CHARLOTTE — Allana-Rae Ramkissoon has been named assistant superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Charlotte.
Ramkissoon is retiring as principal of Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte after 13 years and will start her new role July 1.
Ramkissoon brings with her 34 years of experience in education, spanning three countries and multiple levels of service.
She succeeds Debbie Mixer, who retired earlier this school year, and joins Crystal Koury as fellow assistant superintendent in the diocese’s Catholic Schools Office.
“I am grateful to our search committee – which consisted of principals, and office and diocesan stakeholders – who helped us discern the right leader to help us continue to serve our schools and Diocese well,” Dr. Gregory Monroe, superintendent of Catholic Schools, said in a May 11 statement.
“Ramkissoon is a faith-filled leader whose experience, years of service and institutional knowledge highlight her investment to Catholic education and the mission of helping all students become followers of Christ.
“I look forward to working with her to joyfully promulgate and serve Catholic education in western North Carolina, and develop and empower school leaders in order to support a Catholic environment of true communion, vitality, and excellence,” Dr. Monroe said.
Ramkissoon’ s numerous years of experience as a Catholic educator and administrator is testament to her commitment to the ideals and values of the Church.
“I am a fervent believer in the use of Gospel teachings to prepare our students to be productive faith-filled citizens,” Ramkissoon said.
Ramkissoon is also committed to the diocesan Catholic Schools mission and to the building of strong partnerships among stakeholders.
“We must inspire students to embrace their faith, treat others with dignity and respect, and use their talents to create a better world,” she said. “To support families, we must engage all assets of the Church, and embrace Her evangelization mission. We must also inspire teachers to reach their highest potential as educators, mentors and ministers.”
Ramkissoon’s career began with the Catholic Education Board and Ministry of Education in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies as a classroom teacher.
She later served as a curriculum facilitator in her school district, charged with the training of teachers in the field on the infusion of fine arts into the core curriculum.
Ramkissoon also spent two years in the Turks and Caicos Islands, where her passion for teaching students with limited English proficiency began.
After three years with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Ramkissoon returned to her roots in Catholic education when she joined the diocese as assistant principal at Our Lady of the Assumption in 2005. She became principal in 2008.
Ramkissoon holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in creative arts, and a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of the West indies.
Over the course of her tenure as principal in the diocese, Ramkissoon has developed a skillset relevant to her new position, most notably in curriculum design, the use of diverse instructional techniques, as well as teacher training and program evaluation.
Her work has always centered on efforts to make Catholic education accessible and affordable to all who desire it. To this end, she implemented major projects in English as a Second Language (ESL) education, the transition of the OLA program from PK-5 to PK-8, the addition of a special education program, and major school improvement projects in the areas of facilities and technology through grant funding.
Ramkissoon and her husband Dirk are parents to two adult daughters, Alexa-Rae and Dani. She is a fan of theatre and the arts and enjoys cooking and international travel.
— Catholic News Herald