Alex Medler, Ph.D.
Founder and Executive Director, NN4DA
Alex Medler is Executive Director of the National Network for District Authorizing. Medler was previously the Chair of the NN4DA Governing Council and Executive Director of the Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers (CACSA). He also served as the National Coordinator of the Tri-State Alliance to Improve District-Led Authorizing, which was a precursor to the NN4DA. This previous effort was a collaborative comprising CACSA, the Florida Association of Charter School Authorizers (FACSA), and the California Charter Authorizing Professionals (CCAP).
He previously led the National Charter School Resource Center; and directed policy, research, and technical assistance initiatives for the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA); the Colorado Children’s Campaign; the U.S. Department of Education’s Charter Schools Program; and the Education Commission of the States. He is a founding board member and former chair of the board of the Center for Learner Equity, he served on the board of NACSA, and he founded and chaired the board of the Colorado Charter School Institute.
Medler earned a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Colorado Boulder and graduated from the University of California Santa Cruz. He lives in Boulder, Colorado with wife, where he enjoys being in the mountains and playing music with friends.
Dr. Mackenzie Khan-Chair
Executive Director, CACSA
Dr. Mackenzie Khan has dedicated her career to improving charter school authorizing in diverse contexts. She began as a teacher, swiftly transitioning to charter school authorizing in Florida's Volusia and St. Johns Counties. As Vice President of FACSA, she contributed to Florida's Charter School Authorizing Best Practices. She earned a Charter School Leadership Master's from Nova Southwestern University. Relocating to Colorado in 2016, she directed charter schools in Aurora Public Schools and oversaw choice programming in Douglas County School District. Honored in NACSA's Leader Program, she obtained a Leadership for Equity in Education doctorate from the University of Colorado Denver in 2022. Presently, she's CACSA's Executive Director, leveraging past board service and 12+ years of charter authorizing experience in promoting high-quality authorizing practices in Colorado and nationwide.
Valerie Hyer-Vice Chair
Coordinator, Charter Schools, School District of Manatee County, Florida
Vice President, FACSA
Valerie Hyer is the Acting Director of the Charter Schools Office in the School District of Manatee County, Florida and currently serves as the Vice-President on the board of the Florida Association of Charter School Authorizers (FACSA) board. During her 28 years in public education in Florida, Dr. Hyer has served as a charter school authorizer, a secondary school counselor, and a music educator. She also as served as an Assistant Professor in the College of Education at Argosy University, Sarasota.
Secretary - Open Position
Stephen Ayres-Treasurer
Director, School Choice, Student Assignments, and Records, Marion County Public Schools, Florida
Director, FACSA
Stephen Ayres is a Director on the FACSA board and is Director of School Choice, Student Assignments, and Records for Marion County Public Schools. Stephen has been an active member of FACSA since 2017.
As Director of School Choice, Student Assignments, and Records Stephen is responsible for the coordination of all Choice Programs, including charter schools, and attendance boundaries of all schools in the Marion County Public School System. Stephen also is the custodian of records for the district. During Stephen’s 26 years in public education, he has served many roles from a paraprofessional to a high school principal to his current district administrative position.
Stephen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership, both from Saint Leo University. Stephen is a native of Florida, graduating from Marion County Public Schools. Stephen is married to Liana and the proud father of two daughters.
Tom Hutton-Member
Executive Director, CCAP
Tom Hutton is the Executive Director of the California Charter Authorizing Professionals (CCAP). Mr. Hutton formerly has served as executive director of the Hawaii State Public Charter School Commission, a school attorney with the National School Boards Association and in private practice in Seattle, an independent consultant to authorizers nationally, and a charter school co-founder and a governing board member. He also served for several years as Interim Executive Director of the Education Law Association.
Marianne Blair-Member
Executive Director, FACSA
Marianne was an active member and former director on the board of FACSA. During her 15 years with Volusia County Schools, she was a high school business teacher and district administrator supporting various roles designated by the superintendent. While in the district office, Marianne was a specialist for Career & Technical Education overseeing the industry certification process and later curriculum development for career programs. As the School Choice Specialist, Marianne was responsible for the variance (school choice) process, home education, DJJ programs, charter school authorizing, and other district compliance supervision.
She is currently a Professor of Accounting at Stetson University.
Amelia Meunier-Member
Director of Charter Schools, Aurora Public Schools, Colorado
Board Chair, CACSA
Amelia Meunier is the acting Director of Charter Schools with Aurora Public Schools in Colorado and chairs the board of the Colorado Association of Charter School Authorizers (CACSA). Ms. Meunier previously has served as the Charter School Liaison for Special Populations at Adams 12 school district, Director of Special Education for KIPP Colorado, and the Ace Connect Higher Education Partnership Specialist for Denver Public Schools. She also has worked in both charter and district schools as a classroom teacher, school-based administrator, district administrator, and instructional coach.
Kenlyn Newman-Member
Liason, 27J Partner Schools
Board Member, CACSA
Kenlyn Newman has over 20 years of experience partnering with families and communities to support students whose needs are not met by our traditional systems. She is currently a specialist in School District 27J and serves as the Charter School Liaison for their six charter partners. In addition to this current role, Ms. Newman has served as a teacher, an instructional coach, an assistant director, a grant manager, a principal and a director and has had the opportunity to support students in four school districts. Throughout her career her primary goal has been to create opportunities and design systems that support the unique needs of all of our students.
David Patterson-Member
Board Member, Placer County Board of Education, California
President, CCAP
David Patterson is the President and a founding member of the board of California Charter Authorizing Professionals (CCAP), as well as an elected member of the Placer County, California Board of Education. Previously Dr. Patterson served as the Director of the Charter Schools Office for the Alameda County Office of Education, Special Projects Director for Gateway Community Charters, Superintendent for Athlos Academies, founder and Executive Director of the Rocklin Academy Family of Schools, Director of Governmental Relations for the California Network of Educational Charters (the predecessor of the California Charter School Association), and the California Department of Education’s point person for charter schools.
Lucretia Peebles, Ph.D. - Member
Vice President, CCAP Board of Directors
Lucretia D. Peebles, Ph.D., joined the CCAP Board of Directors in May 2020. She has more than two decades of experience working with charter schools in a variety of positions including founder, authorizer, researcher, and monitor, beginning when she was an Assistant Professor of Education at Spelman College. Her work is driven by a passion for equity and social justice in education.
After Spelman College, she was an Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Denver, where she co-founded one of the state’s earliest charter schools, which is still going strong. At the University of Denver, Dr. Peebles also co-founded and taught in the Leadership Institute for Charter Schools, a collaboration between the University’s colleges of education and business. She helped launch another charter school in Los Angeles while an Associate Professor at Loyola Marymount University. In between those two positions, Dr. Peebles taught in the Education Leadership Doctoral Program at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, California.
Dr. Peebles began her teaching career as a special education teacher in California’s Pomona Unified School District, where she also taught English, history, and social sciences. She later served as a Research and Evaluation Consultant in the California Department of Education, Director of Charter Schools for the Santa Clara County Office of Education, and as Charter School Coordinator for San Jose’s East Side Union High School District from 2013 until her recent retirement.
She holds a Ph.D. in Policy and Administration from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California.
Sarah Hackett-Member
Director of the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools
Sarah Hackett is the Director of the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools at CESA 9. She earned a PhD from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in Curriculum and Instruction. She is a graduate of the rural public school system in Wautoma, Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin liberal arts institution, Lawrence University. Sarah worked with a local team in Montello, Wisconsin to establish a community-based, environmental, student-interest, and project-based high school. Following that, Sarah is proud to have been a core member of the Innovative Schools Network, helping to build momentum around public school change in Wisconsin. Most recently, she has been central to a UW School of Education research study of Personalized Learning, focused on alternative models of assessment. Sarah also celebrates and is influenced greatly by her two children.
Tim Scottberg-Member
Associate Director of the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools
Tim Scottberg is the Associate Director of the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools. He earned his masters in Education Leadership and Administration from UW-Oshkosh, where he also earned his bachelors in elementary education. Before joining the WRCCS team, Tim spent six years as the principal of Fond du Lac STEM Academy, a Project-Based STEM school that has served students in grades 3-12. He was an assistant principal at Fond du Lac High School and lead teacher of Catalyst Charter Middle School in Ripon, WI. Prior to that, Tim was an at-risk teacher at Ripon Middle School. He loves backpacking with his family and enjoys being outdoors as much as possible.
Bridget Schock Anderson-Member
Director of Contracted School Services for Milwaukee Public Schools
Bridget Schock Anderson is the Director of Contracted School Services for Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). MPS works with a number of organizations to provide a variety of educational and programming opportunities for its students, including charter schools, partnership schools, and other contracted educational programs. Bridget’s office currently oversees 27 schools. She has been an educator for 24 years serving students and families in Milwaukee Public Schools as a teacher, coach and administrator. Bridget attended the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater where she received her undergraduate degree in education, then the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse where she received her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, and then Marquette University where she earned her administrative leadership degree. Bridget believes that every student deserves a quality education that paves the way to pursue any pathway they desire. If students and families are provided the resources and tools they need to be successful, then no dream is too large to achieve.
Contact Information
To reach the NN4DA, please use the following contact methods.
Alex Medler, Ph.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Email: alex.medler@nn4da.org
Phone: 720-635-8329