Good day, CharterFolk.
Today it is our pleasure to share with you our sixth edition of “CharterFolk on the Move,” an update provided by Mollie Mitchell, the President and Founder of The K12 Search Group, about CharterFolk taking on new positions of leadership within the movement.
We provide a bio for Mollie below.
Mollie Mitchell is the President and Founder of The K12 Search Group, a national executive search firm focusing on charter schools and nonprofit organizations committed to improving educational outcomes for underserved communities. The K12 Search Group’s mission is to help these organizations have a greater impact by recruiting outstanding talent for C-level positions.
Since creating The K12 Search Group in 2007, Mollie has worked with over 100 high-performing charter school operators and education nonprofits nationwide to recruit executive talent.
Before founding The K12 Search Group, Mollie served over five years as Senior Director of Recruitment at The Broad Center, a nonprofit organization created by businessman and philanthropist Eli Broad to recruit leaders from multiple sectors into senior-level positions in urban school systems and charter management organizations.
Mollie started her career in executive search at Heidrick & Struggles International, a leading global executive search firm, where she executed high-level searches across several industries.
Mollie holds a BA from Brigham Young University and an MA from Marymount University. She is a dedicated advocate for education reform and has served on three charter school boards. She lives most of the year in Austin, TX but enjoys spending the summer months in Colorado and Santa Fe, NM.
CharterFolk on the Move Volume 6 – May, 2025
Please join me in congratulating the following Charter Folk:
Casey Crews is now Head of Schools for Breakthrough Public Schools. She was previously Chief Schools Officer at CEN (Champion Education Network).
Keena Day is the new Chief Academic Officer at Breakthrough Public Schools. She joins Breakthrough from KIPP Colorado, where she was a Managing Director.
Rashid Bell was named Chief Executive Officer at KIPP Chicago. He was most recently Head of Schools at the same organization.
Maryann Li is now Chief Executive Officer at Ascend Public Schools. She was promoted from the role of President at the same organization.
Diana Andrade is now Managing Director of Talent at Ascend Public Schools. She was previously at Stronger Consulting.
Jasmine Thornton is now the Chief Scholar and Family Experience Officer at RePublic Schools. She was previously Managing Director of Family and Community Engagement at the same organization.
Trey Vernaci is now the Chief Operating Officer at RePublic Schools. He was previously Senior Director of Operations at the same organization.
Keven Cotton is now the Controller at RePublic Schools. He joins RePublic from the National Federation of Federal Employees, where he was the Director of Budget and Finance.
Diana Cornejo-Sanchez was named Chief Executive Officer at High Tech High. She was previously serving as the interim CEO at the same organization.
Dora Taylor is the new Chief External Affairs Officer at KIPP DC. She joined KIPP DC from the office of the Mayor in Washington, D.C., where she served as a Public Information Officer.
Ann Scott is now Chief Talent Officer at KIPP Texas Public Schools. She was previously the Chief Advancement Officer at the same organization.
Tameka Royal was named Chief Schools Officer at Democracy Prep Public Schools. Her most recent full-time position was as Superintendent of Movement Schools.
Troy Kemp was named Chief Executive Officer of Prep Public Schools. He was previously Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships at Ron Clark Academy.
Chad Everett is now Vice President, Schools at Prep Public Schools. He was most recently the Chief Operations Officer at IOTA Community Schools.
Jazmine Leon-Wing is now the Chief Financial Officer at Compass Rose Public Schools. She was previously an independent consultant. She spent several years at IDEA Public Schools as Vice President of Treasury.
Genesis Player recently stepped into the role of Managing Director at Freedom Prep Academy, Alabama.
Toni Barton was named Chief Executive Officer at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School. She spent several years at Relay Graduate School of Education and has most recently served as an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University.
Onome Emore is now Chief Operations Officer at Mastery Schools. She was previously consulting. Onome also spent seven years in leadership roles at Camden City School District.
Ryamond Fields is now Deputy Chief of Leadership Initiatives at Mastery Schools. He worked as Chief Talent Officer at the Pennsylvania Department of Education before joining Mastery.
Nathalie Means Henderson was named Chief Executive Officer of KIPP St. Louis. She joins KIPP from Teach For America, where she was an Executive Vice President.
Shalini Shybut is the new Executive Director of Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School. She was previously the interim Chief of Staff at the same organization.
Nanette Lehman-Merrill was named Executive Director of the Idaho Charter School Association. She was most recently a Principal at GEM Prep Meridian North in Meridian, Idaho.
Liz Lambert is the new Chief Marketing Officer at BASIS Ed. She was previously EVP Marketing at the same organization.
DeAnna Bruce joined Movement School as Chief Operating Officer. She was previously the Regional Superintendent at the same organization.
Thomas Guy is the new Head of School at Phoenix Charter Academy Springfield.
Chris Reynoso Soto is now Vice President, Innovation & Impact at Alliance College-Ready Public Schools. He was previously Director of Strategic Initiatives at the same organization.
Ricki Gibbs will become Chief Executive Officer of LEAD Public Schools effective June 1. He has served as Head of Schools at the same organization since 2023.
Dominque Smith was named Head of Schools for LEAD Public Schools in Nashville. She is finishing up her role as a Principal at the same organization.
Jonathan McIntosh is now Chief of Staff at the Equitable Facilities Fund. He was previously the Investment Principal, School Quality at the same organization.
Allison Fansler is now Chief Strategy Officer at the Equitable Facilities Fund. Allison spent 16 years as President of KIPP DC before stepping down in June 2022.
Bryce Fleming is joining Summit Public Schools as Chief Financial Officer. He was previously a Vice President at EdTec.
Valerie Royaltey-Quandt is leaving her role as Interim Executive Director at Downtown College Prep to become Executive Director at Tierra Pacifica Charter School in Santa Cruz.
Matt Taylor recently joined the California Montessori Project as Executive Director. He was most recently Chief of Staff and Strategy at Gateway Community Charters.
Brian Ingram is now Chief People Officer at Gestalt Public Schools. He joined Gestalt from the Association of American Medical Colleges, where he served as Director of K-12 Initiatives.
Zakiya Sackor was named Executive Director of Rocketship Public Schools in Washington, DC. She was previously the interim ED at the same organization.
TyAnthony Davis became Chief Executive Officer of ICEF Public Schools in Denver. He joined ICEF from Vox Collegiate in Los Angeles, a school he founded through the BES Fellowship.
Stephanie Sheron is now the Chief Academic Officer at KIPP DC. She joins KIPP after a 24-year career in Montgomery County Public Schools.
Corey D. Williams is now the Chief Schools Officer for KIPP Philadelphia. He was most recently a consultant at Bailey Education Group
