View Board of Advisors View Charter Founders Jim Blew Co-Founder, Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies Jim Blew has advocated for education choice and reform since the 1990s, when he served as a founding board member for the Watts Learning Center, an early Los Angeles public charter school. From 2005 to 2014, Jim helped […]
Board of Advisors
Nina Rees – Bio
View Board of Advisors View Charter Founders Nina Rees President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Nina Rees is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement. Prior to joining the […]
Don Cooper – Bio
View Board of Advisors View Charter Founders Don Cooper Assistant Vice President for Charter Schools at Grand Valley State University Don Cooper is the Assistant Vice President for Charter Schools at Grand Valley State University. In that capacity he oversees one of the nation’s largest portfolios of charter public schools. He brings 20 years’ experience […]
Eric Premack – Bio
View Board of Advisors View Charter Founders Eric Premack Founding Director, Charter Schools Development Center Eric Premack is the Executive Director and Founder of the Charter Schools Development Center in Sacramento, California. For over 25 years, Eric has played a leading role in the development and spread of charter schools, including helping to draft and […]
William (Bill) F. Owens – Bio
View Board of Advisors View Charter Founders William (Bill) F. Owens Colorado Governor (1999-2007) Governor William (Bill) F. Owens served as the 40th Governor of Colorado from 1999 to 2007, making education a key priority focus. Owens previously served as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 1982 until 1988, and as a State […]
Alex Medler, Ph.D. – Bio
View Board of Advisors View Charter Founders Alex Medler, Ph.D. Executive Director of the Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers Dr. Alex Medler is the Executive Director of the Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers and is the National Coordinator of the Tri-State Alliance to Improve District-Led Authorizing, which helps school districts in California, Colorado […]
Ted Kolderie – Bio
View Board of Advisors View Charter Founders Ted Kolderie Author and Founding Partner, Education Evolving Ted Kolderie has been involved with the design and advocacy of innovations in public education since the early 1980s; initially with the idea of chartering as an R&D strategy for system change, for which he received the Conant Award from […]
Ember Reichgott Junge – Bio
View Board of Advisors View Charter Founders Ember Reichgott Junge Minnesota State Senator (1983-2001) 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 […]
Gary Hart – Bio
View Board of Advisors View Charter Founders Gary Hart California State Assemblyman and Senator (1974-1994) Gary Hart served in the California State Legislature as an Assembly Member and Senator for 20 years. In his role as Chairman of the Senate Education Committee (1983 to 1994), he authored California’s charter school law in 1992. Mr. Hart […]
Jim Goenner, Ph.D. – Bio
View Board of Advisors View Charter Founders Jim Goenner, Ph.D. President and CEO, National Charter Schools Institute Dr. Jim Goenner serves as President and CEO of the National Charter Schools Institute. Jim joined the charter schools movement in 1995, and has played a prominent role in developing and strengthening performance of the charter schools sector […]
