AppleTree Enterprise Leadership
AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation and AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School are staffed by a dedicated team with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Jack McCarthy, Managing Director, AppleTree Institute
Jack McCarthy is Managing Director of AppleTree Institute. Jack has played an influential role in the establishment and expansion of the charter school sectors in both Washington, DC and Massachusetts since 1994. He co-founded Boston Renaissance Charter School in 1995 and AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation in 1996. In DC, he advocated successfully for key amendments to the DC School Reform Act including the 15 year charter term and the facilities capitation. He contributed to the founding of Washington Mathematics Science Technology PCS, Cesar Chavez Public Policy PCS, Paul PCS and AppleTree Early Learning PCS. He served as a Founding Director and Treasurer of the Massachusetts Charter Public Schools Association. He facilitated the conversion of two Massachusetts elementary schools to Horace Mann Charter Schools. Jack is the principal architect of AppleTree’s vision. He has testified on charter school issues before Congressional Committees, the DC Council, the Virginia Senate, and the Massachusetts General Court. He holds a B.S. in political science from American University. Prior to his involvement with education reform, Mr. McCarthy served as Vice-President at Boston Bay Capital, Inc., a broker-dealer specializing in raising equity to restore historic buildings.
Mary Anne Lesiak, Director of Programs, AppleTree Institute
Mary Anne Lesiak is Director of Programs for AppleTree Institute. As Director, Mary Anne oversees the development and implementation of strategic programmatic and operational initiatives. With AppleTree since 2005, Mary Anne is the architect of AppleTree's early educational model that lead to the development of Every Child Ready and helped to drive the growth of AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter school from 36 children in 2005 to the 620 it serves today.
Before joining AppleTree, Mary Anne was a Program Analyst for the US Department of Education, where she worked on federal early childhood programs to help the nation’s most underserved students. Mary Anne managed the Early Reading First program to support children’s early literacy development nationwide through providing technical support to grantees and sharing best practices across the field. She also worked to support the Title I, Even Start and Early Childhood Educator Professional Development early childhood programs. Mary Anne has also served as the Educational Website Coordinator for the US Mint, and taught US History and Computer Application in District of Columbia Public Schools. Mary Anne holds a master’s degree in teaching from American University where she occasionally serves as an adjunct instructor, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in College Park.
Lydia Carlis, Director of Education, AppleTree Institute and AppleTree Early Learning PCS
Lydia J. Carlis is Director of Education for the AppleTree enterprise. As Director of Education for AppleTree Institute (ATI), Lydia oversees the development, deployment and validation of AppleTree's comprehensive instructional model, Every Child Ready, which includes curriculum, child and quality assessment, and professional development. Lydia also oversees policy development for both ATI and AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School (AELPCS) on all instructional activities including curriculum implementation, professional development, assessment and evaluation. Furthermore, she supports the AELPCS Manager of Academic Programs in developing implementation protocols. In her role, Lydia supervises ATI instructional grant staff, the AELPCS Manager of Academic Programs, and new positions tasked with creating or codifying school education policies.
Lydia joined AppleTree Institute in 2007 as a Literacy Coach, and has previously served AppleTree as a Professional Development Manager and Early Reading First Project Director. Prior to joining AppleTree, Lydia taught general education, special education and English as a Second Language to Pre-K through sixth graders in Washington, DC, and Hawaii for seven years. She has served as a graduate instructor in elementary education, special education and English as a Second Language at The George Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, The University of Maryland College Park (UMD-CP) and University of Phoenix. While at UMD-CP, Lydia developed research assessments and curriculum for national Martha Speaks and Arthur outreach evaluation studies. Lydia holds professional certification in special education, bilingual special education and English as second language; a master's degree in bilingual special education from The George Washington University; and a doctorate degree in special education, learning disabilities from UMD-CP, where she focused on preschool language and literacy interventions.
Russ Williams, Executive Director, AppleTree Early Learning PCS
Russ Williams is the founding Executive Director of AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School. Russ was co-author of the AppleTree Early Learning PCS charter application and a member of the founding group. Prior to helping open AppleTree Early Learning he played a key operational role in the founding of Apple Early Literacy Preschool, a lab school in Washington D.C. which provided the foundation upon which AppleTree Early Learning was built. Russ has extensive operational, financial and facilities related experience in the management of schools including bringing over $300,000 of classroom and playground renovations in on budget and on time at a DC Public School Facility during the 2007-2008 school year. Russ was also instrumental in the securing of a $5M Qualified School Construction Bond Allocation and a $500,000 Qualified Zone Academy Bond Grant from the DC Revenue Bond Office. Prior to his work with AppleTree, Russ was on the opening faculty of the Washington Math Science Technology Public Charter School. Russ also founded, developed and in late 1999 sold a software company to a consulting firm based in Orem Utah. Russ holds a Masters in Business Administration from George Washington University.
Anne Zummo Malone, Manager of Academic Programs, AppleTree Early Learning PCS
Anne Zummo Malone is Manager of Academic Programs for AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School. Before assuming this role in the summer of 2010, Anne served as an AppleTree Principal for three years. She began working at AppleTree in 2006 as a Literacy Coach at the Riverside Campus and became Principal of the Columbia Heights Campus when it opened in 2007. Ms. Zummo Malone graduated from Stanford University in 2006 with a Masters in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership Studies. Prior to graduate school, she taught elementary school for four years in Connecticut. Her undergraduate studies were completed at Penn State University where she earned her BS in Elementary and Kindergarten Education with honors in Curriculum and Instruction.
Ross Harold, Operations Manager, AppleTree Early Learning PCS
Ross Harold is the Operations Manager at AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School. In this capacity, he creates and ensures consistent implementation of processes and procedures at all seven AppleTree Early Learning campuses. Ross works directly with the school-based School Administration Managers to maintain compliance with local and national laws and regulations, implementing policies and procedures informed by best practices in early childhood education and public charter school management. This helps all students and teachers have the resources needed to stay safe, healthy and engaged in AppleTree’s high quality early childhood educational program.
Prior to serving as the Operations Manager, Ross was the founding Principal of AELPCS’s East Capitol Campus and served as the Principal of AELPCS’s Southwest Campuses from 2008 through 2010. Ross previously worked with AppleTree as a member of the Early Reading First grant project staff. Working with the professional development team as a Project Manager, Ross managed activities ranging from assessment and classroom quality improvement to provision of in-class coaching and management of central office projects. Ross received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Los Angeles in American literature and culture with a minor in education studies and received his master’s degree in early childhood special education from The George Washington University.
