Aracely Chastain

Aracely Chastain

2018 NACSA Leader

Coordinator, Orange County Department of Education

Aracely Chastain serves as the Coordinator for the Charter Schools Unit of the Orange County Department of Education in California, where she is responsible for continuous oversight, regulatory guidance and new charter school approval. In this role, she serves as the primary liaison for a portfolio of charter schools while focusing on collaboration to strengthen compliance and equity. Aracely began her career with the OCDE in 2001, as a supervisor overseeing case management for the alternative payment childcare program and then as a project manager conducting oversight for district and school legislative compliance. Prior to her current role, she served as communications specialist for the department. She began her career in education as a bilingual instructional aid after graduating high school and later as a substitute teacher in secondary education, both in the same school district in which she attended public school. Aracely holds an M.A. in Organizational Leadership and a Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management from Chapman University, and a B.A. in Psychology.


Most Recent Posts
New Charter Schools Need Vetting. But the Process Shouldn’t Shut Good Ones Out
Over the last year, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers and our partners engaged nearly 150 school leaders, authorizers, organizations, prospective school founders and advocates — through interviews, focus...
NACSA’s New Schools With Communities Guide
In every community–especially those historically under-resourced–there is long-ignored and underutilized knowledge and potential. At the heart of NACSA’s work lies the recognition of these tremendous assets and a desire to...
Continuing Conversations on Multiple Measures
At NACSA, we work to ensure students and communities—especially those who are historically under-resourced—thrive. Thriving means different things for different students, schools, and communities. And to ensure we capture the...