OAPCS President and CEO RaShaun Holliman is holding a series of regional meetings in October across Ohio to meet with the charter school community.
Board of Directors
Chad Readler
Chair
Chad Readler is a partner at the global law firm Jones Day, primarily focused on civil, criminal and constitutional matters, with an emphasis on appellate litigation. Chad received his J.D. cum laude from the University of Michigan and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics.
Before the U.S. Supreme Court, Chad has successfully assisted in representing clients in matters involving preemption, the First Amendment, the death penalty and Congress’ power under the Fourteenth Amendment. Chad recently prevailed in the Ohio Supreme Court on behalf of the Cleveland Clinic, as well as in a separate matter where he defended the constitutionality of Ohio’s public charter school system.
Chad was named a 2009 recipient of the American Marshall Memorial Fellowship awarded by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF).
Greg Brown
Treasurer
Greg is Co-superintendent and CEO at The Graham School, a public charter high school located in Columbus. He also teaches English at the school, which has a special focus on experiential education. Prior to working at The Graham School, he served as executive assistant to the superintendent of Columbus Public Schools, overseeing daily operations of the office. He helped create the Columbus Reads program, bringing reading tutors from businesses into elementary school classrooms. This program served as a model for Ohio Reads. He worked for 16 years at The Ohio State University, where he served as a senior staff member in the College of Education and as editor of the faculty and staff newspaper. Greg earned his Bachelor’s degree in English and teaching licensure from Miami University and a Master’s degree in Journalism from The Ohio State University. He has also completed extensive graduate coursework in Education at The Ohio State University. A graduate of North High School in Columbus, Greg has traveled extensively. For four years, he lived in Australia, where he taught English at the high school level.
Susan Stagner
Vice President, State Relations for Connections Academy
Susan Stagner currently serves as Vice President, State Relations for Connections Academy, a leading national provider of virtual public school curriculum, technology and school management services. Prior to her current role, Susan served in senior leadership roles in public charter schools, which included leading the Ohio Virtual Academy for five years as Head of School and serving as Vice President for virtual school provider K12 Inc. Susan’s business experience includes various positions in engineering, program management, consulting and internet strategy, including roles with the Ford Motor Company and Libbey Inc. A graduate of the University of Detroit, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Susan also earned a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Susan also is a 2007 graduate of the Ohio Superintendent Leadership Institute. As a co-founder of the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Susan has served on the board since 2007.
Tracie F. Craft
President of Curtiss Consulting, LLC
Tracie F. Craft joined the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools Board of Directors in June 2015. She currently serves as President of Curtiss Consulting, LLC , a for-profit company focused on financial literacy and education. Prior to this, Tracie served as the BAEO National Deputy Director of Advocacy and State Director for Ohio from 2006 to 2016, leading advocacy efforts centered on education reform and parental choice options within the state and across the country. Craft, a resident of Dayton and mother of two daughters, has also served on the OAPCS Advisory Board.
In 2004, she received the “Unsung Hero” award from BAEO for her extensive volunteer commitment and active involvement in schools, from tutoring students to training low-income parents in basic computer courses. A specialist in expanding parental involvement in schools and school choice, she has testified in support of legislation protecting parental choice options for Ohio families. Her advocacy for children and parental choice was instrumental in bringing BAEO to Ohio. She also serves on the executive board of Fund for Ohio’s Future. According to Craft, her mission is to serve others while helping individuals maximize their full potential through persistence, patience and perseverance.
Elizabeth T. Smith
Law Partner with Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
Elizabeth T. Smith is a partner with the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP and a member of the litigation group. Her practice includes business, commercial, contract, employment, intentional torts and probate litigation. She has also engaged in charter school and education issues, consumer sales practice investigations and Ohio ethics law investigations. She served as Chief Counsel to the Ohio Attorney General from January 2003 to May 2005. She has argued cases in various state appellate courts, the Ohio Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Ohio State Bar Association, the Columbus Bar Association, the Ohio Women’s Bar Association and Women Lawyers of Franklin County.
Smith received her J.D. from The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law and her Bachelor’s degree from Heidelberg College. She served on the OAPCS Advisory Board for the past five years and is a trustee of Heidelberg College and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio.
Cristina Gulacy-Worrel
Cristina Gulacy-Worrel joined the OAPCS board in August, 2016. She currently serves as Vice President of National Expansion for the California-based Learn4Life. She previously served as a director for Charter School Capital and as a senior management analyst for the Ohio Department of Education, where she specialized in charter school funding, education policy and fiscal operations. She has also held management positions in educational consulting across the charter school sector centered on grants, compliance and project development.
She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she obtained an MPA in Public Policy and of Malone University, where she received her Bachelor’s degree in finance and management.
