Bold By Choice Podcast

We talk a lot about preparing students to be college ready, career ready, and future ready. But ready to do what? In this episode of the Bold by Choice Podcast, Vashaunta Harris sits down with Dr. Michael Crawford, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at America Succeeds, to explore the skills young people need not just to graduate, but to thrive in school, work, and life. Michael’s work sits a...

What does accountability need to become when chartering is no longer a small experiment on the edges of public education, but part of the public infrastructure families rely on every day? In this episode of the Bold by Choice Podcast, Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner, Ph. D. sit down with Dr. Michelle Walker Davis, Executive Director of the D.C. Public Charter School Board, to explore how authoriz...

What does real support look like when there is a person, a public responsibility, and ultimately a child on the other side of the work? In this episode of the Bold by Choice Podcast, Vashaunta Harris sits down with Laura Rizzo to explore the human side of Epicenter support—and a career journey built around advocacy, compliance, relationships, and helping people succeed. Laura’s story begins long b...

Before Epicenter had dashboards, scorecards, automated workflows, or AI, there was paper. A lot of paper. In this episode of the Bold by Choice Podcast, Vashaunta Harris sits down with Stephanie McKean and Meghann Russell to trace the origin story of Epicenter—from filing cabinets, fax machines, and manually indexed documents to a platform supporting organizations across the country. The story beg...

In honor of Ted Kolderie’s birthday, we’re returning to one of our favorite conversations from the Bold by Choice archive. Originally released as Season 2, Episode 2, this special replay explores the life, ideas, and lasting influence of one of chartering’s most important systems thinkers. Ted Kolderie challenged leaders to look beyond individual schools and rethink the structure of public educati...

What do today’s students need from us if we are serious about preparing them for tomorrow? In this episode of the Bold by Choice Podcast, Jim Goenner, Ph. D. turns the tables and interviews co-host Vashaunta Harris about her CharterFolk article, “Designing Forward: What Today’s Students Will Need Tomorrow,” which received a Brian’s Voice Award. The conversation begins with a leadership practice th...

Great leadership starts with people. In this episode of the Bold by Choice Podcast, Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner, Ph. D., President & CEO of the National Charter Schools Institute, explore what it means for leaders to intentionally create the conditions where students, staff, families, and communities can thrive. At the start of a new school year, it is easy to get consumed by schedules, m...

The beginning of a new school year is more than a fresh calendar. It is a leadership moment. In this episode of the Bold by Choice Podcast, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner, Ph. D. unpack seven start-of-year reminders for leaders who want to begin with intention and create the conditions for students, families, teams, and communities to thrive. Being bold does not mean being louder, busier,...

Chartering was never meant to become another system protecting its place. It was built as a movement—one driven by courage, possibility, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to students. Recorded live at the Public Charter School Alliances Podcast Festival, this episode of Bold by Choice brings hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner together with Patricia Brantley, CEO of Friendship Public...

Labor Day is more than a long weekend. It is a reminder that work is deeply connected to dignity, contribution, opportunity, family stability, and civic life. In this special Labor Day episode of Bold by Choice, Vashaunta Harris, Dr. Jim Goenner, Don Cooper, and Heather Wendling use the holiday as a doorway into a bigger question for education leaders: Are we preparing students merely to graduate,...

What happens when education changes faster than governance practices do? In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner are joined by Kathy L. Smith, CEO and Founder of EdVision LLC Education Consulting and a board member of the National Charter Schools Institute, for a forward-looking conversation about what governance must become to remain responsive, student-cente...

Renewal is not an event. It is a pattern. In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner are joined again by Heather Wendling, Vice President of Professional Services at the National Charter Schools Institute, for a conversation about what it means to govern with renewal readiness in mind long before renewal ever arrives. Heather shares the story of a school that ent...

Governance does not end when the meeting adjourns. In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner are joined by Alyson Murphy, Director of Partner Services at the National Charter Schools Institute, for a conversation about the part of governance that happens beyond policies, dashboards, budgets, and board meetings: building trust, relationships, credibility, and pub...

Strong organizations are not sustained by passion alone. They endure because governing boards make intentional decisions about strategy, leadership, finances, facilities, and mission alignment. In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner welcome back Mary Bradley, Chief Operating Officer of the National Charter Schools Institute, for a conversation about strategic...

Crisis does not create governance culture. It reveals it. In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner are joined by Mark Weinberg of the National Charter Schools Institute for a practical conversation about how boards respond when pressure rises. Enrollment declines, leadership transitions, financial strain, political tension, and public scrutiny can quickly expos...

Healthy governance is not defined by the absence of tension. It is defined by a board’s ability to move through tension with clarity, trust, and shared commitment to the mission. In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner are joined by Heather Wendling, Vice President of Professional Services at the National Charter Schools Institute, for a candid conversation ab...

The quality of governance is often shaped by the quality of the questions a board asks. In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner are joined by Mary Bradley, Chief Operating Officer of the National Charter Schools Institute, for a practical conversation about how thoughtful questions can strengthen board culture, improve decision-making, and build trust between...

How Great Boards Build Great Schools Strong schools don't happen by chance—they're built through intentional leadership, disciplined governance, and a relentless focus on students. In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner welcome Mark Weinberg, governance expert and Senior Vice President at the National Charter Schools Institute, for a practical conversation about...

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Bold by Choice takes a step back to reflect on the ideas that shaped our nation—and how those same principles continue to shape public education today. Hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner are joined by Don Cooper for a special Independence Day conversation exploring the Declaration of Independence, self-governance, human flourishing, and the endurin...

When does a governing board cross the line into managing a school? And why does that happen so often? In the second episode of our Season 5 governance series, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner, President & CEO of the National Charter Schools Institute, tackle one of the most common—and costly—tensions facing charter school boards: the difference between governing and managing. At the...

Season 5 of Bold by Choice begins with a simple but profound truth: governance is ultimately about decision-making. Not the routine decisions reflected in motions, policies, and dashboards, but the difficult decisions that carry real consequences for students, families, communities, and public trust. In this opening episode, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner launch the season theme, Someo...

What does leadership development need to look like in a world where school leaders face constant change, increasing complexity, staffing challenges, shifting community expectations, and the ever-present responsibility of improving outcomes for students? In this special partnership spotlight episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner welcome Dr. Richard Seigler-Carter, ed...

What does it take to change the trajectory of educational opportunity in a city? In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner sit down with Brandon Brown, CEO of The Mind Trust and recipient of the National Charter Schools Institute's Arc Changer Award, presented at the Bold By Choice Summit. Together, they explore what it means to pursue lasting systems change, build...

What happens when students don't just learn about careers—they live them? In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner sit down with Nicole Gasper, CEO of West Michigan Aviation Academy, recipient of the National Charter Schools Institute's inaugural Pathways to Opportunity Award. Located on the grounds of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, West Michigan Aviatio...

What does it mean to lead with both accountability and trust? In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner sit down with Terry Croy Lewis, Executive Director of the Colorado Charter School Institute (CSI) and recipient of the 2026 Stewards of Possibility Award. Terry’s journey began as a charter school mom in the 1990s — a parent searching for a school where her child...