From the Principal

Anjanette Brown

Anjanette Brown is a dedicated educational leader with 20 years of service in the Mount Vernon City School district, committed to creating schools where students are empowered, supported, and prepared to achieve their highest potential. Throughout her career, she has remained steadfast in her belief that education must nurture the whole child.

Ms. Brown began her career in the district in 2006 as an English teacher at A.B. Davis Middle School and Thornton High School. During her time in the classroom, she co-founded the all-girls after-school club Diamonds, creating a space that fostered leadership, confidence, and positive relationships among young women. Her experience as an English teacher shaped her philosophy that meaningful education extends beyond academic achievement and must cultivate students’ identities, voices, and aspirations.

After more than a decade in the classroom, Ms. Brown was appointed Humanities Chair at the Mount Vernon STEAM Academy, where she provided instructional leadership and supervision for the English, Social Studies, Art, Music, and Foreign Language departments. In this role, she collaborated with teachers, families, students, and community partners to ensure students received a rigorous, engaging, and world-class education designed to expand opportunities and transform lives.

Following her role as Humanities Chair, Ms. Brown was appointed Assistant Principal of the STEAM Academy. In this role, she led efforts focused on school culture and climate, student affairs, instructional leadership, and the continued development of the English, Art, and Music departments. She also served as the administrator for the Lehman Scholars Program. Ms. Brown worked closely with faculty, staff, students, and families to strengthen culturally responsive instruction, enhance family and community engagement, establish systems of academic and behavioral support, and build the capacity of educators to prepare students for 21st-century opportunities.

A strong advocate for student voice, Ms. Brown created opportunities for students to share their experiences and perspectives through student focus groups and leadership initiatives. She believes that when students are heard, valued, and included in shaping their educational experience, schools become stronger and more responsive communities.

As Principal of the Denzel Washington School of the Arts, Ms. Brown is committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative, and student-centered environment where creativity, excellence, and opportunity thrive. She believes in the power of the home-school partnership and embraces culturally responsive teaching as an asset-based approach that honors students’ backgrounds while supporting academic achievement.

Ms. Brown earned her bachelor’s degree in Secondary English Education from Northern Caribbean University, a master’s degree in English Education from Lehman College, and an advanced certificate in Educational Leadership from the College of Saint Rose. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Executive Leadership program at St. John Fisher University.

Through her leadership, Ms. Brown continues to champion equity, excellence, collaboration, and the belief that every student can succeed.