Jay Whalen

Jay Whalen

Director, Authorizer and School Quality

Jay works on the Authorizer Learning and Development team developing resources, guidance, and learning experiences to meaningfully support authorizers and impact their practices. He also facilitates the cultivation and dissemination of best practices for quality school evaluation.

Prior to joining NACSA, Jay supported authorizing work and led the implementation of the Charter Schools Program (CSP) grant at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Before that, he served as Deputy Director of Charter Schools for the Tennessee State Board of Education and as a data analyst for the KIPP Nashville charter school network.

Jay is currently pursuing his master’s in public administration at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and History from the University of Rhode Island.

Jay’s professional background has included working with students, schools, and communities most at risk of educational inequity. He believes deeply that all students can achieve at high levels, and it is incumbent upon all leaders, at all levels, to examine, implement, and evaluate programs and systems that work for every child.

As a former college decathlete, avid runner, and cyclist, Jay has completed multiple triathlons including a half-ironman, but now spends most of his time running after his daughter.


Most Recent Posts
2023 Performance Framework Guidance
Performance Frameworks are the accountability mechanism at the center of the charter school/authorizer relationship, and Performance Frameworks are the means by which authorizers establish performance expectations for schools that are...
Nexus at NACSA
Practice + People = Excellence For more than two decades, NACSA has been the leading source for authorizing best practice, backed by research and experience. And as schooling evolves, authorizing...
2023 Version of Principles and Standards
2023 version of Principles & Standards is here!  High-quality, innovative, and equitable educational opportunities that communities are rightly demanding have never been more important. Yet even as we emerge and seek to...