Ms. Ravare joined the CAPS organization in July 2022 with over 20 years of experience in charter school management and charter school policy development.
Most previously, Ms. Ravare served as the CEO of Extera Public Schools, a Charter Management Organization operating two schools in East Los Angeles. Prior to becoming CEO, she served as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer for six years and led a team that included human resources, technology, operations, real estate, compliance, student recruitment, budget, and finance.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Ravare led regional advocacy efforts in Los Angeles for the California Charter Schools Association, where she also served as the founding Executive Director of Families that Can, a statewide advocacy organization engaging and empowering charter school parents. Ms. Ravare also served as the Senior Vice President at ICEF Public Schools, a successful network of charter schools serving South Los Angeles. Ms. Ravare is a certified Charter School Business Manager. She is a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow and received her Bachelor’s from UC Berkeley.
Ms. Ravare also serves on the board of CharterFolk, a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the charter school movement to improve education for all students.
Ms. Charlotte Marler-Hausen Principal: Grades K-3
Ms. Marler-Hausen joined CAPS in 2022 as the Director of Teaching and Learning for K-8, working closely with staff and students on curriculum and instruction. She has worked extensively with K-3 Emerson staff in the areas of literacy and increasing student reading scores. She is an advocate for early childhood teaching practices and believes in putting children first in all her work.
Ms. Marler-Hausen began her teaching career in England in 2005 as a first-grade teacher and relocated to America in 2008. She spent 10 years teaching Kindergarten and 1st grade in a charter school in Newark and developed her experience helping students learn to read. She started her leadership journey in Paterson as Assistant Principal of a K-4 charter school and later as Principal. Ms. Marler-Hausen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Liverpool Hope University, a Masters in Reading from Montclair State University, and a Masters in Educational Leadership from Georgian Court University. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and exploring the outdoors!
Dr. Lennox H. Small Principal, Grades 4-8
Between the ages of 7 to 16, Dr. Small attended seven schools in three countries and three states, seeing firsthand both the power of education to transform lives and the “savage inequalities” (which is how Jonathan Kozol described one of these schools) that result when students are not afforded the best instruction, resources, and guidance. These experiences left an indelible mark on Dr. Small and are why he pursued a career in education.
Dr. Small received a B.A. at Rutgers University, an M.A. at Columbia University/Teachers College and an M.A. in Educational Administration at Kean University. He completed his Doctorate in Education at the University of Pennsylvania. With over 20 years experience in the field, he has served as a middle and high school teacher, vice principal, and principal; most recently he served as District Supervisor of Humanities for New Brunswick Public Schools. Dr. Small joined CAPS in July 2022, bringing his passion to annihilate “savage inequalities” to our own schools.
During his career, Dr. Small has received several awards and recognitions including serving as a US Educator Delegate to Beijing, China and a grant at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He also received a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship in Southern Africa, including Swaziland (Eswatini), South Africa, Lesotho, and Mozambique. In this role, he spent two months conducting research with teachers in various secondary schools and universities throughout the region. Dr. Small currently serves as a Commissioner at the Edison Housing Authority and a board member for Edison Affordable Housing.
Mrs. Natica Brown Principal: Grades 9-12
As a young woman, Mrs. Brown did not set out to become a teacher or administrator. Having earned a B.S. in Biology, she sought to fund medical school applications by taking on some substitute teaching work. Noticing that the grade 9 students had posted art collages in their science classroom, Mrs. Brown asked them why. They explained that they had been without a teacher for six months (and some an entire year before that as well), and that the last substitute was an art teacher, not a science teacher. Mrs. Brown decided at that moment that she would not sit for two weeks and let them loose any opportunity to fall in love with science. She asked the students permission to teach them and the students agreed. Within 30 days, Mrs. Brown was on the road to becoming a teacher via the Alternate Route program.
Mrs. Brown continued her career for 7 years as a teacher of Biology, Geophysical Science, and Physics. This included 4 years in Paterson, NJ, where she earned the title “Teacher of the Year”. It also included several years in Newark Public Schools. Along the way, she earned an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction in Physics.
Over time, Mrs. Brown realized that real change must start at the top. She decided that the best way she could reach children and make a difference was to become a leader and change agent. She began working on earning administrative certifications. In 2013, Mrs. Brown moved from teacher to Vice Principal. In this leadership role, she ensured that her high school graduated 90% of the senior class that entered the school in September. She continued to grow as an administrator, moving attendance rates as well as graduation rates by double digit percentages.
Mrs. Brown has an uncompromising outlook that all students can learn if given a positive learning environment that welcomes investigation and enhances student confidence. She is a collaborative leader, so her vision for school leadership is to develop a clear and shared focus for the school. It is Mrs. Brown’s belief that an educator’s mission is to make school enjoyable, exciting, and supportive — that a student who looks forward to attending school will want to learn.
