Cheryl Domenichelli holds the positions Director of the 21CSLA Alameda Regional Academy and Leadership Coach within the Principal Leadership Institute, working with education leaders both domestically and internationally to forward the work of building equitable school systems. Her work is tied to the tenets of the Principal Leadership Institute masters degree program, thus Dr. Domenichelli purposefully engages in elevating conversations of social justice and equity particularly as they pertain to historically underserved students: black, brown, English learners and those who are economically disadvantaged. Dr. Domenichelli consults with school districts and organizations to further the work of equity and social justice.
Prior to joining the PLI, Dr. Domenichelli served in public education for 22 years as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal and in the central office as a program coordinator. In each of these roles, Dr. Domenichelli engaged in systemic reform of school structures that generated improved outcomes for historically underserved students. She was the founding principal of Kimball High School which opened in 2009 and by 2011 became the top performing school in San Joaquin County. Under her leadership, Kimball H.S. was a recipient of the US News and World Report Bronze Award in 2014. Dr. Domenichelli was named California Secondary Principal of the Year in 2012 and subsequently acknowledged in the Congressional Record, 113th Congress, for her work. Dr. Domenichelli’s work in K-12 culminated in oversight of academic planning and implementation of the Antioch Unified School District LCAP. She retired in 2016 from Antioch Unified School District and immediately joined the Principal Leadership Institute to continue the work of school transformation towards equity for all students.