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
Applying Charter Authorizing Principles in the Early Childhood Field
This blog was written by Abby McCartney, Director, Early Care and Education, Afton Partners and Carrie Stewart, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Afton Partners Introduction: Early Care and Education at a...
2023 State of Charter Authorizing Report
Authorizing is the most consequential public school governance reform of the past two decades. For the last 20+ years, authorizers have been creating a new landscape, where school autonomy—balanced by...
The Way to More Community-Responsive Schools
Authorizers don’t develop or design new schools. But they are the gateways that help bring these schools to life, providing the conditions and expectations for what extraordinary schools and equitable...