Katie Poulos

Katie Poulos

2016 NACSA Leader

Director of Options for Parents, New Mexico Public Education Department

Katie Poulos joined the New Mexico Public Education Department in April 2015 as the Director of Options for Parents. Previously, she was the Director of Accountability at the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools (ASBCS). She began her charter school authorizing work at ASBCS through the NACSA Fellows program.

Prior to entering the charter school authorizing world, Katie taught 8th grade math in the Mississippi Delta with Teach For America. Before that, Katie was a corporate litigator with Irell and Manella LLP in Los Angeles.

Katie received her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her J.D. from Vanderbilt University.


Most Recent Posts
Public charter schools are not religious schools
In 2025, a divided U.S. Supreme Court preserved an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that blocked the application for what could have become the country’s first religious charter school, St. Isidore of Seville...
Communities want unique and innovative schools. Are authorizers ready?
By Jay Whalen From their inception, public charter schools promised to provide innovative ways to meet the students’ learning needs. At NACSA, we’re invested in helping authorizers be responsive to those needs, to ensure that...
NACSA Transition Updates
NACSA’s Board of Directors is thrilled to announce that Guerschmide Saint-Ange, NACSA’s Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed as Interim CEO following the departure of Karega Rausch. Guerschmide’s extensive leadership...