Amanda Fenton
Amanda Fenton brings 15 years of advocacy experience across the California legislature and Washington, D.C. She specializes in executing long-term legislative strategies and has successfully secured over $100 million in federal funding and $60 million in state grants. Her expertise spans the entire public funding process, from authorizing legislation and appropriations to the technical issuance […]
Amy Held
Amy is the Executive Director of Larchmont Charter School, a top TK-12 that’s among the most diverse in the state. Previously, Amy was the Founding Executive Director of Citizens of the World Los Angeles and Executive Director of Palisades Charter High School. Prior to that, Amy worked for LAUSD on the staff of two School […]
Angelica Jackson
Angelica Jackson is a visionary connector and innovative builder in the field of education. Jackson is the CEO and Co-Founder of Phoenix International School of the Arts, Charles County’s first public charter middle school combining arts and international studies. As a national thought leader in education, she collaborates with various innovative organizations and has initiated […]
Dr. Kristina Kyles-Smith
Dr. Kristina Kyles-Smith is the CEO of the Lillie May Carroll Jackson Charter School in Baltimore, an all-girls school dedicated to academic rigor and leadership for girls of color. Her career spans diverse educational leadership roles, including teacher, district director of equity, curriculum director, principal, charter network executive director, and Assistant State Superintendent of Education […]
Felix Li
As Chief Operations Office for Summit Public Schools, Felix brings to Summit over a decade of K-12 school and systems leadership experience in public education with expertise in school operations, systems design, cross-functional project management, budgeting & finance, crisis communication and management, strategy and people development. Felix brings a deep commitment to building a more […]
Karen Dresden
Karen Dresden is an education leader with a 25+ year track record of achieving results while centering equity and mission-centered leadership practices. Karen is the co-founder of Capital City Public Charter School, a diverse PK-12 school in Washington, DC, and served as Head of School through June 2023. Karen was involved in all aspects of […]
Khalil Graham
Dr. Khalil Graham’s experience in charter education and nonprofits spans over 18 years and includes a strong record of strategic direction, leadership development, stakeholder engagement, and team productivity. Prior to joining Kairos, Khalil served as the Executive Director of Liberty STEAM Charter Schools in Sumter, South Carolina. He has previously served as the Managing Director […]
Naomi Deveaux
Prior to joining The Drexel Fund in 2024, Naomi was a partner at the National Charter Schools Institute where she enjoyed co-creating performance goals that capture school quality at its core and working with commission and board members on values-driven decision-making. She previously served DC students as a teacher, an advocate for choice, and at […]
Valerie Braimah
Valerie Braimah, Senior Associate Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund, has focused her career over 25 years on developing innovative school models for economically and racially diverse students. She is committed to challenging the status quo in public school education and creating opportunities for all students to access liberation, joy, and critical thinking. Prior to finding […]