Administrators

Andrew K. Bailey, Principal

Mr. Bailey joins Eastside Early College High School from Spring ISD, where he served as an Assistant Principal, District RtI Coordinator, and Associate Principal at both the Middle and High School Level. Prior to those assignments, he taught at the secondary level in both Houston ISD in Houston, Texas and Glynn County School System in Brunswick, GA. 

Mr. Bailey earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Tuskegee University, Master’s Degree in Middle Grades Education from Columbus State University, and Master’s Degree in Administration and Supervision from the University of Houston. Mr. Bailey is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Texas A&M University. 

Mr. Bailey is excited for the opportunity to serve the Eastside Students, Staff, and Community. He lives in Austin with his wife, Keisha, and their 3 children.

E-mail: andrew.bailey@austinisd.org

Edna A. Cortinas, Assistant Principal 

Ms. Cortinas holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts from the University of the Incarnate Word with a focus in Broadcast Journalism. She completed her Master of Science in Secondary Education and Principal's Certification Program at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi. 

Ms. Cortinas' professional career began as a TV news reporter, excecutive producer, and anchor.  She worked for the CBS, NBC, and Telemundo news affiliates in Corpus Christi, Texas.  Following a number of years working in the media, Ms. Cortinas decided to make the transition into education. This year is Ms. Cortinas' 17th year in education. She began her educational career as a teacher and coach at Incarnate Word Academy in Corpus Christi, Texas.  After a number of years in private school education, she went in public education at West Oso High School also in Corpus Christi.  After being at West Oso for almost a decade, Ms. Cortinas moved to Austin and taught English at Travis High School, where she also served as Department Chair/Instructional Specialist. 

Ms. Cortinas is excited to be a part of the Panther family and believes in establishing relationships with students, collaboration, and establishing a foundation of structures to ensure every student and teacher reaches success.  She looks forward to working with our students, faculty, and Eastside community to build a strong partnership  where everyone involved can acheive their highest potential. 

E-mail: edna.cortinas@austinisd.org

 Caitlin Kender, Assistant Principal

Ms. Kender holds a Bachelor's Degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology from Lubbock Christian University where she was also a member of the volleyball team. She completed her Masters of Education in Educational Leadership at University of Texas at Arlington.Ms. Kender began her professional career as a Special Education Teacher’s Assistant where she realized she wanted public education to be her future career.

She began teaching middle school AVID and coaching in Grapevine-Colleyville ISD before moving into a central office role as AVID District Director. Ms. Kender also works part-time with AVID Center as a Staff Developer for the Fostering Equitable and Engaging Classrooms community of practice bringing equity-centered professional learning to educators across the country.

Ms. Kender joined Austin ISD in January 2021 as a Professional Learning Coordinator in which she served to support the districts’ new teacher induction program, mentoring program as well as the work of the Cultural Proficiency & Inclusiveness and Equity Office to bring Centering Equity training to all central office staff. 

Ms. Kender believes in high expectations and high support for all students to ensure they have limitless opportunities to design their own futures. She is passionate about the power of affirmative language, restorative practices and removing systemic barriers created by adults that hold students back from the futures they deserve. She is proud to be a part of the Eastside community to build upon the commitment of those who have advocated and served this community for many years before her and help in amplifying the voices of all Eastside Panthers.

E-mail: caitlin.kender@austinisd.org

Erik Menera, Administrative Intern 

Mr. Menera holds a Bachelor of Arts in Math and Italian from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on bilingual education from the University of Houston-Downtown. He is currently pursuing his Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Mr. Menera has worked in Education for 10 years as a teacher's assistant, tutor, and teacher. Most recently, he served as a fourth-grade dual language teacher, Team Lead, and soccer coach at Padron Elementary in northwest Austin. 

Mr. Menera is excited to be a part of the Eastside community and is looking forward to working with our amazing parents, students, and teachers. He hopes to motivate students to become active members of our many clubs and extracurricular activities. He is an avid sports enthusiast that enjoys playing soccer, reading, going on hikes, and spending time with his wife and son. 

E-mail: erik.menera@austinisd.org

Counselors 

Benjamin Decherd, Counselor

My name is Benjamin Decherd and I am one of the counselors here at Eastside. I started out as a Special Education teacher at Brooke Elementary, which is also in East Austin and used to feed into Martin and Eastside. 

I became a counselor in 2019 and came to Eastside in August of 2020. There is a great sense of community in East Austin and it is an honor to serve our students on the road to maturation and graduation. It is especially nice being in our beautiful new building overlooking downtown Austin. Fun fact: I am a graduate of Johnston High School which later became Eastside, so my roots run deep. I love tennis and watching comedy shows. 

I look forward to working with students and parents to make high school a successful experience. Please feel free to call or email me. My door is always open. 

E-mail: benjamin.decherd@austinisd.org

Elizabeth Chang-Yen, Lead Counselor

Mrs. Chang-Yen is a third generation educator and has been an educator since 2005. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Math Education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She taught high school math for almost 10 years. During the last 3 years of teaching she earned her Master’s degree in High School Counseling and Mental Health at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. While teaching high school math, she also tutored visually impaired students in college Mathematics. She also worked with an after school program called Upward Bound, which helps students who will be a first generation college student complete high school, prepare for college and pursue a college diploma.

Mrs. Chang-Yen has been a part of the Eastside Panther family since 2016.  She hopes to encourage her students to pursue their dreams and help them prepare for life after high school. 

E-mail: elizabeth.chang-yen@austinisd.org