Newport-Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) welcomes two new administrators, Dr. Elsie Briseño Simonovski as Administrative Director I, Special Education, and Antoinette Coe as Principal of Mariners Elementary.
Dr. Elsie Briseño Simonovski, Administrative Director I, Special Education
Dr. Briseño Simonovski brings 25 years of experience in education to her role as Administrative Director I, Special Education. The Association of California School Administrators recently recognized her, for the second time, as the Region 17 Administrator of the Year, and she was previously awarded a Friend of Special Education by the Orange County Administrators of Special Education.
Simonovski brings with her a broad range of experience, including her work in various districts. At the site level, she was an elementary teacher and literacy coach as well as a middle school administrator and a high school principal. She also served in a variety of district-level positions coordinating and supporting curriculum and instruction for English learners, interventions, support services, and special programs. She was most recently the Director, Student and Community Services, with Buena Park School District, where she supported programs for students experiencing homelessness or in foster care environments, as well as students on 504 plans. She worked with principals and school staff to address counseling and crisis matters, parent concerns, and discipline issues, among other matters.
She is known as a positive, energetic and dedicated educator who has a great interest and understanding of the importance of the interdependence of the general education and special education programs.
Simonovski received her Bachelor of Arts in history, with a minor in teacher education, from the University of California, San Diego; her Master of Arts in education, curriculum and instruction from Argosy University; and her Doctorate in urban leadership and education from Claremont Graduate University. She will join the district on July 1, 2023.
Antoinette Coe, Principal of Mariners Elementary
An accomplished, well-respected leader, Coe brings a laser-like focus on curriculum design and student wellness to Mariners. As a principal of nine years, at two different schools, she brings a great deal of experience with her. For the past three years, she served as the principal at Crescent Elementary School in the Orange Unified School District, home to the GATE program and an innovative Biomedical Academy, and she led the school to being a Project Lead the Way Distinguished School.
She is known as a positive and caring educator who develops strong relationships with students, staff and parents through collaboration, communication and engagement. She believes supporting students’ individual learning styles is an important aspect of student success.
Coe has a history of strong instructional leadership, particularly in areas of literacy and Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports. She is known for being data-driven in helping her students achieve academic success. In addition to serving as a principal, Coe has been an assistant principal, reading coach and teacher at the elementary school level, as well as an English language instructional specialist at the district level.
Coe earned a Bachelor’s Degree in liberal studies from California State University, San Marcos, and a Master’s of Education Administration from California State University, Fullerton. She begins her post at Mariners on July 1, 2023.