Charter School Connection

In this inspiring episode of the Charter School Connection, we sit down with the team behind Coastal Dream Academy to explore the powerful mission, history, and vision driving their work in the Racepath community. Akeem Hemingway shares his journey from growing up in Myrtle Beach’s Racepath neighborhood to spending over a decade working in the NBA—and ultimately returning home to pour back into th...

In this episode of the Charter School Connection Podcast, Jenna sits down with Valerie Nance, Chief People Officer at Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship in Pittsburgh, PA, to discuss her unique journey into human resources and how she found her place in the education world. Valerie shares how an unexpected career shift led her into charter schools, where she has spent the past eight yea...

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection”, we sit down with the CEO of John Muir Charter Schools to explore the organization’s mission, evolution, and the realities of leading a nontraditional charter school network. Founded in 1998, John Muir Charter Schools serves young adults ages 16–24 through a unique model that blends high school education with workforce training programs like the C...

In this episode of Charter School Connection podcast as host Jenna Dubois sits down with John Sun, CEO of Blueprint, a nonprofit developer dedicated to creating affordable, lasting facility solutions for charter schools. John Sun details Blueprint's history, their expansion from Los Angeles to new regions like Texas and Colorado, and their mission-driven work supporting both single-site operators...

In this episode of The Charter School Connection, Jenna sits down with educator, coach, and author Dee Lanier, founder of Lanier Learning, to explore his unexpected journey through education — from ministry to volunteering in a charter school to leading professional development across the country. The depth and variety of discussion in this episode can only be grasped by listening. Make sure to no...

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Shawn interviews Denise Espania, Director at Mālama Honua Public Charter School. This is a K-8 Charter School in Waimānalo, HI. This conversation went on a different path than Shawn originally thought. They discuss western education and creating an education that focuses on taking care of the Earth. From the very beginning of her teaching career,...

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan interviews Dr. Jody Underwood, the founding president of a non-profit in New Hampshire called “EdOpt.” EdOpt began informally in April 2024. EdOpt stands for Education Options. They help families understand various educational alternatives, including homeschooling, learning centers, charter and private schools, and innovative in-school appr...

Podcast Description: In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Jenna interviews Joseph P. Viteritti, author of Radical Dreamers: Race, Choice and the Failure of the American Education System. He is currently a professor of public policy at Hunter College in New York. He has been an advocate of School Choice for over 30 years. He first began his interest in the education sector in the 1970...

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Shawn speaks with Dr. Kristina Kyles-Smith, CEO at Lillie May Carroll Jackson Charter School (LMCJ) in Baltimore, MD. Shawn and Dr. Kyles-Smth have gotten to know each other over the last few years over many networking calls. This time Shawn gets to dive a little deeper into Dr. Kyles-Smith’s history and what makes LMCJ so unique. Dr. Kyles-Smith...

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan sits down with Matthew Shumski, High School Director at Bridge Charter Academy. They explore his journey into the world of charter schools and the unique path that led him to Oregon. He shares what initially drew him to Bridge Charter Academy and what makes the school stand apart in the charter landscape. Matthew offers valuable insights fo...

This week is different from anything we have done. In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” podcast, Shawn sits down and talks with a student, Miller Millea, at East Mountain High School in New Mexico. Miller has been around charter schools his whole life because his mom is a teacher at East Mountain but did not attend a charter school until high school. Miller is a senior and part of ma...

In this episode, Jenna interviews Brian Myrup, Managing Director, at York Preparatory Academy in Rockhill, SC. With over 20 years of experience, Brian shares his journey and what makes York Preparatory Academy unique. He also shares some tips and tricks on things charter school administrators could benefit from. Over 20 years ago in Colorado, Brian started as a 4th/5th grade teacher. While going t...

In this episode, Dallan sits down with Ken Monroe, CEO of BChex and host of The Bad Hire Podcast. This conversation has been months in the making — after first connecting at the NC Association of Public Charter Schools Conference in July, Dallan traveled to Huntersville, NC to record both podcasts in person! Ken shares valuable insight into how BChex helps charter schools ensure a safe and secure...

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with Joe Dana, the assistant Superintendent of Orcutt School District. Joe has been at the school district for 36 years but also was a student in the district starting in kindergarten. Over his time there he has seen a lot of change. From being a principal at multiple schools to opening the first charter school in the district. Joe s...

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with Tina Long, Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer at Exalt Education. Tina shares how her experience with education from a mother’s viewpoint brought her to the charter school world. She shares her journey from opening a charter school in Oregon to now being at Exalt Education in Little Rock, Arkansas. Exalt Education started...

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Shawn visits Da Vinci Tree Academy in Tucson, AZ. While doing an in person visit, Shawn sits down with Matt Roll, Principal and Founder to record a podcast. This episode is unique because they cover a variety of topics that we haven’t discussed on the podcast before. As with many of our guests, Matt did not intend to be in the charter school indus...

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with behavior health specialist, Leila Farshchian, from ABA Toolbox. This episode is a bit different but very helpful for charter school administrators looking for improvements in special education. In this episode you will learn more about what brought Leila to the behavioral health field and how ABA Toolbox came about. She also sha...

In this episode “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with Rachel Garner, Executive Director at Armadillo Community Charter School in Oregon. Although she originally wanted to be a vet, Rachel has found her way to charter school administration. Rachel is focused on making a change from the top and she shares her journey with Dallan. Armadillo Community Charter School was one of the first c...

There is a trend in these last few episodes and this one is no different. In this episode of the “Charter School Connection” Dallan sits down with another one of the amazing connections we found at the NCAPCS Conference, Lynette Stevens from BC Construction Group. We bonded at the conference talking about donuts from one of the local beach towns and are happy to have her as a guest on the podcast....

In this episode of the “Charter School Connection” Dallan sits down with another one of the amazing connections we found at the NCAPCS Conference, Eddie Goodall, President of Goodall Consulting. This one is extra special because he founded the association in 2009. Eddie shares his journey to how he became president of Goodall Consulting. Eddie started in the charter school world on the political s...

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with another administrator he met at the NCAPCS Conference in Wilmington. Mary Jawabreh, Assistant Principal of Academics - K-4 at TMSA Apex shares her experiences in the charter school world. After working 9 years at private catholic schools, Mary wanted to grow in her career. Previously having worked in Dubai and Abu Dhabi at inter...

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with Sam Fleming, Co-Founder and Executive Director from 100 Gardens. We met Sam at the NCAPCS Conference in July in Wilmington and thought it would make a different but interesting podcast. 100 Gardens is an educational non-profit company with a goal of building 100 aquaponic gardens in schools. Their mission is to empower school co...

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with Allison Galvin, Executive Director at Oregon Charter Academy. Allison shares about the dynamic responsive approach to learning found at the award winning school. Allison started as a math teacher and never expected to end up in a charter school but here she is. She shares how the culture at Oregon Connections Academy drew her in...

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with Scott Mendelsberg, Executive Director and Annemarie Mahan, Elementary Principal at Cherry Creek Academy in Englewood, CO. Getting to speak with two different administrators at once makes this episode special. We learn the journey they each took to get to their current positions. They couldn’t be more different. Annemarie has bee...

In this episode of “The Charter School Connection” Dallan speaks with Sheryl Zimmerer, Executive Director at Logos Public Charter School in Medford, Oregon. Logos Public Charter School is a personalized learning hybrid school. With 1300 students and a waitlist over 800 long, Logos has the special sauce. Sheryl started as a teacher at Logos when it first opened in 2010 and in 2017 she took over as...