Ember Reichgott Junge – Bio

Ember Reichgott Junge is the former Minnesota Senator who authored Minnesota’s 1991 first-in-the-nation charter school law, and a winner of the 2000 Innovations in American Government Award from Harvard University’s JFK School of Government.

Ember is a member of the National Charter Schools Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Brian Bennett Education Warrior Award from Democrats for Education Reform. In honor of the 20^th anniversary of chartering, she wrote her award-winning candid historical memoir, Zero Chance of Passage: The Pioneering Charter School Story. She is an international spokesperson for charter public schools, having presented in 34 states, Guam, Canada and India, and founding Board Chair of a Minnesota charter school. She consults on K-12 education, chartering, and with business entities around the U.S.  Currently, she leads the National Charter Schools Founders Library intitive and is Board Vice Chair of the Maryland-based Charter Schools Development Corporation (CSDC), copublisher of Zero Chance of Passage. She received her Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law and MBA from St. Thomas University.