Opening in the school year 2022-23, Staten Island Hebrew Public Names a New Board Chair and Founding Head of School.

Staten Island Hebrew Public, scheduled to open in September 2022, will be a Kindergarten through fifth grade free, public charter school open to all age- and grade-eligible students residing in New York City, with preference given to residents of Staten Island. The school will be located at 829 Father Capodanno Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10305.

The school will join the Hebrew Public network of 10 campuses across the country, with a mission to teach Modern Hebrew to children of all backgrounds and prepare them to be successful global citizens.

We are thrilled to announce the founding school leaders — David H. Sorkin has been named the Chair of Staten Island Hebrew Public and Lissette Roman has been named the founding Head of School.

After a 45+ year career in the not-for-profit sector, David H. Sorkin has moved into a new phase of his professional life as a Senior Advisor and Consultant. David is a seasoned executive with over 35 years of human services leadership expertise. Prior to moving into his consulting business, he served as the CEO of the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, NY for 15 years where he was responsible for the operations and management of one of the largest human service agencies on Staten Island.

In addition to serving as CEO at the JCC of Staten Island, he has also served in the CEO position at the JCC of Metropolitan Detroit and the JCC of Delaware in Wilmington. Additionally, he worked in various positions at JCC’s in Cherry Hill New Jersey, New Orleans, Louisiana and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. 

David has also worked as a national consultant for the JCC Association of North America. Early in his career, he served as the Director of Combined Therapies at Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He received his Associate in Recreation and Parks from The Pennsylvania State University and his Bachelor of Science in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation and Master of Education from Temple University in Philadelphia.

David lives on Staten Island with his wife Arlene. Their daughter, Kristi Sorkin, son-in-law Randy Topper, and their children Eden and Shana also reside on Staten Island.

David joins other Staten Island Hebrew Public board members: Shelley Jain, Vice-Chair, Noemi Zibuts, Secretary, Yelena Sklyar, Treasurer, Angela Mirizzi-Olsen, Trustee, Ernest Paige, Trustee.

 

“I am honored and very excited to be serving as the incoming President of Staten Island Hebrew Public. The opportunity to serve with fellow board members and staff to launch a new charter school on Staten Island and under the Hebrew Public banner is exceptional. I look forward to working closely with staff, board members, and the community to bring this extraordinary educational concept to Staten Island.”

 

After an extensive search, Lissette Roman has been named the founding Head of School at Staten Island Hebrew Public.

Lissette Roman is a mother of three who has worked in the field of education for fifteen years. Lissette most recently served on the Cypress Hills Ascend team as founding school director after serving as dean of instruction and resident director at Brownsville Ascend Lower School. 

Prior to this, Lissette was Operations Director for the Hawaii Theatre Center in Honolulu, where she created and implemented improved data systems, directed a summer camp and afterschool programming initiative for at-risk youth, and managed human resources. 

Earlier, she held various educational roles in Honolulu, including instructional mentor and operations specialist at Teach For America, program specialist at Read Aloud America, and second-grade teacher at a K-12 independent school. Roman has also held teaching positions at Achievement First in Bridgeport, CT, and in Las Vegas Public Schools, where she began her teaching career as a Teach For America Corps member. 

She earned her bachelor’s degree in professional studies and human services from Metropolitan College of New York and her master of arts in education from Touro University.

Lissette will begin her role with Staten Island Hebrew Public on July 1 in a part-time capacity and full-time on January 1.  She will be actively involved in all aspects of new school development.

“I am incredibly excited to lead Staten Island Hebrew Public. This is a unique opportunity to found a Diverse by Design school that will allow our scholars to learn about many different cultures and promote diversity and inclusion. 

In addition, I was lucky enough to attend a bilingual school growing up. This experience allowed me to not only become bilingual in my native language but also to learn about many different Hispanic cultures. This influenced the person I am today and I am very eager to join a network offering a similar experience to their students.

In the year to come, I will immerse myself in the community in order to learn more about the community’s hopes and dreams for our school. I am truly looking forward to doing this work alongside each of you!”

For additional information about Staten Island Hebrew Public, email info@hebrewpublic.org.