Matt Underwood

Matt Underwood

2019 NACSA Leader

Executive Director, Innovation Atlanta Public Schools

Matt Underwood serves as the Executive Director for Innovation for the Atlanta Public Schools, where he helps oversee the district’s authorization and performance management of all charter and partner school contracts. He also develops policies and practices that promote flexibility and innovation in support of improved educational outcomes.

Prior to joining APS in January 2019, Matt served for 12 years as the Executive Director of the Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School, a former Georgia Charter School of the Year. Matt began his career as a public school educator with teaching experience at schools in Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, and Boston. Matt holds a B.S. in Education from Northwestern University and a M.Ed. in School Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.


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...