We are excited to share the news that, on the recommendation of the search committee, LAMB’s Board of Directors has named Dr. Jessica Panfil as the next Executive Director.

The feedback from Jessica’s visit to LAMB was incredibly positive. Staff members and parents were impressed by her lived experience of LAMB’s mission, commitment to student success and record of retaining talented staff. Survey respondents consistently applauded Jessica’s humility and transparency, while noting her demonstrated Spanish fluency and bilingual education experience. Jessica's strategic vision and relationship-building skills will be integral to her role as LAMB’s Executive Director. 

A community member had this to say about Jessica: “Her dedication to self-directed learning and biliteracy perfectly aligns with LAMB's mission, making her an ideal leader for guiding the school through its next phase of growth, student achievement and sustainability.”

Bilingual education is Jessica’s life’s work. 

She began her public education career as a Teach for America corps member and 4th grade bilingual classroom teacher in New York City.  Most recently, Jessica served as Principal of Claremont Immersion Dual Language Elementary in Arlington, Virginia where her transformational leadership earned Jessica the Arlington Public Schools Principal of the Year award in 2022.  Jessica’s culturally-responsive approach, coupled with her commitment to academic excellence and equity, is deeply personal. In 2008, she launched a bilingual early childhood education center in Washington, D.C. where she served as Executive Director. 

Jessica has proven experience supporting and leading inclusive, student-centered learning communities, as well as promoting bilingualism. She has also worked in dual language schools in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and Cuzco, Peru, and has published articles on bilingual and Montessori education. Throughout her career, Jessica has coached and mentored numerous teachers, paraprofessionals and school administrators. At Arlington Public Schools, she led a cohort of 25 principals and district leaders that resulted in high-impact instructional coaching and measurable student performance growth throughout the school district. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin American History from Columbia University, a Master’s in Education from The University of Georgia and a Doctorate of Education from the University of Virginia. 

About the Search

The selection of LAMB’s new Executive Director was a community-driven decision. We are immensely grateful to everyone who took part in the search. Jessica’s appointment is the result of a six-month process led by the search committee in partnership with Edgility Consulting. Essential to this selection process was feedback received from members of our school community. Our unifying principle centered around the next Executive Director embodying the competencies, skills and experience necessary for LAMB’s future success.  

Through our partnership with Edgility we recruited a large and diverse pool of bilingual candidates. The search committee then pared down that list to six semi-finalists. From there, three finalists developed and presented a strategic priorities plan to the committee as part of a full-day, on-campus visit where they interacted with LAMB students, teachers, non-instructional staff members, parents and board members.

We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to Maria-Jose Carrasco for serving as Interim Executive Director during the past six months. Her tireless efforts and selfless commitment to the LAMB community have been invaluable. Following the transition period, Maria-Jose will return to her previous role as Chief Operating Officer.