Alex Medler
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+Â 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.
Lucretia Peebles-Secretary
Charter School Coordinator (retired), San Jose’s East Side Union High School District
Vice President, CCAP
Lucretia Peebles is a retired charter school authorizer and serves on the board of the California Charter Authorizing Professionals (CCAP). Dr. Peebles served as 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. As a professor at Spelman College, the University of Denver, and Loyola Marymount University, she co-founded several charter schools as well as the University of Denver’s Leadership Institute for Charter Schools, and she also has served as a charter school researcher and monitor.
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.
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.
Contact Information
To reach the NN4DA, please use the following contact methods.
Alex Medler-NN4DA
Executive Director
Email: alex.medler@nn4da.org
Phone: 720-635-8329