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Bill Phillips - President
Bill is the President of the Northeast Charter Schools Network (NECSN). He oversees the operations of NECSN and maintains a focus on grasstops advocacy.
Bill served in business development leadership positions with Beacon Education Management
and SABIS Educational Systems. Prior to entering the charter sector, he worked as a marketing and new
product specialist and a manufacturing supervisor with Texas Instruments, Inc. During that period he also
served as a school board member in Massachusetts and, during his tenure, founded a regional charter
school in Foxboro, MA.
Bill earned his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from George Washington University and
a Bachelors of Science in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University.
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Kyle Rosenkrans - VP of Policy & Advocacy
Kyle is our Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, overseeing our policy and legislative affairs efforts for the entire network. Kyle has a long and successful resume in issues advocacy and joins NESCN from the Seton Hall University School of Law, where he was a full-time member of the school’s clinical faculty and practicing attorney with its Center for Social Justice.
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Andrea Rogers - Policy Director
Andrea is Director of Policy. As part of the policy and
advocacy team, she helps research and develop positions, coordinate advocacy
events and support government relations. She also works directly with member
charter schools on technical and compliance issues through the Help Desk.
Prior to joining NECSN, Andrea was Research Associate at the
Foundation for Education Reform & Accountability, a non-profit education
policy think tank, and worked as a policy analyst at the U.S. Government Accountability
Office. She served as a founding member and Board Secretary for a charter
school in Albany. Andrea earned a Master
of Arts in public policy from the University at Albany, and graduated from the
University at Buffalo with a degree in anthropology.
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Jeremiah L. Grace - Connecticut State Director
Jeremiah is our Connecticut State Director, where he develops relationships with key legislators and government influencers and works closely with our schools and partners to create a more unified charter advocacy effort.
Before joining the team, Jeremiah was the National Regional Director for Project Vote, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to empower, educate and mobilize marginalized and under-represented voters. He is a former member of the Elizabeth Board of Education in Elizabeth, NJ, and brings an extensive background in state-level education reform and civil rights advocacy, as well as local political campaigns.
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CJ Macklin - Communications Director
CJ is our Communications Director, where he focuses on sharpening and sharing our message with decision makers, the media and other key audiences, as well as work with schools to help chronicle their stories. CJ has a journalism degree from the Univ. of Oklahoma, has worked for the global communications firm Hill+Knowlton Strategies and served as press secretary for Julian Schreibman’s campaign in New York’s 19th Congressional District.
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Nakia Taylor - Special Education Director
Nakia is the Special Education Director for NECSN and
Elevate Charter Schools. Prior to this, Nakia served for five years as the
Director of Student Services and School Psychologist at Green Tech High Charter
School for Boys in Albany, NY. She was responsible for the supervision of the
Special Education and Counseling departments, and coordination of all assessments
and English as a Second Language.
Nakia offers support to schools around Special Education
laws and regulations, Response to Intervention and 504 Accommodation Plans,
psycho-educational and behavioral evaluations, and goal creation for
Individualized Education Plans. She also helps with direction, coordination and
evaluation of the provision of special education regarding policy changes, new
programs, compliance and procedural safeguards.
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Angela O’Neal - Policy and Advocacy Coordinator
Angela is NECSN’s Policy and Advocacy Coordinator. She joins
the team after working at the Albany Leadership High School for Girls Charter
School and as a consultant with Elevate. Angela works with the policy and
advocacy team on event planning and implementation, and assists with research
projects. She also helps plan and coordinate member events. Angela has worked
in fundraising and corporate development at the University at Albany and the
Newark Museum. She holds a B.A. from
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and a certificate in Writing and Development
from Dartmouth College.
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Justin Kwasa - Policy and Research Associate
Justin is our Policy and Research Associate. He plays a
critical role in developing and supporting legislative priorities, researching
and analyzing policies and legislation, and communicating with charter schools
and the general public.
Prior to joining NECSN, he taught 4th and 8th grade at the
LEARN Charter School Network in his hometown of Chicago. During the 2012
presidential election, he worked as the Assistant Director of a “Get Out The
Vote” campaign office for the Community Voter’s Project in Milwaukee, WI.
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Madyson Lubba - Data Analyst
Madyson is the Data Analyst for NECSN. In this role she
supports the advocacy, communications and school services teams with data analysis
and research. Madyson manages quantitative information for public schools in
both New York and Connecticut. In addition, she supports NECSN’s school
services and Elevate work by organizing and displaying quantitative and
qualitative metrics for schools.
Prior to joining NECSN, Madyson was a classroom teacher
and professional development leader as a Teach for America corps member in
South Louisiana. She also served as a corps member advisor at one of Teach for
America’s rigorous summer institutes. Madyson earned
a communications degree from the University at Albany.
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