Jed wrote last week that Indianapolis was giving the charter movement its first new north star in decades. To follow that north star, though — to get there faster and to make charter school growth happen absolutely everywhere — we need to have hope.
The extraordinary leaders of the charter school movement — those who we profile in our CharterFolk X pieces — give us the hope we need. As status quo interests continue to dig in, the leaders we write about for CharterFolk X do the exact opposite. They push forward, they innovate, they expand opportunities.
As we look ahead to 2026, we’re grateful for the more than 30 leaders who shared their stories in 2025. Here’s a roundup of our extraordinary CharterFolk:
We kicked off 2025 with the extraordinary Chelbi Mims, vice president at the Texas Public Charter Schools Association and a clear-headed advocate for charter schools: “If you are not in the conversation, then you’re definitely on the menu.”
We supported charter school leaders Ted Duncan and Michelle Vruwink in North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Salwa Kinsey took us inside the academic successes at Pembroke Academy in Detroit—a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School and only the fourth Detroit elementary school to receive this honor and the first since 2001.
Over in New Hampshire, Emily Whalen, director of Next Charter School and board member for the New Hampshire Alliance for Public Charter Schools, taught us about the cooperation and progress that’s possible between traditional school districts and charter schools.
Adonica Pelichet Duggan, CEO of the Baton Rouge Alliance for Students, showed us how to ensure that students are at the forefront of school improvement decisions and how to engage a coalition of local civic and business leaders.
Geoff Roehm, the executive director of Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter School and co-founder of the nonprofit Runway Green Educational Collective, showed us a vision for a transformational education ecosystem right in the middle of New York City. His vision would not have started coming to fruition without the support of local elected officials, an array of community partners, and Charter School Growth Fund.
We learned from Isy Gabriela Castillo at YES Prep Public Schools in Texas about scaling great charter school models as YES Prep continues to report record student enrollment.
CharterFolk X profiled our first former NFL player in decorated scholar-athlete Dowayne Davis. Dowayne is the CEO of Philip’s Academy Charter School in Paterson, NJ, which opened a new building for its Paterson students in 2024, transforming a once-vacant lot into a beautiful, state-of-the-art school.
From New Jersey, we zipped over to Idaho and talked with Monica White, the extraordinary co-founder of Elevate Academy. Idaho has a thriving network of support for charter schools, made possible in part by the work of Bluum. The state continues its national policy leadership on charter schools (which Jed wrote about earlier this year).
Back over in New Jersey, we learned from Marcelino Trillo, principal of Robert Treat Academy Charter School in Newark. Marcelino not only leads a successful school, but he continues to serve his community as a councilman.
Elizabeth Jamison-Dunn, principal of Catalyst Circle Rock Charter School in Chicago, taught us about dedication. She’s served in that role for more than a decade—and her hard work and commitment was recently recognized when she won Teach For America’s Outstanding School Leadership award.
Kyleen Carpenter, the founding Head of School at Blackstone Academy in Rhode Island. Kyleen has been leading Blackstone for over two decades. The enduring success of the school, she said, can be attributed to one core principle: trust.
In Texas, we uplifted the remarkable work of Chuck Cook, CEO of ResponsiveEd. Chuck’s work in multiple spheres — from instructional vision to statewide advocacy — has helped set the Texas charter school movement on an entirely new trajectory.
We profiled the extraordinary Dr. Garland Thomas-McDavid, CEO of Brooklyn Laboratory Charter Schools. Under her leadership, Brooklyn Lab has placed special emphasis on developing educators and school leaders who reflect the students they serve.
Thuy Wong from CharterSAFE is not only a charter school graduate herself but continues to build a healthy and safe ecosystem for charter schools in California to thrive.
In St. Louis, we learned about empathy from Dr. Miranda Ming, superintendent of Momentum Schools. “We often act like we have to choose between high expectations and care. But we don’t,” Miranda said. “If people are well and supported, the magic in classrooms is undeniable.”
Julie Jackson, co-CEO at Uncommon Schools, reminded us to dream big: “What is really important to me is doing this at scale,” she said. “We should be thinking big and dreaming big. How many kids can we impact over time who can then go on to impact others?”
With his laptop, a coffee mug, and a container of candy, we learned that Dr. Jake Wilson can be seen most days pushing his office on a cart through the hallways of North Carolina’s Mountain Island Charter School. He doesn’t wait for people to come to his office, he takes his office to them.
In Chicago, North Lawndale College Prep CEO Jemia Cunningham-Elder remains unwavering in her commitment to college access for all: “It’s easy for people who’ve always had a choice to say college doesn’t matter,” she said. “But choice should belong to everyone, not just those who’ve always had it.”
Tori Jackson Hines, the extraordinary founder and CEO of Resurgence Hall in Metro Atlanta. With a Building Excellent Schools Fellowship in 2015, Tori founded Resurgence Hall, bringing the lessons she learned at Uncommon Schools down to Georgia.
Across the country, Steven Carney, founding executive director of Rooted School Vancouver, believes the model of Rooted School can be life-changing for students who come from underserved backgrounds, as he did. Rooted School Vancouver is the first-ever charter school in Southwest Washington State.
In Indianapolis, with all of its emerging potential, David Spencer took over at KIPP Indy and expressed his passion for never settling: “We’ve consistently shown that there is a desire to not settle for good enough. We have to become better every single day because students’ lives are entrusted to us every single day when their families drop them off with us.”
Nanette Merrill, founder of Gem Prep Meridian and Gem Prep Meridian North, took the helm of the Idaho Charter School Association this year, amid serious charter school growth in the state. “Idaho is doing things right now that have not been done in other states — and they’re working,” she said.
From Phillip Hon in Stockton, CA, we learned the power of persistence. It took him six years to get Unbound Stockton up and running in his home community. The school opened earlier this year.
CharterFolk X did our first ever “revisit” of a CharterFolk X leader in our October profile of Dr. Elaine Swafford. We previously wrote about her in 2020, but were proud and honored to revisit her story five years later and celebrate her induction into the Charter Schools Hall of Fame.
We were also honored to profile Jacqueline Elliot, founder of the first charter middle school in Los Angeles County and the former president and CEO of PUC National (she announced earlier this year that she’s transitioning to a new chapter in her career). She’s served on the board of the California Charter Schools Association and her incredible work has earned her the Hart Vision Leader of the Year Award.
In Nashville, a determined, dedicated Ahmed White won a years-long battle to get The Rock Academy approved. With that, he’ll be opening the first opportunity charter school in the state of Tennessee in 2026.
In Minnesota, we learned from Shannon Peterson, executive director of Lakes International Language Academy. Starting in preK, LILA students learn in Mandarin and Spanish, while also working on speaking, reading and writing in English.
Steven Bartholomew, executive director of New Legacy Charter School in Aurora, CO, was this year’s Colorado League of Charter Schools‘ annual Hall of Fame Advocate of the Year. “I want to say to leaders, fight for what is right for the students,” he told us.
In North Carolina, the extraordinary Glenn Byrum sits on the board of the North Carolina Association for Public Charter Schools, in addition to running Mountain Island Charter School. Glenn reminded us of the importance of communication: “So much of advocacy isn’t just saying give us what we want,” he said. “It’s about disarming the misinformation. We can do that one conversation and one community interaction at a time.”
Ignacio Prado, founder of Futuro Academy, continued to create a “proof point” in Las Vegas. The school has been a resounding success, achieving a four-star rating (out of five) on Nevada’s school performance rating system, averaging more than double the index points of its neighboring district schools.
And finally, to close out 2025, Alliance Marine – Innovation & Technology 6-12 Complex’s Jonathan Tiongco in Sun Valley, CA, reminded us of the crucial role education plays in the ultimate success of our country. “We need an educated democracy, one that empowers and uplifts our communities’ voices and improves the lives of our citizens.”
We know there’s no shortage of extraordinary CharterFolk out there doing amazing work. If you’d like to nominate someone — a school leader, an educator, an advocate, or a school staff member — please don’t hesitate to email us. We’ll see you in 2026!