Board Members
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About the Board
The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools (“Board”) was created through legislation in 1994 to grant charter status to qualifying applicants and to oversee charter schools. Charter schools are public, state-funded schools that operate under a charter contract with a charter school sponsor or authorizer. The Board, which oversees more than 500 charter schools throughout the state, is the largest charter school authorizer in Arizona and, according to the National Association for Charter School Authorizers, is the nation’s largest independent state authorizer. In support of its mission to improve public education in Arizona by sponsoring charter schools that provide quality educational choices, the Board adopted a Strategic Plan in June 2011. To direct the activities of the Board, the plan includes three strategic goals:
Current Board Members
The 11-member board is comprised of the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee, six members of the general public one of whom shall reside on an Indian reservation, two members of the business community, one charter school operator, and one charter school teacher. With the exception of the Superintendent of Public Instruction/superintendent’s designee, whose term coincides with the Superintendent’s term in office, all members are appointed by the Governor to serve four-year terms. Additionally, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives appoint three non-voting advisory members of the legislature. Board members are ultimately responsible for the Board’s authorizing activities, including but not limited to decisions to grant, renew or revoke a charter.
Kathy Senseman
Kathy has been a lobbyist in Arizona for the past 20 years. As a contract lobbyist she works on many diverse issues ranging from natural resources to health care to education. She was named the ‘Best Female Lobbyist’ in 2011 and she and her husband Paul were named the 2014 ‘Power Couple’ of the year by the Arizona Capitol Times Best of the Capitol annual awards event. Prior to becoming a contract lobbyist, Kathy worked for a multi-state natural gas company managing state and local affairs. During her tenure with the company she became deeply involved with low income issues and helped the Arizona Community Action Association privatize the DES housed URRD Fund. In the process, making Arizona the first warm weather state to have a fuel fund. The fund continues to partner with utilities and serve low income customers throughout Arizona in an efficient and effective manner for the community. Kathy serves on the Board of the Arizona Community Action Association and is Chair of the Home Energy Assistance Fund. She was also appointed by the Governor, and confirmed by the Senate, to serve on the State Charter School Board. She is currently the President of the Board. And she is past Chairman of the Challenger Space Center in Peoria, AZ. Kathy is married to Paul Senseman, a fourth generation native of Arizona. They reside in Peoria, AZ with their two daughters Gracie and Katie and their cat Nacho. In her free time she enjoys coaching her youngest daughter’s volleyball team and spending countless hours in the gym watching her oldest play club volleyball. And if there is any free time left in the day she loves to read a good book. Kathy graduated from Pitzer College, in Claremont CA, with a B.A. in English Literature. She played basketball and softball for her college and loves to recount her glory days, much to her family’s chagrin.
Freddy Mendoza
Freddy Mendoza, a native Tucsonan, is a career teacher and a founder of Arizona College Prep Academy, a not-for-profit, public charter high school serving students in central Tucson. Freddy graduated from the University of Arizona with a major in History and a minor in Mexican American History. While in college, he served as a Senate Intern to Senator Dennis DeConcini in Washington D.C. Throughout high school and college Freddy worked in his family construction business, starting as a laborer in the field and learning to supervise and run a crew. After graduation, Freddy began his teaching career. Freddy is a founding member of the administrative team, a teacher and coach at Arizona College Prep Academy. ACPA was named the first Charter School of the Year in 2008 by the Arizona Charter School Association. ACPA is an award winning high school designed to work with students who will predominantly be the first in their family to go to college. Freddy is married and has two children. His daughter will be a freshman at the University of Arizona this fall (2017) and his son is a junior at University High School in Tucson. Freddy is an active community member. He helped to organize and served as the first President of the Southern Arizona Athletic Association, a league that provides competitive sports opportunities for member charter schools in Southern Arizona. He participates in the adult recreational city soccer league. Freddy is committed to working with and mentoring students to prepare them for success in life as critically thinking and engaged community members. Freddy is honored to serve on the State Board for Charter Schools and is committed strongly to choice in public education and the opportunities quality education provides for students.
Diane Douglas
Diane Douglas, Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction, has always been passionate about the American education system and has been actively involved in Arizona's education landscape for over twenty years. Her interest started with her daughter's education and has continued with the birth of her first grandson. She wants an excellent education for her own family and for all families in Arizona. Superintendent Douglas is proud to have served two terms on the Peoria Unified School District Governing Board, including two years as President of the Board. During her tenure she worked to support the district's parents and teachers in delivering an excellent education to all of its students. She has also served on the Site Councils for two Peoria Unified schools and on the Board of Education for church education programs. As the leader of the Arizona Department of Education, Superintendent Douglas is devoted to improving education in Arizona so that all students have the opportunity to reach their goals in life and contribute as successful citizens. She works directly with the state education community to accomplish this goal by collaborating with teachers, parents, students, and administrators. Prior to her advocacy and leadership in education issues, Superintendent Douglas graduated from Rutgers University and had a distinguished career as a financial expert for a variety of private sector firms.
Carol Crockett
Carol Crockett earned a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies from Arizona State University (1999) and received her BA from American University in Elementary and Early Childhood Education (1975). She served in executive positions at Thunderbird School of Global Management and Xavier College Preparatory, and has held policy and advocacy positions at the federal and state levels, including the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership and the Arizona Governor’s Division for Children overseeing the Head Start/Arizona Collaboration for children 0 – 8 years old. Carol was a candidate for Maricopa County School Superintendent and is a current member of the Arizona Commission on the Arts. She has a consulting practice in organizational leadership and evaluation.
Hans-Dieter Klose
Mary Ellen Lee
Matthew Mason
Matt is General Counsel at Clear Sky Capital. Prior to his current position, Matt represented nonprofits and charter schools in private practice.
Greta de la Melena
Greta de la Melena, Director of Education Finance for Raza Development Fund, has over ten years of work in the field of finance and also holds a master’s degree in education. Greta’s goal is to have a positive impact on children and in the quality of education they receive.
James Swanson
Jim Swanson is CEO of Phoenix-based Kitchell, a 950-employee-owned building company with business in the western and southwestern United States, encompassing commercial contracting, development, construction management, facility management and HVAC wholesale supplies. The innovative and diversified company is consistently ranked nationally and regionally in several commercial building sectors. Swanson’s community involvement is expansive: he currently serves on the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools and served as co-chair with Arizona Governor Doug Ducey on the Classrooms First Initiative Council. He is on the boards of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), Teach for America Phoenix Chapter, Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL) and is an active member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO). He is also a member of the Executive Committee for the American Contractors Insurance Group (ACIG) and the Valley of the Sun United Way Tocqueville Society. Swanson joined Kitchell in 2008 after serving as a senior leader of Affiliated Computer Services (ACS), a Fortune 500 company that acquired Arthur Andersen’s business-process outsourcing practice, for which he was national partner. He previously held positions at Ernst & Young in Minneapolis and Peter Consulting in Minneapolis and Chicago. He received his finance degree from the University of Michigan, and obtained his CPA in Minnesota. He resides in Scottsdale with his wife Traci, and has three adult children.
Erik Twist
Erik Twist is a 3rd generation Arizonan. He works for Great Hearts Academies, a public charter management organization operating K-12 classical, liberal arts schools in Arizona and Texas. He is the founding headmaster of Archway Veritas a K-5 academy in the Great Hearts network, served as the Vice President of Lower Schools overseeing Great Hearts’s growth in the elementary school space, and now serves as the Chief Innovation Officer and Sr. VP for AZ Advocacy. He has a BA in Political Science from Trinity University and his masters is from Oxford University. He and his wife, Allison, have six sons and live in Phoenix.
Rachel Yanof
Rachel Yanof was the Founder, CEO and Director of External Affairs for Phoenix Collegiate Academy, a network of charter schools serving K-12 students in South Phoenix. In order to accomplish this task, she completed a year-long Fellowship with Building Excellent Schools. A graduate of Georgetown University, Ms. Yanof received a B.A. in Economics and History before she joined Teach for America which brought her to Phoenix. While a member of Teach For America, Mrs. Yanof earned her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University while also teaching 8th grade history for four years. She is a winner of the Young Professional Athena award, the Phoenix Business Journals 40 Under 40 Award, and a member of Valley Leadership Class of 38. She and her husband Joe have three young children.
