As NACSA’s Vice President of Consulting Services, Heather leads NACSA’s consulting work with authorizers and education leaders across the country on customized projects designed to strengthen authorizing practices and outcomes for students.

Heather previously worked as a Project Director for WestEd, leading a three-year grant to establish and operate NY-RISE, New York State’s first technical assistance resource center and provide professional development to its 351 charter schools.

Formerly, Heather was the Director of Learning at NACSA. In that position, she served as an authorizing field expert in a variety of projects with all types of authorizers and developed resources critical to strengthening quality in the sector, including a comprehensive Special Education Toolkit for Authorizers. Prior to joining NACSA, Heather served as a Senior School Evaluator and the Director for New Charters at the SUNY Charter Schools Institute.

Earlier in her career, Heather spent eight years working in charter and traditional public schools as a Teach for America Corps member, and as a special education teacher, coordinator, and instructional coach in both elementary and middle school settings. Heather earned her BA in Political Science from SUNY Stony Brook University, her MST degree from Pace University, and her JD from the University of Connecticut School of Law.