Elizabeth Vandlik

Originally from the Chicago area, Ms. Vandlik came to New York City as part of the Teach for America program, teaching kindergarten. She taught in the South Bronx for four years before working as an outreach educator for the American Museum of Natural History, where she worked with children from the city’s public, private, and parochial schools. Ms. Vandlik joined Success Academy in 2009 as a kindergarten and fourth-grade teacher at SA Harlem 1 and then moved into school leadership as an assistant principal at SA Bronx 1 in 2012. The next year, Ms. Vandlik became the principal of SA Bronx 1, where she stayed through the 2017–2018 school year. She won the prestigious Ryan Award from the Accelerate Institute of Chicago in 2017, which recognized her extraordinary work as a school leader. Ms. Vandlik received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology and her master’s degree in social sciences from the University of Chicago. She has a master’s degree in education from Pace University.