Good morning, CharterFolk!
Today we are pleased to share the first edition of CharterFolk on the Move from Mollie Mitchell, the President and Founder of The K12 Search Group.
I provide Mollie’s bio below.
Mollie Mitchell is the President and Founder of The K12 Search Group, a national search firm that provides executive search services to charter schools, CMOs, state charter associations, and nonprofits and foundations that exist to achieve equity in public education.
Since creating The K12 Search Group in 2007, Mollie has worked with many high-performing charter school operators and education reform nonprofits around the country to help them recruit executive talent into their organizations. Prior to founding The K12 Search Group, Mollie led recruitment at the Broad Center. She has been recruiting in the sector since 2001 – longer than any of her direct competitors.
Mollie is a dedicated advocate for improving educational outcomes in underserved communities and has served on the boards of the charter schools in Los Angeles and Austin. She was also a board trustee of Great Minds, the creator of high quality curricula, Eureka Math and Wit & Wisdom. She currently sits on the board of the Turquoise Trail Charter School Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the first charter school in the state of New Mexico.
CharterFolk on the Move – August 2023
Please join me in congratulating the CharterFolk below on their recent transitions!
Ana Martinez was recently named Chief Executive Officer of Bright Star Schools. She was most recently Superintendent at Wonderful College Prep Academy. William Toomey is now Superintendent of Ingenium Schools. He joined Ingenium from Wonderful College Prep Academy, where he was Chief Business Officer. Heather Haines-Koehler recently joined DSST Public Schools as Chief of Schools. She was previously Associate Chief of Academics at Denver Public Schools. Juan Aguinaga is now Chief of Staff at PREP Public Schools. He was previously Chief Academic Officer at Chattanooga Preparatory School. Dr. Joel Boyd, formerly Superintendent of Lowell Public Schools in MA is now Chief Executive Officer at Mastery Public Schools. Belicia Reaves has joined Two Rivers Public Charter Schools as Executive Director. She was previously a high school principal at Capital City Public Charter High School. Yana Smith recently became Chief Equity and People Officer at Rocky Mountain Prep. She was formerly a vice president at Teach For America. Stacy Wang joined Yu Ming Charter School as Chief Executive Officer. She was previously Chief Executive Officer at San Francisco Education Fund. Noah Devine is now the Executive Director at Missouri Charter Public School Association. He joined MCPSA from the Kansas City Action Fund. The Community Charter School of Paterson recently welcomed Ira Griffith as Chief Executive Officer. Ira was previously with KIPP New Jersey. Freedom Preparatory Academy Charter Schools in Memphis welcomed several new executives. Rhonda Myles is now Chief Talent Officer. She was previously Deputy Chief of Organizational Effectiveness at KIPP Texas. Nakia Douglas joins Freedom Prep as Chief Schools Officer. She was formerly an assistant superintendent at the Normandy Schools Collaborative in St. Louis. Johnecia Howard is now Chief Operating Officer. Her most recent role was as Chief Operating Officer at eSTEM Public Charter Schools. Megan Stitzinger, most recently the interim Executive Director at KIPP Delta Public Schools, is now the Chief of Staff at Freedom Prep. The Rhode Island League of Charter Schools welcomed Chiara Deltito-Sharrott as Executive Director. She previously ran her own consulting firm. Voices College Bound Language Academies appointed Aldo Ramirez as Chief Executive Officer. He was most recently with the Salinas City Elementary School District. Caprice Young has joined Navigator Schools as CEO and Superintendent. Shavar Jeffries was announced in January as the new Chief Executive Officer of KIPP Foundation. He joined KIPP from Education Reform Now, where he was the President. Efrat Kussell is now Chief Academic Officer at Explore Schools. She previously ran a consulting business. Envision Education hired Niloy Gangpadhyay as Chief of Staff earlier this year. He was formerly Vice President of Partner Success at Springboard Collaborative. Nichelle Howe joined Great Oaks Legacy Charter School as Chief People and Equity Officer. She joined Great Oaks from Girl Scouts of the USA. Dan McCormick recently became Executive Director at Neighborhood Charter Schools. He was previously with the NYC Department of Education. Georgia Cyber Academy named Michael Kooi Executive Director. He most recently served as interim Superintendent at the same organization. Mike Rosskamm is now Executive Director at District of Columbia International School. He was previously interim ED at the same organization. Melissa Kaplan was recently named Executive Director of Citizens of the World Charter Schools, Los Angeles. She joins CWC from Bright Star Schools where she served as Deputy Superintendent. Tracy Epp joined Greenhouse E3 as Chief Program Officer. Her most recent role was as Chief Academic Officer of Richmond Public Schools. Denise Rice is now Chief Talent Officer at Breakthrough Public Schools. She joined Breakthrough from the YMCA of Greater Cleveland where she served as Chief Human Resources Officer. Natalie Rubio was named VP of Learning and Development at Mission Achievement and Success Charter School. She joined MAS from IDEA Public Schools in Houston. Stephanie Cornell, formerly of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, is now Executive Director of the Walton Family Foundation. Hillary Casson was recently appointed Chief Executive Officer at UP Education Network. She replaces Veronica Conforme, who is now Founder and Co-Managing Partner at Greenhouse E3. Dr. Pamela Tanner is now Executive Director of Westside Atlanta Charter School. She was previously Director, Aspiring Assistant Principal Network, Tennessee State University.