The National Association of Charter School Authorizers is pleased to announce that Karega Rausch will join the organization next month as Vice President of Research and Evaluation.

Rausch is currently a member of the leadership team with the Equity Project at Indiana University. In this role, Rausch is responsible for ensuring the project’s research, practice, and service goals are achieved. Rausch also brings with him a wealth of charter school authorizing, educational policy, community engagement, and strategic advocacy experience. Prior to joining the Equity Project, Rausch founded and served as Director of the Indianapolis affiliate of Stand for Children, a national educational advocacy nonprofit.

Karega Rausch is no stranger to NACSA. He first connected with the organization when he served as the director of charter schools in the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office – widely recognized as one of the nation’s strongest authorizers. He joined NACSA’s Board of Directors in 2010 and was re-elected in 2013.

“It’s our deep pleasure to welcome Karega in his move from our board to our staff,” said Greg Richmond, NACSA president and CEO. “Karega is a proven leader in the charter sector, and has the breadth of experience and depth of thinking required for this role.”

“With expertise gained in higher education, government, secondary education, and nonprofit settings, Karega is an ideal person to help NACSA deepen our knowledge of authorizers’ current needs,” Richmond explained. “Authorizers are as diverse as the organizations in which they sit. We must be smart about maintaining high standards that apply to all authorizers while creating tools and resources that respond to the unique needs of authorizers based on their setting and size.”

In his role as Vice President of Research and Evaluation, Rausch will lead and manage NACSA’s work to increase knowledge of quality authorizing practices and policies by shaping and managing a research agenda that further defines effective authorizing.

“What stands out beyond Karega’s research and evaluation skills is the passion he brings: he is driven by a commitment to serve all children, especially those with fewer advantages in life,” Richmond emphasized. “Karega, having authorized schools himself, continues NACSA’s historical perspective: we are rooted in the realities of authorizing. For Karega, as for NACSA, it’s not academic.” Rausch will join the NACSA staff ahead of the organization’s annual conference in mid-October.