Strong leaders make
strong schools.

Dr. Carlson began her teaching career in East Palo Alto as a 3rd grade teacher. While she was there, she also taught 5th grade and was the Math and Technology coach. Upon her acceptance to University of Southern California (USC) for her master’s degree in teaching, she moved to southern California. She moved out of the classroom as a Dean of Instruction and worked closely with the principal to create and monitor the instructional program as well as to provide workshops for families. Dr. Carlson went back to school where she received her doctorate degree in educational leadership and also completed a principal-leadership residency.

She was most recently the principal of a TK-8 school in Boyle Heights – located in Los Angeles, where her school serves a community very similar to Alpha’s, where over 90% of students received Free and Reduced Lunch. She’s excited to join the Alpha team as the new principal of Alpha: José Hernández and to continue to grow as a leader and learn something new from her students, staff, families, and community.

Marion Dickel brings extensive educational experience to Cornerstone. She began her career in education in Pennsylvania teaching accelerated reading and math and gifted education courses to students in grades K-5.  After moving to California in 2010, Marion joined Cornerstone in its second year as a first grade teacher. Three years later she became Cornerstone’s Blended Learning Director, designing and leading implementation of its 1-1 blended learning program.  The following year, she served as the school’s Academic Director, with responsibility for scheduling, coaching, curriculum, professional development, and student support. 

Marion spent the last three years in the Saratoga Union School District as a Teacher on Special Assignment. There she worked closely with the district’s Assistant Superintendent and Director of Technology to design and implement professional development, coordinate programs for the district’s English learners, review and pilot curriculum, and coach teachers to differentiate instruction and integrate technology in their teaching. 

Marion has received various accolades for her work, including being named Teacher of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of Gifted Education and Cornerstone Educator of the Year.  Marion Dickel holds a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan, a JD from Northwestern, and two Masters in Education, one in Elementary Education and the other in Instructional Leadership.

Saman began her career at Alpha: Blanca in 2017 as an Instructional Coach after teaching high school at KIPP College Prep in Washington D.C. for three years. The role of Instructional Coach gave her the opportunity to observe and support Math and Science teachers to implement a rigorous curriculum and instructional strategies that promoted learning for all students. After having success as an Instructional Coach, Saman was asked to serve as an Assistant Principal beginning in 2018. Blanca was twice recognized as a top school in math for underserved students in the Bay Area by Innovate Public Schools, a testament to Saman’s strong leadership.

Saman also brings a wide variety of learning experiences to this new role. While at Blanca, Saman was a fellow in the Innovate Public Schools Start-up School Fellowship, where she trained with other school leaders to run excellent and equitable schools. Prior to Blanca, Saman was an EdPioneers Fellow at Teach For America in New York City. While in NYC, Saman found a non-profit called Coding4Success in partnership with Google and TFA which increased Computer Science opportunities for hundreds of students from underserved neighborhoods. Saman then went onto found the IT Academy at KIPP College Prep DC, the computer science department at the high school, and built partnerships with Howard University and Fortune 500 companies to ensure students were on a rewarding path to a career in Information Technology and Computer Science. Saman simultaneously worked at Opportunity@Work, a White House initiative, where she built partnerships with city councils, coding bootcamps, and employers to design pilot programs allowing young adults from underserved areas to gain access to technology education and employment in the field. Saman continues to work with Computer Science EdTech companies such as Edhesive as a consultant.

Saman received a Masters of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and a Bachelors of Sciences in Human Development and Family Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin. She holds an Education Specialist credential in California and a Special Education credential in Washington D.C.