Lisa Karmacharya

Lisa Karmacharya

2021 NACSA Leader

Executive Director, Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board

Dr. Lisa Karmacharya is the Executive Director of the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board. Dr. Karmacharya works to ensure that board decisions align with national best practices to maintain high standards for charter schools, uphold school autonomy, and protect student and public interests. She has served as the Executive Director of the Mississippi Association of School Administrators (MASA) where she honed her skills for marketing, budgeting, conference and program planning. Dr. Karmacharya has over 25 years of experience in public education, having served as a special education teacher, assistant principal, principal, superintendent, and Executive Director of Federal Programs and Curriculum and Instruction for both elementary and secondary schools. Dr. Karmacharya holds a Bachelor of Science in Special Education from the University of Mississippi, a Masters in Supervision of Instruction from Mississippi College, and an Educational Specialist and Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern Mississippi.


Most Recent Posts
NACSA statement on recent decision in Oklahoma about religious charter schools
NACSA is disappointed in the recent decision by a federal judge in Oklahoma, allowing The Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation to continue with plans to open a religious charter...
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...