Staff

Celia Alicata is the coordinator of federal policy for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Prior to joining the Alliance, Celia was a senior associate at Collaborative Communications Group, an education consulting firm in Washington, D.C. She brings years of experience on a range of education and child-centered issues from arts education to teacher quality to hunger and has experience in advocacy, communications and policy. Celia earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, Law, Economics and Government from American University.

Angela Christophe is the director of programs for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. She has served on the staff of the D.C. Public Charter School Board and most recently as the business affairs director for a mental health agency. Angela is an active resident of Washington, D.C. serving as a member of the Georgia Avenue Economic Development steering committee, and was elected as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner. A New Orleans native, Angela is a graduate of Howard University's School of Business.

Maria Darie is the vice president of finance and administration for the Alliance. Prior to joining the Alliance, Maria served as the executive director and CFO for Presidential Classroom, a nonprofit organization which mission is to provide today's outstanding high school students from the U.S.  and abroad with rigorous educational experiences in Washington, D.C. These experiences prepare students for roles as leaders in public service and private enterprise. From 2000 to 2007 Maria has served as the accounting manager for New Horizons Computer Learning Center of Washington, D.C. where she reorganized the company's accounting department to improve its operating productivity and concentrated on executing the corporate strategy. Maria holds a Bachelors of Science in Economics from University of Ploiesti and an International Executive MBA from Georgetown University.

Lita Dunn is the manager of e-advocacy for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Lita graduated from Touro College with a Bachelor's in Communications and Judaic Studies. Prior to working at the Alliance, Lita was an e-organizer and web master for the National Community Reinvestment Coalition and general manager for the Human Rights Campaign Action Center in Washington, D.C.  Lita’s commitment to social justice began when she spent a year working with peace activists in the Middle East. Upon her return to the U.S. she was a community organizer, encouraging political engagement and building coalitions within the broader social justice movement in northeastern Pennsylvania. Before moving to Washington, D.C.  Lita worked at United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania as the coordinator of program development.

Rhonda Fischer is the director of development for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.  Before joining the Alliance, Rhonda served as the senior manager for marketing and development for the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education.  Prior to this, she worked as the grants coordinator for the Henry W. Grady Health System Foundation in Atlanta, GA.  Rhonda spent a number of years working in the private sector as a business development consultant with a technology consulting firm.  She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance and Marketing from the University of Virginia.

R. Brooks Garber is the vice president of federal advocacy for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Brooks has been called upon to speak about public charter schools and education policy both domestically and internationally.  Prior to joining the National Alliance, Brooks worked as the associate director of policy at the Center for Education Reform in Washington, D.C. Before that, he worked at the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations where he assisted the Legislature in the development of a new education funding formula for the state.  Brooks has campaign and political experience at federal, state and local levels. Brooks has a Bachelor of Science in History and Human and Organizational Development, and a Master of Public Policy, with an emphasis on education policy, both from Vanderbilt University.

Sarah Johnson is the senior manager of communications for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Before joining the National Alliance, Sarah worked with Munich International School in Munich, Germany to develop internal and external communications, marketing, and publications. Prior to this, she worked for ABC, Inc. and FOX Broadcasting Company in the arena of broadcast standards and practices. Sarah has Bachelors of Arts degrees in Communication Studies and English Language and Literature from the University of Michigan.

Hailing from rural west Texas, Kidron Lewis began her career in Washington, D.C. as an aide to Congressman Martin Frost of Texas and later served as a campaign aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her 2008 run for the presidency.  Kidron is a graduate of Texas Tech University and served in a Special Operations Unit of the United States Army Reserve. Before joining the Alliance, Kidron Lewis was the founder and principal of KML Group LLC, a company specializing in IT, research, data analysis, emerging technologies and online organizing for campaigns, non-profits and small businesses.

Chad Miller joins the federal policy team bringing a rich history of education reform advocacy and policy development. Prior to joining the National Alliance, Chad served as professional staff on the U.S. House of Representative’s Committee on Education and Labor. While there he managed a wide portfolio of issues that ranged from: the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (including parental options such as private and public school choice, charter schools, magnet schools, education tax credits), to environmental education, literacy, arts in education,and impact aid. Chad holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from the University of Tennessee.

Anna Nicotera is the director of research and evaluation for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.  Prior to joining the Alliance, Anna was a pre-doctoral research fellow with the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and a Graduate Research Assistant at the National Center on School Choice.  Her research experiences include program evaluations of whole school reform models and professional development initiatives in urban school districts, as well as a multi-state, longitudinal examination of the impact of the No Child Left Behind school choice provision on student achievement.  Anna received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Chicago and she is a doctoral candidate in Education Leadership and Policy Studies at Vanderbilt University.

Diana Ozemebhoya is the communications coordinator for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Prior to joining the Alliance, Diana worked as a communications specialist at a grassroots PR firm, creating and executing communication strategies for legislative and issue advocacy programs in the public and private sectors. She also worked on Capitol Hill as a communications intern with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during the 2008 presidential election. Diana holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in African and African-American Studies from Duke University. 

Eric Paisner is the vice president of knowledge and partnerships for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Prior to joining the Alliance, Eric worked as an attorney for Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville PC, advising clients on a variety of education and corporate issues. He also served as a senior consultant with Arthur Andersen, specializing in strategic management solutions for large corporations and government agencies. Eric has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan and a Law Degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Dallas Pearson is the financial analyst for National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Dallas graduated in 2007 from Roanoke College with a Bachelor of Business Administration.  Throughout college he worked with inner-city children at the West End Center in Roanoke, Va.

Daniel Samson is the staff assistant for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Prior to joining the Alliance, Daniel interned at AARP, researching and reporting on best practices of comparative nations in the fields of healthcare, economic security, and aging policy. He also worked on Capitol Hill in 2008 with internships in the Office of Senator Barack Obama and Congressman Zack Space. Daniel is a recent graduate of George Mason University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government & International Politics and a minor in business.

Maria C. Sazon is the Senior Director of Facilities Initiatives for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.  Maria’s role is to implement the recommendations of the Facilities Task Force.  The Alliance’s approach to address the lack of facilities and capital to finance charter school facilities is four-pronged: state advocacy, federal advocacy, private investment, and the access to and use of public buildings.  Prior to joining the Alliance, Maria was a Vice President, senior municipal research analyst at AllianceBernstein from 1997 to 2010 where she analyzed risks and made recommendations to invest in education and related bonds as well as tax-backed credits.  Maria's other experiences included credit analyst positions at a bond insurance company and commercial banks.  Maria holds a B.S. degree in Business Management from Saint Peter's College and an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University. 

Nelson Smith, a nationally recognized expert on charter schools and education policy, is the senior advisor for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. His experience includes senior management positions at the U. S. Department of Education, the D.C. Public Charter School Board, the New York City Partnership, and most recently at New American Schools, where he served as vice president for policy and governance. In 2002, he was appointed by Education Secretary Rod Paige as one of 21 negotiators who developed federal regulations for the No Child Left Behind Act. Nelson is a graduate of Georgetown University and a resident of Washington, D.C.

Deborah Veney Robinson is the vice president of communications. She is responsible for developing and executing strategic communications plans, and for providing management and oversight for the Communications Department. Deborah came to the Alliance from Communities In Schools, Inc. where she served as their vice president of communications. Prior to working there, she built a solid career in corporate communications, working with an impressive array of Fortune 500 corporations, including United Healthcare, DuPont and CIGNA Corp.  Her experiences include media relations, crisis communications, speech writing, community relations, internal communications, corporate publications and investor relations communications.

Marlene Voelker is the Executive Assistant for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. She is responsible for supporting the president and CEO, and the COO with many of their duties.  Prior to joining the Alliance, Marlene served as the Office Manager and Executive Assistant in a prominent real estate firm in northern Virginia. She has also worked in the merchandising and marketing fields in both creative and entrepreneurial roles. Marlene spends some of her spare time working with ChildHelp, a nonprofit organization for abused children. Marlene holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from the University of Maryland.

Ursula Wright is the chief operating officer for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.  Before assuming her current position, Ursula served as the CFO for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools for three years. Her diverse professional experience includes corporate finance, operations, and business development positions at some of the nation’s leading firms, including The Chase Manhattan Bank, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Cassidy & Associates, and, most recently, GXS (formerly a General Electric subsidiary). She has been active in the World Bank’s Development Marketplace Business Plan Competition and helped to found a charter school in Washington, D.C. Ursula earned an Economics degree from Spelman College and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Todd Ziebarth is the vice president for state advocacy and support for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Previously, he worked as a policy analyst both at the Education Commission of the States from 1997 to 2003 and at Augenblick, Palaich, and Associates from 2003 to 2005. He has a Bachelors of Business Administration from Western Michigan University, a Master's of Public Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver and a Master's of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Colorado at Denver.