DOE official appointed new leader at south Bronx all-girls charter school

080320 Stephanie Mendez Headshot
On Aug. 3, Stephanie Mendez joined Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls, The Shirley Rodriguez-Remeneski School (BGLIG) as its new executive director.
Courtesy of BGLIG

A Department of Education official, who oversaw charter schools for the past three years for the city, will now lead one.

On Aug. 3, Stephanie Mendez joined Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls, The Shirley Rodriguez-Remeneski School (BGLIG) as its new executive director.

“I am thrilled to return to the Bronx, a place that holds a very special place in my heart,” Mendez said. “A proud Nuyorican, the Bronx was home for all four of my grandparents when they migrated from Puerto Rico, and it is where I was born and spent the earliest years of my life.”

Working for the DOE, Mendez was responsible for initiatives centered around the accountability, oversight and renewal of New York City Chancellor-authorized charter schools.

Before joining the DOE, Mendez served in numerous leadership roles within public education, including as managing director of finance and operations for a small charter network, leading school-based operations and finance teams for Achievement First and co-founding an elementary school with KIPP Charter Schools.

“My cultural and professional background have given me an acute understanding of the importance of the work that lies ahead, especially given the current state of our city and country,” Mendez commented, referring to the disproportionate effect of inequities in our communities. “As a nation, we have tremendous work to do. As a school, we play an essential role in the healing and work that is to be done.”

Mendez began her career in education at The New York City Leadership Academy, where she served as a senior curriculum specialist and designed and implemented professional development. She holds a bachelor’s degree in human rights from Columbia University and an honorary degree from the University of Guantanamo in Cuba.

“I believe in the power of the collective, many minds being better than one, which, more practically speaking, means creating meaningful opportunities for staff, students and families to engage as partners to shape our school community,” she stated. “Our success as an institution depends on all of us working together towards the same goal.”

BGLIG Board of Trustees Chair Alana Barran feels Mendez will lead the school in the right direction.

“Stephanie Mendez is an accomplished Latina educator with a deep personal understanding of what our students and families need in order to learn, grow and succeed,” Barran said. “Simply, she is a role model for our students.”