Team Leader

 

Deborah L. Doordan, Ed.D.

Dr. Deborah L. Doordan is Innovative Schools’ Executive Director. Since joining the organization in February 2008, her leadership has provided direction through major restructuring; transforming and reframing the organization as the Center for School Innovation, and has poised it to play an intrinsic role in revolutionizing public education in Delaware.


Debbie professionally dedicated more than 20 years serving public education in the Christina School District.  As a teacher, her work in special education helped to move students with disabilities out of isolated special schools and into their age-appropriate home schools.  As an urban school principal in Wilmington, Debbie’s team significantly raised the academic performance of students at-risk for failure and narrowed the achievement gap among disaggregate student groups.  And as a district administrator, her experiences broadened to include extensive work in curriculum and instruction, professional development, and secondary education reform.

Among her many leadership abilities, Debbie’s commitment to innovative school reform, dedication to cultivating effective partnerships, and capacity to foster collaborative teamwork have strengthened the organization’s potential to promote outstanding student achievement in Delaware by developing excellent schools.  

Debbie earned her B.S. in Special Education from Lynchburg College, and her M.Ed, and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Delaware.   Debbie lives with her husband and two sons in the City of Wilmington.

 

Team Members
 

Charles Baldwin

Director, Innovative School Models and Innovative Staffing
 

Bill Bentz

Budget and Reporting Specialist
 

Amanda Dixon

Administrative Assistant
 

Dawn Downes, Ed.D.

Instructional Support Specialist
 

Katherine Gallup

Director of Marketing and Development
 

Matt Joyce

Director of Operations and Finance 
 

Deborah Rodenhouser, M.Ed.

Program Specialist
 

Tiffany Terranova

Marketing and Development Assistant
 
 

Charles Baldwin

Commandant Charles Baldwin joined Innovative Schools as Director of Innovative School Models and Innovative Staffing in the Spring of 2010, and brings to these positions experiences from a distinguished career in both the military and public education.

Beginning his career in the Navy, Commandant Baldwin received many honors during his 25 year of service.   For his efforts during Operation Desert Shield, Commandant Baldwin, as Command Master Chief of the nuclear aircraft carrier, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.  In 1992, he was one of four finalists for the Navy’s top enlisted post of Master Chief of the Navy. Additionally he was twice the recipient of presidential awards for management excellence. Commandant Baldwin served in Viet Nam from October 1969 to October 1970 and in the Persian Gulf from October 1991 to March 1992.

In July 1993, Commandant Baldwin began his career in education, when he accepted the position of Associate Naval Science Instructor with the Seaford School District.  There he established the first NJROTC in the State of Delaware. He followed this achievement with the commissioning of a second unit at Christiana High School.

While at Christiana, Commandant Baldwin’s unit received awards for five State Drill Championships and one national championship for best overall uniform appearance. The unit was recognized three times as being in the top 20% of the nation’s NJROTC units. He received the Christina School District Citizenship Award in 1997 and was selected as Christiana Teacher of the Year in 1998.  He also later served as Principal of George V. Kirk Middle School.

In 2003 Commandant Baldwin co-founded the Delaware Military Academy, a charter school serving 525 cadets in grades 9-12. The school holds a SUPERIOR rating under the No Child Left Behind Act and has been designated a “DISTINGUISHED UNIT WITH ACADEMIC HONORS” by the United States Navy. ALL Navy JROTC units in the State of Delaware were initiated by the Commandant and serve over 750 young women and men annually.

Commandant Baldwin was recently awarded the Delaware Distinguished Service Medal by the Delaware Adjutant General for his work in education. He is currently a partner in Innovative Education Associates and serves on the Campaign Finance Committee of the Delaware Military Heritage Museum. He is married to Salvatorica and they have two children and five grandchildren. They reside in Wilmington, Delaware and Ala Dei, Sardinia, Italy. Commandant Baldwin holds a masters degree in Secondary School Leadership from Wilmington University and has served on the Delaware Principals Academy Executive Board.
 

Bill Bentz 

Bill Bentz is a Budget and Reporting Specialist with Innovative Schools.  

In March 2002, Bill retired from his position as Director of Finance for the Colonial School District in New Castle, Del., after having served there for approximately 30 years.  

Since retirement, Bill has served an Interim Director of Finance for several other Delaware school districts, including Brandywine School District, Capital School District, and the Appoquinimink School District.   

He continues to support the Capital School District as a consultant, and has also supported the Christina School District in this capacity.   

Bill has also become familiar with the unique financial problems associated with charter schools. For the past five years, Bill has worked with the Providence Creek Academy Charter School in Clayton, Del. Through his efforts, he has been able to help the school build a strong financial base and Providence Creek will open a new, 3 building campus in September 2009.   

Bill has a Bachelor’s Degree from Elizabethtown College and a Master’s Degree from Millersville College.
 

Amanda Dixon

Amanda joined Innovative Schools, June 2010, as the Administrative Assistant. 
 
Prior to joining Innovative schools, Amanda was enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, with the Delaware Air National Guard.  There Amanda worked closely with the Commander of the 142d Airlift Squadron as there Commander Support Staff for over 10 years.
 
Amanda is currently enrolled at Wilmington University working towards her degree in Human Resource Management.
 

Dawn Downes, Ed.D.

Prior to joining Innovative Schools as the Instructional Support Specialist, Dr. Dawn Downes was the University of Delaware's Program Coordinator for the Delaware Reading and Writing Project (DWRP). Dawn also worked in public schools for 15 years as an English teacher at the secondary level, and an instructional coach specializing in literacy, assessment, differentiated instruction, and curriculum design. 
 
As a project coordinator with DWRP, Dawn collaborated with educators in university-school partnerships and supported teachers as they worked to implement best practices in reading and writing instruction in English classrooms and across the curriculum. 
 
Dawn also serves on the Delaware Student Testing Program’s ELA Development Committee, creating test items for the 10th grade reading and writing assessment.
 

Katherine Gallup

Katie Gallup joined Innovative Schools July 2007. In her role as Director of Marketing and Development, Katie works with the Executive Director to develop new initiatives and new growth. This includes community outreach, marketing, new program development, and fundraising.

Prior to joining Innovative Schools, Katie attended Drexel University’s Arts Administration Graduate Program, focusing on fundraising needs and strategies for today’s non-profit organizations.

Katie also worked as a Grant Writer for The Wilma Theater, writing proposals for the theater’s general operating expenses, artistic projects, education programs, and conducting research to expand the theater’s contributed income base.  

Katie also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art History from Gettysburg College.  
 

Matt Joyce

Matt Joyce is the Director of Operations and Finance at Innovative Schools.  He is the former Co-Founder and Director of Philly Fellows in Philadelphia, PA. Philly Fellows is a national service program bringing twenty top college graduates to Philadelphia’s non-profit sector each year. Fellows work full-time at partnering organizations, while living together in program housing and participating in a comprehensive leadership development program.
 
Most recently, Matt completed a Masters in Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. At HKS, Matt was a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship and a teaching fellow for an undergraduate class in social enterprise. Matt received his BA from Haverford College in 2003, and currently lives in Philadelphia and serves on the Board of Directors of Broad Street Ministry in Center City.
 

Deborah Rodenhouser, M.Ed.

Following more than 30 years with the Christina School District as a teacher, program manager and district administrator, Deborah Rodenhouser established DLR Education Consulting to assist organizations associated with public education through administrative and project management, policy and procedural planning, and technical assistance related to program development and implementation.

Mrs. Rodenhouser’s broad leadership experiences in public school district administration have enabled the establishment of an expansive repertoire of consultation services including, but not limited to, grant and application development, program enhancement and implementation, organizational policy and procedural foundation, project management and execution, strategic planning and staff training. Her professional skills, along with her proficiency in the public relations arena, combine to offer valuable consultation assistance.

Mrs. Rodenhouser earned her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from the University of Delaware, and her B.S. in Health and Physical Education from West Chester University.
 

Tiffany Terranova

Tiffany Terranova works as a Marketing and Development Assistant with Innovative Schools. In this role, she assists with Innovative Schools' marketing and development initiatives as well as provides grant writing consulting services to schools to develop corporate, foundation, and government proposals for capital funding and educational programs.  Tiffany's experience includes working as a Management Analyst with the State of Delaware Criminal Justice Council, where she wrote grants and provided program and fiscal administration to federal grant initiatives impacting the state of Delaware.  She also assisted state and non-profit grant applicants on the implementation, maintenance, and compliance of grant funded programs.  She is a 2001 graduate of the University of Delaware, where she earned a B.A. in Criminal Justice.