graduated from Stivers High School for the Arts. He is certified in Violence Prevention, Youth Specialist, and Rites of Passage.

He has worked with youth for over 15 years and is the founder of Chosen Generation Mentoring Program.

He loves the school culture, friendly environment, and the love for family engagement.

Data Manager
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Mrs. Chapman graduated with her Bachelor's degree in business administration and project management from Southern New Hampshire University. She has experience as a human resources assistant, accounts payable manager, and project development. 

She is excited to work in a school and loves the welcoming environment!

School Office Coordinator
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Mrs. Loretta is a  proud graduate of Jackson State University. She has over 30 years experience in traditional education, 8 years in medical education and extensive administrative skills. She likes the love and compassion the teachers exude toward the students and she enjoys the student, parent and staff interaction.

Health Clinic Coordinator
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Nurse Jodi has been at the Dayton Leadership Academies since February 2011.   She obtained her degree locally and attended Miami Jacobs in Troy, Ohio. She has experience in Trauma, Home Health Care, General Practice, Emergency and Pediatrics. She is also a Certified CPR, AED and First Aid Instructor. She is also a Certified A.L.I.C.E instructor and leds DLA school safety drills.  Nurse Jodi loves the students and loves health, fitness and the great outdoors. Joining DLA as the Health Clinic Coordinator was the perfect match for her!

Family Engagement Coordinator
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Mrs. Brown was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio and graduated from Stivers school for the Arts- Choir and Band. She serviced children and families for 18 years with emphasis in preschool education. She is a wife and a mom of 5 and a bonus mom of 4. She and her Husband are founders of Verb Ministries where they hope to continue to expand. She am also a parent of DLA which has been an added bonus to her position as Family Engagement Coordinator, to be able to share a space with her children while at school. She truly enjoys assisting and being a service to children and families and people in general and helping to make positive changes and connections.

So the role as Family Engagement Coordinator is the perfect fit.

Dean of Academics
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Brooke Ellington was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. She graduated from Thurgood Marshall STEM High School in 2014 and went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in Middle Childhood Education (Grades 4–9) with a certificate from the Urban Teacher Academy at the University of Dayton in 2018. After college, Miss Ellington began her teaching career at Dayton Leadership Academies, where she served as the 5th Grade ELA teacher for six years. During her time at DLA, she returned to school and earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Cincinnati in 2022.

Following her graduate studies, Miss Ellington took on leadership roles at DLA, first as the 3–5 Teacher Representative on the Lighthouse Team, and then as the English Department Chairperson—a position she proudly still holds. She is thrilled to serve as the 3–5 Dean of Academics, continuing her mission to support teachers and empower students. In addition to her role at DLA, Miss Ellington is also an adjunct professor in the School of Education at Wright State University. Passionate about student achievement and lifelong learning, she is committed to making a meaningful impact in the lives of both her 3-5 and college students.

Outside of her professional life, Miss Ellington is a proud mother to two energetic toddlers who keep her hands full and her heart even fuller. She enjoys traveling, spending quality time with loved ones, and making memories that last a lifetime.

Senior Dean of Academics
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Sharell Ford is the Senior Dean of Academics with more than 25 years of dedicated experience in education. A proud product of Dayton Public Schools, she is a graduate of Colonel White High School and has spent her career committed to serving the community that shaped her.

Ms. Ford earned her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Central State University and her Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University. Her professional journey reflects a deep understanding of teaching, learning, and instructional leadership, grounded in both strong pedagogy and a genuine care for students.

Passionate about supporting students and families, Ms. Ford is deeply committed to creating a warm, nurturing, and academically rich environment where all students can thrive. Having lived in Dayton her entire life, she takes great pride in giving back to the community she calls home and looks forward to continuing to support the families and students of the area she grew up in through strong academic leadership and meaningful partnerships.

Principal
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Mrs. Kreischer was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and two Master Degrees in Reading and School Administration from Bowling Green State University. After graduating from BGSU, she moved to Las Vegas, NV where she taught preschool and 1st grade for 5 years. She served as the grade level chair and teacher mentor.

In 2017 she joined DLA as a kindergarten teacher, and shortly after stepped into the teacher coach role. As the Teacher Coach for Data and Instruction, she worked with the administration team to lead professional development, coach teachers, and analyze school data. She also served as the track coach for the past two years and is passionate about helping our students find the best in themselves. She is excited to continue to help grow DLA to be an amazing education opportunity for students in our community.  

Executive Director
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Mrs. Asinjo was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Mount Holyoke College, teaching certificate from San Francisco State University, and Master’s degree in School Leadership from DePaul University.

Mrs. Asinjo started her career in education with Teach For America and taught second and third grades in East Palo Alto, CA and Chicago, IL. As a Teach For America Program Director, Mrs. Asinjo coached over 200 teachers in Chicago. In 2006 she became the Founding Principal of East Chicago Lighthouse Charter School in Northwest Indiana. She expanded the school from 110 to 300 students and led the school to be recognized by the Indiana DOE for the third highest growth (59.5% growth) on NWEA Mathematics out of all schools in the state.

From there, Mrs. Asinjo joined the national team of Lighthouse Academies as the Director of Recruitment and Selection and then served as the Senior Vice President of the Research, Design, and Strategy Team. In that role, she trained and developed school leaders, conducted school quality reviews, and served as an internal consultant for 17 schools in 7 states.

In 2015, Mrs. Asinjo was looking to be back in a school setting and joined the DLA team, first as the Assistant Principal and then as the Principal. In that role she led the team to increase student enrollment from 325 to 500 students, increase staff retention to 90%, increase DLA's report card ratings to 3 stars in Progress and K-3 Literacy, and secured two charter renewals.

In July 2023, Mrs. Asinjo became the Executive Director. In this role she oversees strategic planning, school partnerships and community relations, and HR and talent management. Mrs. Asinjo serves as an ex-officio member of the school board. Additionally, Mrs. Asinjo is an adjunct professor at Wright State University in the School of Education, is an active member of the DREAM Diversity Recruitment Association and serves on the Central State University School of Education Advisory Council.

Mrs. Asinjo and her husband have two children who keep them very active and entertained. When she has time, she likes cooking, hiking, reading novels, and travelling.

Middle School Coordinator
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Debra Walls was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. She graduated from Dunbar High School. She attended Wright State University where she received her Bachelors of English degree to teach Middle and High School English. She received a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from Antioch University. After completing her education, she left Ohio to move south, She has lived and taught middle school English in Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis Tennessee.

She returned to Dayton six years ago where she began working at DLA as a 6th grade English teacher. In the time she has been at DLA, she has been a Teacher Leader in multiple ways. She was the English Department Chair for two years and spent one summer as the Summer Launch Coordinator. Ms. Walls has also been the DLA cheerleading coach for the past 5 years. After teaching 6th grade English for five years and being a Reading Interventionist for one year, Ms. Walls is excited to step into her new role as the Middle School Coordinator.

Ms. Walls has one child, a five year old daughter who keeps her very busy and young at heart. Ms. Walls has always been passionate about working with middle school inner city students. She finds great joy in helping grow students academically as well as socially. Ms. Walls strives to prepare students for not just high school, but the real world and help them realize that they are capable of anything they put their minds to.