luvelle.brown@icsd.k12.ny.us
(607) 274-6845

Assistant to the Superintendent
Emilee Tracy-Arm
(607) 274-6845

Luvelle Brown is an experienced educator who has held positions as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, school CIO, and Superintendent of Schools. Currently, Dr. Brown is serving as the Superintendent of the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) in Ithaca, New York. During his tenure in Ithaca, the Ithaca City School District has experienced unprecedented levels of success.

Dr. Brown has received various awards and recognitions. The 2017 New York State Superintendent of the Year has been listed by TrustED as one of the nation’s top educators and thought leaders. In 2022, he received the prestigious Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award. Dr. Brown has been recognized by the National School Boards Association as a “20-to-Watch” and “Difference Maker”, received the Center for Digital Education Top 30 Award, and received the 2014 eSchool News Tech-Savvy Superintendent Award. He was selected by the US Department of Education as one of the nation’s top 100 Innovative Superintendents. Along with that distinction, Dr. Brown was invited to be a featured speaker at President Barack Obama’s first National Superintendent Summit at the White House. Additionally, Dr. Brown has served on the New York State Council of School Superintendents (NYSCOSS) Executive Committee, The School Superintendents Association (AASA) Digital Consortium, The Center for Digital Education Advisory Council, and CoSN’s Empowered Superintendent Advisory Panel.

Dr. Brown serves as an adjunct faculty member at SUNY Cortland and St. John Fisher College in New York. Dr. Brown actively serves his community. In spring 2019, he was recognized as the Tompkins County Distinguished Citizen. Dr. Brown’s community service includes his work as a term trustee at Ithaca College, Tompkins County Area Development Board member, and proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He was also the co-founder of the nationally recognized 100 Black Men of Central Virginia.

Dr. Brown served as a Commissioner and co-producer of a groundbreaking report from the Learning 2025: National Commission on Student-Centered, Equity-Focused Education. He has published numerous articles, the author of Culture of Love: Cultivating a Transformative and Positive Organizational Culture, and the co-author of ThinkTweets: 100 Transformative Tweets for Educators.

lily.talcott@icsd.k12.ny.us
(607) 274-2134

Assistant to the Deputy Superintendent
Amy Augustine
(607) 274-2134

Deputy Superintendent Lily Talcott helps oversee principals, Instructional Technology, mathematics curriculum/instruction, APPR teacher evaluation, professional development, and human resources. 

Talcott, an Ithaca native, served as principal of Northeast Elementary School from 2015 to 2018. She previously served as a district-wide teacher on special assignment with a focus on pre-K-5 mathematics and then as a master educator supporting pre-K-12 professional development, curriculum, and assessments. Talcott began her teaching career in 2004 in the Bronx, New York before coming to the ICSD in 2006, where she served as a long-term substitute teacher and teacher aide before teaching first grade at Enfield Elementary School for five years.

daniel.breiman@icsd.k12.ny.us
(607) 379-2370

Dan Breiman was born and raised in Ithaca and is an ICSD alum. He began his education career in 2001 as a classroom inclusion teacher in New York City and then as an inclusion specialist in Cambridge, Mass. In 2003, he moved to Houston, where he worked as an educator and school administrator for eight years, including four years as an elementary principal. Breiman returned to Ithaca in 2011 after being appointed principal of Belle Sherman Elementary School. Currently, he is the ICSD Administration Officer and supervises Food Service, Facilities, and other areas, including instructional areas. 

In addition to holding degrees from Boston University and New York University, Breiman earned an Ed.D. in Education Leadership, Management, and Policy from Seton Hall University in 2019. His two sons currently attend Northeast Elementary School.

mary.grover@icsd.k12.ny.us
(607) 342-8748

Assistant Superintendent of Inclusion Mary Grover leads the charge to provide opportunity and access to education for all district students, regardless of ability, race, gender, class, or cultural background. Grover facilitates practices that encourage high-quality teaching, learning, leading, and continuous growth.

Grover began her career teaching English in Japanese public high schools. From there, she worked in Portland, Oregon for eight years as a student advocate and teacher. In 2010, Grover assumed a position as lecturer and teaching support specialist at Cornell University’s Center for Teaching Excellence before joining the ICSD as a graduation coach at Ithaca High School in 2012. She then served as principal of Caroline Elementary School from 2013 to 2018.

Zach.Lind@icsd.k12.ny.us
(607) 274-2165

Zachary Lind has worked as a teacher and administrator in public education for 18 years and has been the Chief Information Officer for the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) since 2016.  At ICSD, he leads the information technology operations as well as instructional technology planning, professional development, and library services. He also oversees human resource operations for the school district.

Lind, an Ithaca native, previously worked with the Central New York Regional Information Center as an Instructional Technology Integration Specialist. Zachary also spent nine years teaching technology and Social Studies in Vermont and New York. He holds School District Leader and Building Leader certifications through Canisius College and a Masters Degree in Globalization Studies from Dartmouth College.

rvankeur@icsd.k12.ny.us
(607) 274-2138

Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations, Robert Van Keuren oversees negotiations with employees, labor management, employee relations, recruitment, retention, and transportation.

amanda.verba@icsd.k12.ny.us
(607) 274-2121

Amanda Verba has served as the Chief Operations Officer since 2013. She identifies and analyzes the district’s financial health and develops short- and long-term plans to sustain the district’s educational vision. Verba oversees the budget development process and all related information for stakeholders, as well as capital projects, audits, facilities planning, risk management, and the Dignity for All Students Act. She also serves as a member of the negotiations team. 

Before working with Ithaca City School District, Verba served as Coordinator of Youth Development for TST BOCES and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County for 16 years. She is well known for her professional development opportunities that aim to create caring school environments for all staff and students throughout New York State. She also served as a grant developer and evaluator for many NYS school districts and not-for-profits.