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Coalition Board of Directors Archives - North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools

Jun 23
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Coalition Board Elects Officers, Seats Directors

By News

We have a newly elected slate of officers on the Coalition Board! In addition, five directors–elected in May–have now been seated on the board. Officer elections took place at the Coalition Board meeting on Thursday, June 18, with new directors seated at that meeting as well.

Here are the officers for 2026-27: 

  • Chair: Jonathan Bryant, Chief Administrator, Lincoln Charter School
  • Vice Chair: Shelly Shope, CEO, Pinnacle Classical Academy
  • Secretary: Helen Nance, Chief Administrative Officer, Gray Stone Day School
  • Treasurer: Gregg Sinders, Board Member, Pine Springs Preparatory Academy; North Carolina Development Director, Charter One

These are the five newly elected directors, who were seated at the June 18 meeting:

  • Donald Bryson, CEO, John Locke Foundation
  • Megan DeKraker, Chief of External Relations, National Heritage Academies
  • Paula Jackson, Vice President of Government Policy & Board Relations, CSUSA
  • Andrew Moceri, Executive Director, Pine Lake Preparatory
  • Bob Touchton, Sales Specialist Charter Schools, Anthony Property Group

Please join us in welcoming these officers and board members! We’re excited for a great year ahead.

We also want to congratulate Helen Nance on her upcoming retirement from Gray Stone Day School at the end of this month. Helen has been an amazing founder and administrator at Gray Stone Day, and a great leader on the Coalition Board. A number of years ago, Helen chaired the Charter Schools Advisory Board, the forerunner to the Charter Schools Review Board. In addition to her ongoing board service for the Coalition, Helen plans to stay involved at Gray Stone Day as a member of the school’s board.

View members of the 2026-27 Coalition Board.

Above: Shutterstock photo

Apr 02
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Coalition Board Chair Jonathan Bryant on Spectrum News

By News

Congratulations to Jonathan Bryant, the Coalition’s board chair and the chief administrator at Lincoln Charter School. Spectrum News recently interviewed Jonathan about his role on the new bipartisan Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education.

You can learn more about the commission in this Coalition blog post.

Jonathan did a great job in the interview explaining what charter schools are and what they do, the importance of the charter perspective, and his hopes for the work of the commission.

Watch the interview here or by clicking on the image below.

Feb 20
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Coalition announces primary endorsements

By Election 2026

The Coalition Board of Directors on Thursday endorsed the slate below of candidates running in legislative primary races. These candidates support our goals of fair funding and autonomy for public charter schools. We encourage you to vote for pro-charter candidates in the upcoming primary election on Tuesday, March 3! Early voting is open now and ends on Saturday, Feb. 28.

In a press release announcing the endorsements, Dave Machado, the Coalition’s executive director, said:

Our organization endorses candidates exclusively on the basis of their support for public charter schools. Parents deserve a choice in their public schooling, and we use what resources we have to inform parents of who supports that premise and who doesn’t.

Here are the candidates endorsed by the Coalition:

North Carolina House of Representatives

North Carolina Senate

In the Coalition’s release, Machado also made this statement about the endorsements:

These candidates have a track record of supporting public charter schools. They embrace the idea that parents deserve options in deciding which public school environment will best help their children achieve their full potential.

More information about voting in the primary election

Election Day voting on Tuesday, March 3, runs from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. Access more information about your in-person voting place on Election Day.

Elections have consequences, and the success and sustainability of our state’s charter movement hinge on election outcomes. Electing pro-charter candidates helps the Coalition advance our pro-charter legislative agenda at the General Assembly. Vote for a pro-charter candidate—and help us continue working to secure fair funding and protect charter autonomy!

Coalition endorsements are non-partisan and issue-driven. View our Guidelines for Candidate Endorsement.

Above: Shutterstock photo.