Board Members

Charlie is the Senior Director of State Advocacy and Support at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, working toward improving public charter school laws across the country and supporting the growth and expansion of high-quality public charter schools. Formerly, Charlie served the state of Tennessee as the Assistant Commissioner...

A native of Iowa, Debbie Craig brings over three decades of experience in education, nonprofit leadership, management, and development. She holds dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Elementary Education and Special Education for the Visually Impaired from Illinois State University. Earlier in her career, Debbie served as Chief Advocacy Officer...

David Hewett is the Chief Underwriting Officer for Merchants Bonding Company and sits on the Executive Committee. David is a product of Indiana public schools. He received an undergraduate business degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, IN and earned a Master’s degree in Finance from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.

Mark Jacobs is a native Iowan and a product of Iowa public schools, having graduated from Roosevelt High School in Des Moines. He holds an undergraduate business degree from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Management, with distinction, from Northwestern University. Mark served as President and CEO of Reliant...

Laurie Phelan serves as the current and only President/ CEO of Phelan Forward Consulting, LLC. She graduated from Drake University with a Masters of Education and her undergraduate degrees are in Communication and Sociology. Laurie is the founder and former President/CEO of Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG) serving in...

Dr. Mary Sult serves as the Director of the Institute for Educational Leadership at the University of Northern Iowa. Her primary focus revolves around conducting workshops tailored for educational leaders in Iowa with a specific focus on rural environments. At the institute, Dr. Sult spearheads various initiatives including Think Tanks,...