Sharell Benson was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. She earned her highschool diploma from Colonel White School of the Arts. After a few years in the field of early childhood education she pursued her Bachelors Degree. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Central state University.

Ms. Benson worked in early childhood education for over 15 years, which adds up to 20 years in education. Her passion for education began during the early years of parenthood, where she became highly invested in her children’s education. This brought forth a strong passion for education as well as the understanding of what strong family and teacher relationships have in educating the whole child. She began working in the preschool setting and formed and bonded with students and families on this level.

From there and shortly after graduation, she became a Kindergarten teacher at a local charter school in Dayton. The same charter school her children attended during elementary. After spending one school year there, she joined the DLA family in 2016. Best decision of her life she says. She spent the last 3  school years working in 1st grade and the last school year working in 2nd grade. Along with being a 2nd grade teacher she has also held various positions throughout the school. She is  the K-2 House team Coordinator as well as the Summer Launch Director.In addition to those titles positions she  also volunteers on the PAC committee as well as tutored the boys basketball team this school year. 

 She is a proud mother of 2,their ages are 23 and 21. Teaching and nurturing became my life as she grew with her own children. Working with the team at DlA has afforded her  the opportunity to learn from great leaders and teachers. Her passion for education has been strong since her own kids were young and DLA has allowed her to strengthen her passion in every aspect of education. 

She enjoys teaching students and seeing the growth throughout the year. She also enjoys working with families, had she not been a teacher that would have been the next calling. Family and education go hand and hand to me. Building relationships with students and families help support students academic growth and teaches the whole child not just part of the child. Mentoring fellow educators has been another passion, since she was a young mom, she’s always felt like she had a story to tell and has always wanted to help others better themselves and reach their fullest potential. In her free time she enjoys cooking, watching food network, reading, watching football, and shopping. 

Mrs. Kreischer was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and two Master Degrees in Reading and School Administration from Bowling Green State University. After graduating from BGSU, she moved to Las Vegas, NV where she taught preschool and 1st grade for 5 years. She served as the grade level chair and teacher mentor.

In 2017 she joined DLA as a kindergarten teacher, and shortly after stepped into the teacher coach role. As the Teacher Coach for Data and Instruction, she worked with the administration team to lead professional development, coach teachers, and analyze school data. She also served as the track coach for the past two years and is passionate about helping our students find the best in themselves. She is excited to step into the assistant principal role and continue to help grow DLA to be an amazing education opportunity for students in our community.  

Krista Matthews is a Dayton native who graduated from Colonel White High School and later Kaplan College. She has been working in community engagement, youth development, and education since 2013. She brings experience in recruitment, family support, and community partnerships. Krista was a Childcare Director for YMCA of Greater Dayton and KinderCare Learning Center. She served as DLA’s 21st Century Grant Manager from 2018-2019. She previously served as a board member for Dayton Urban Young Life and Watkins Academy. 

Mr. Wright is a native of Lima, Ohio. He graduated from Lima Central Catholic High School and went on to study Sociology at OSU Lima Tech.  Mr. Wright is certified in marriage & relationship education, Rites of Passage program implementation and training, Say It Straight communication training, and specializes in at-risk youth. He is skilled in mentoring, counseling and life skills. He understands the daily struggles and challenges young people face and provides guidance and leadership to develop future leaders. He is also actively engaged with the community in order to provide services available to DLA families. In 2006, he was voted as one of the city’s Top 10 African American Males for his work with youth in the Dayton community.