Our Team

Yesterday’s lemonade-stand kid is today’s entrepreneur. It’s a unique moniker for the company’s President, CEO and co-founder, that blends together his 30+ years of financial entrepreneurship, proven success in raising capital for high growth organizations, and penchant for solving complex business problems, especially those he’s told can’t be solved.

He received his degree in Political Economies of Industrial Societies from the University of California at Berkeley, which is also where he befriended his future co-founder Brad Coburn. Working closely with Brad, they developed a solution for charter schools faced in accessing capital.  Since founding Charter School Capital in 2006, the company has provided in excess of $1.6 billion in financing to 600+ schools serving more than 800,000 students. Stuart lives in Portland, moving from California after compiling an extremely detailed spreadsheet analyzing the most livable cities in America. Portland came out on top of the complex analysis…and he’s happy to tell you that story in person.

Brad has always been a pragmatic guy. As a teenager, when many kids are dreaming about sports, cars and weekends, Coburn was assessing which career would best match his skills to give him a stable and rewarding career after graduation. With a gift for numbers, he studied economics, receiving a degree with honors the University of California at Berkeley. There he met his future co-founder Stuart Ellis.

Brad first launched his finance career at investment firm Credit Suisse First Boston. His entrepreneurial spirit first took roots when he opened a health club in San Francisco (and yes, you should ask him how much he can bench press). Brad went on to receive an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. While working for a large financial institution in securitized finance, Stuart contacted him about the opportunity to aid charter schools. Brad’s knowledge of secured debt, real estate and financial transactions are invaluable pillars to the company’s foundation.

When Brad’s not working on building up capital from investors to support our charter school clients, he enjoys extreme outdoor sports like heli-skiing and mountain cycling. He also enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids in Larkspur, CA.

Kirt is always looking to live at the nexus of head and heart – balancing the energy of private enterprise and driving public good – where finance meets education – and bringing innovative ideas to scale. He finds it all at Charter School Capital. Before joining the team here, Kirt drove growth as a key leader in Renaissance Bankcard Services, using sophisticated statistical data modeling to grow consumer credit card portfolios – and resulting in the purchase by Household Credit Services (now a part of HSBC). Then, melding his passion for finance and education, Kirt became a founding and operational executive at Insight Schools, a national network of publicly funded charter high schools serving 14,000 students in 10 states with hundreds of employees, which ultimately became a part of the Apollo Group.

Kirt received his undergraduate degree from George Washington University and went on to receive graduate degrees in both Economics and Business Administration from Boston University. A Portland resident since 1997, he can be found either running up in the hills of Forest Park with his wife, two daughters, and yellow lab, Luna, or swimming in the Willamette River between the Marquam and Hawthorne Bridge. RCTID!

Carrie stuck to her southern California roots when she chose to attend Loyola Law School in LA for her Juris Doctorate and MBA degrees. After working within traditional law firms focusing on lending and finance law, she was offered an opportunity to join the Charter School Capital team. As one of the first employees within the organization, she has seen the business grow and enjoys that her work provides a chance for her to support financing in the education space — helping smart people do something interesting and impactful. Her favorite things include attending music festivals, eating great food (including bacon) and enjoying the sunshine with friends. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband and dog. Her favorite color is, of course, Dodger blue.

Danielle’s competitive nature helps drive our internal initiatives whether leading the company’s finances or our annual Hood-to-Coast racing team. She obtained her BS in Business Administration from Oregon State University and is a Certified Public Accountant. Prior to Charter School Capital, Danielle worked at a public accounting firm. She loves her current fast-paced work life and considers herself an “atypical accountant,” as she is involved in many projects that are not necessarily accounting related projects. Her love of ’80s Rock ‘n’ Roll and her bright attitude keep the office positive. Danielle is an Oregon native and currently lives in the Portland-metro area with her husband and two daughters.

Originally hailing from New England, Jamie enjoys all that Oregon has to offer: spending time with his family in the mountains, at the ocean, and around town (eating at every local restaurant they can find). An avid competitor in cross-country skiing, cycling, and running, Jamie never misses a chance to pin a number and line up for a race.

Before joining the Charter School Capital team as the Director of Financial Analysis and Risk, Jamie spent 15 years learning the finance and management worlds in a variety roles including real estate finance and development, investment banking and industrial manufacturing. Jamie has his B.S. in Business from the University of New Hampshire and his M.B.A. from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. He previously held Series 7, 63, 86, and 87 FINRA licenses, a LEED-AP Certification, and a Oregon Real Estate license.

The passionate team, culture, and company vision that brought Jamie to Charter School Capital is the one that he hopes to help drive forward as the company continues to grow.

In 2018, Schalise Vancura returned to Charter School Capital in the role of Sr Director of Operations. In her previous role here, she was a valued member of our Financial Analysis & Risk Team.

Prior to Charter School Capital, Schalise earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska and her Masters in Financial Analysis from Portland State University while working with a local boutique consulting firm where she managed the daily operations of various small-sized companies.  Most recently, Schalise was an AVP in the Equity Research department of a boutique investment bank and broker-dealer specializing in the financial services sector.

While Schalise hails from Nebraska, she has come to love the trails of Oregon, which she frequents with her Goldendoodle, Remy. When she’s not out appreciating the great outdoors here in the Pacific Northwest, you can find her enjoying traveling, reading, wine, and whiskey!

Tricia Blum, formerly an interim turnaround CEO of a charter organization located in Los Angeles, California, is thrilled to be working with Charter School Capital as the head of the charter school business department. Tricia supports client schools that need strategic business, financial, and operational guidance. Prior to her tenure as a charter CEO, Tricia worked as an inspiring executive leader of a high-growth charter management organization. During Tricia’s time as a leader at both organizations she created and instituted operational policies and procedures as well as strategic growth plans including replication and duplication strategies that enabled each organization to successfully scale their education programs. Prior to joining the charter movement, Tricia practiced transactional law. As a new attorney Tricia worked in-house at startup and high-growth companies in the mostly in Bay area. Tricia is also an aspiring “Bon Vivant.” In her off-time Ms. Blum enjoys spending time with her boys, designing, eating, traveling, reading and going to the beach. She has settled, for now, in her native California.

Born in Portland, Ama is a first-generation American of Nigerian parents. He attended the University of Oregon on full scholarship, graduating in spring 2020 with a Business Administration major and Environmental Studies / Computer Science minor.

Ama is a strong advocate for the use of financial skills and tools for social impact, which led him to join Charter School Capital. A quote by Malcolm X, “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today,” motivates him in his daily work.

In his free time, Ama spends a solid amount of time crate digging at his favorite record stores, watching LeBron James play, or cruising on his skateboard.

Amy is originally from the Portland metro area. After attending the University of Oregon, Amy moved to England for a stint and lived in various cities along the Pacific coast before she found her way back to Portland. After gaining several years of experience working in law firms, Amy then joined the Charter School Capital team where found a role that utilizes her experience and skill set, while also providing her with an enjoyable change of pace. Amy spends her downtime biking around Portland and enjoying the riverfront with her son.

Arlacia offers a breadth of professional experience that spans over 20 years in Banking, Real Estate, Education, and Hospitality. Her diverse strengths are her clients’ benefits. She is honored to be part of Charter School Capital and use her business acumen to assist charter schools and families.

Arlacia has volunteered on several parent committees and is passionate about championing the development of children and individuals with disabilities. Arlacia holds a B.S. from The Pennsylvania State University in Organizational Leadership. While traveling gives her joy, she also relishes watching movies with her family and experimenting on them with her latest recipe find in their home just outside Philadelphia, PA.

Originally from Los Angeles, Ashley attended San Diego State University, studying English and TV, Film & New Media. Ashley wrote for online publications in college, before pivoting into social media and content marketing. She worked for years in the education and technology spaces, managed content and social media teams, developed websites, and consulted for startups and large brands.

Ashley now leads a passionate and dedicated group for people as the Director of Enrollment Marketing. She worked for a year in the classroom before landing in digital marketing, and while teaching wasn’t for her, she has a passion for education. Ashley loves working with charter schools because she experienced firsthand how transformative it can be when families choose the school that best meets their student’s unique needs. And she loves that she gets to help those schools share their stories through enrollment marketing.

Outside of the office, Ashley loves to travel, hike, snowboard, and get outdoors with her pup. She is a big foodie and enjoys trying new recipes and  exploring Portland’s many local  restaurants, wineries and breweries.

Born and raised in Portland, Austin wanted to stay local when he headed off to college. He attended Portland State and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance. Since graduating in 2017, Austin has worked in several roles spanning from investment analysis to corporate finance. What excited him about working at Charter School Capital (CSC) was being able to have a hand in helping the flourishing of the charter school movement. Being a huge advocate of school choice, I couldn’t wait to start working for a trailblazing company like CSC.

Austin enjoys being active, involved in his church, and learning about the newest cryptocurrency project in his off-time. He also manages an ATM business and loves to learn of the latest side hustle!

Ben did his undergrad in Secondary Education and History at Southern Connecticut State University and then went on to get his Masters of Teaching at Sacred Heart University. He chose those schools because of their outstanding education programs and fond memories of the New Haven area, largely because of its delicious pizza. Ben believes Pepe’s Pizza is the best in the country, and he never misses an opportunity to eat there when I’m back in Connecticut visiting family)

At Charter School Capital, Ben is the Inside Sales Manager. His last position was a similar role but in marketing automation sales. Ben is excited to be working with his team and be back serving students in the education field.

Outside of work, Ben loves spending time with his black lab puppy Fitz, traveling, and exploring new places with his wife. He also loves to read, and it’s his dream to one day write a novel.

As Charter School Capital’s Controller, Brian oversees the general ledger, making sure there’s much more black on the page than red. A native Washingtonian, Brian grew up just across the Columbia River in Vancouver, WA. After getting his Bachelor’s in Economics from Portland State University, he earned a Certificate in Accounting from Linfield College and is a Certified Public Accountant. While he loves a good number crunch, life isn’t just ledgers for Brian. An avid sports fan and enthusiastic athlete, Brian loves riding his bike around town – from Timbers games in the northwest to weekly Kickball games in the northeast. Along with his wife of eleven years, Brian is the proud parent of nine-year-old daughter named Fiona, who attends a local charter school. As such, Brian is a staunch advocate of the charter school movement, knowing well that every parent wants the best education for their children.

Carmel is a Las Vegas native—born and raised. She graduated with both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The highlight of her experience at UNLV was attending the 2012 National Education for Women Leadership (NEWL) Conference. She connected with some amazing women working in the community there, and they are still some of her closest friends.

At Charter School Capital, Carmel works with the Legal Department supporting corporate governance. One of her superpowers is organizing and streamlining systems, and she is excited about finding more efficient ways to manage compliance and legal operations.

Outside of the office, Carmel loves her gym membership. She works out at 6 am most mornings, and her friends in class are a big part of why she can drag herself out of bed at 5 am. Classes allow her to socialize with her friends during a challenging but fun workout. Bonus, it’s a great way to start her day.

Chris grew up in Marietta, Georgia (somehow, he retained no trace of a Southern accent) and received a B.A. in English from The University of Virginia. Before joining Charter School Capital, Chris was in private practice as a business lawyer specializing in financing, corporate, real estate, contracting, and other transactional and litigation matters. His daughters both attended charter schools, and he loves being part of a talented team committed to empowering charter schools across the country. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, seeing live music, supporting the Timbers and Wahoos, and exploring the Pacific Northwest.

Claire grew up in Sebastopol, a tiny town in Northern California populated almost exclusively with hippies – from there it was a natural progression to UC Santa Cruz (go Banana Slugs!)  where she earned her BA in International Politics and Modern European History—writing a thesis on the EU that predicted the current Brexit disaster.

After spending time bartending in London and then working as a Corporate Paralegal in San Francisco, Claire made a visit to Portland in 2006 and decided not to leave!  She earned her MA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Marylhurst before returning to work as a paralegal.  Claire is a firm believer in the importance of education and a huge supporter of reimagining how education is integrated with, and prioritized within, our communities.  She believes all students should be supported in cultivating their own unique gifts and skills – their “inner genius” as Michael Meade puts it.

Claire lives with her husband, their two cats (who are self-taught therapists), and a river view that soothes her soul while she practices yoga.  In her spare time, she works on a novel she is writing and obsesses over the comings and goings of the British Royal Family.

Born and raised in Copley, Ohio, Claire has had the distinct pleasure of traveling and living all around the world. She had been a resident of Mexico for ten years when she received the call from a long-time colleague and co-founder of Charter School Capital, Stuart Ellis, to join his newly formed company. She gladly accepted the role and loves the work she does as a member of the Client Services team, as well as the Portland vibe. A Harley-Davidson devotee, Claire knows all about living a life of balance and is always looking for new roads to travel no matter what the weather brings.

Though born and raised in the South, visits to the Pacific Northwest convinced Corey that Portland was where he’d truly like to live. Earning his B.A. in Paralegal Studies from the University of Memphis, and 20+ years working within law firms, led to Corey’s opportunity to join the Charter School Capital team. During the workweek, his upbeat coworkers and the positive office atmosphere keep him content, but he is happiest in the outdoors – biking, hiking, and camping. Corey jokes that he is working on his retirement plan, which will include a tent and his bicycle somewhere in the Columbia Gorge or on the Oregon Coast.

Craig has a passion for civic service and how to best help serve communities. An alumnus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), he received his MBA in Entrepreneurship and Marketing. It was there at UKMC, that he learned the principles of teamwork, project management skills, and collaboration tools that span value in everyday life.

Currently, in Craig’s role as Director of Account Management, he helps Charter Schools get where they’re going. Working directly with Charter Schools, supporting Account Managers, and collaborating across departments to find top solutions for the schools we serve. With a passion for learning and growth, Craig is ready to solve problems and collaborate with the team at CSC.

Outside the office, Craig loves spending time with his family. Whether it’s beach trips, barbeques, or soccer games, as long as there’s family and good food he’s having a good time. A current passion project for him is restoring a 1956 Aluminum Runabout boat, allowing him to spend time on the water and connect with friends.

Drew grew up in Jackson, Mississippi and stayed true to his roots by obtaining his B.A. at Jackson’s Bellhaven College. After working in the field of education for more than six years, he discovered the charter school movement and began making changes that would allow him to support his community. His belief in the charter school movement also led him to Charter School Capital where he hopes to have a positive impact on charter schools across the country.

He has fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest and enjoys getting out into the sunshine when the weather allows, but he still appreciates the flavor of the south by reading books such as A Confederacy of Dunces in his spare time.

Dylan grew up just across the Columbia River in Vancouver, WA and joins Charter School Capital after several years working in nonprofit leadership and higher education enrollment. He attended Concordia University for undergrad and more recently earned an MBA from the University of Portland. As an Account Manager he partners with schools mostly in California and Ohio for long-term solutions. Most weekends you can find Dylan attending a Portland Timbers game, hiking, traveling, and spending time with his growing family.

Elisa brings 16 years of experience in HR Leadership, Organizational Development, Recruiting Management, Non-Profit Business Operations Management to our team. She has a BA in Business and an MA in Psychology from The University of Santa Monica (USM). She chose USM for its unique curriculum co-taught by the pioneers in the field. Elisa was so drawn to that form of experiential education that not long after she graduated, she also became an employee—directing the HR and Operations function for the University for 8.5 years. She also holds an SHRM-SCP certification.

Elisa joined CSC because of the mission and how the organization supports education. She considers herself a life-long learner, and alternative forms of education such as Charter Schools resonate deeply with her values. What excites her about CSC is that we have the heart of a non-profit backed by brilliant minds with high levels of business acumen and the resources to make a real difference. Supporting this organization in expanding internal HR Services and becoming a best-in-class employer is just the kind of work that gives Elisa energy.

Outside of work, Elisa enjoys the great Pacific Northwest outdoors, adventures with her daughter, and volunteering at the Portland Audubon. At Portland Audubon, she gets to admit sick or injured birds and other animals into the Wildlife Care Center for rehabilitation and eventual release back into the wild.

Georgia’s experience in Commercial Real Estate spans over 20 years. Her passions in Commerical Real Estate are numerous, but she particularly enjoys the very physical/tangible nature of buildings, working with a wide variety of tenants, helping them with their concerns, and building a genuine, trusting relationship with them.

An alumnus of the University of Southern California, she studied International Relations. A favorite memory of her time there is spending hours and hours in the “stacks” at Doheny Library. She would dream of reading every one of the 500,000 books in the library. She still wishes that!

Currently, Georgia works with the Asset Management team as an Assistant Facilities Manager. The main focus areas are tenant property taxes and insurance – ensuring that correct documentation is collected and timely payments.

Outside of the office, Georgia loves science and has an extensive and growing library on the subject. She was never particularly interested in science until one great teacher opened her eyes, and her world changed forever. The power of one teacher to change lives can’t be overstated!

Having a passion for startups and entrepreneurship, Ingrid pursued her MBA at Babson College, concentrating in Finance and Investments. During her years at Babson, she worked in private equity, developing expertise in financial modeling, analysis, and deal evaluation and execution. Following her MBA, Ingrid worked for Homesite, a fast-growing residential real estate startup. She then headed to Marcus & Millichap, which included sourcing acquisition opportunities for my clients.

Working at CSC allows Ingrid to combine her passions for real estate investing, social impact, and startups! What excites her most is using her passion for real estate investments to enhance education, empowering and shaping the next generation. As a mother, Ingrid is grateful that she could join a company that works every day towards leaving a better society for her daughter.

Ingrid loves spending time with her family outside of the office, especially picnics, hiking in the mountains, and running at the beach. She also loves dancing Tango, Salsa, and Flamenco and is passionate about health and wellness.

Iris grew up in Eugene, Oregon, and went to undergrad at the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design University. She then moved to Los Angeles to work on publishing projects. It was in L.A. that she decided to pursue a legal career and attended a Paralegal training program through UCLA extension. After five years of working in civil rights litigation, Iris pivoted into a more collaborative area of law—which brought her to CSC’s legal department, where she supports the effort of getting schools the resources they need to thrive.

In her free time, Iris can be found reading, playing music and tennis, following women’s soccer, and adventuring around the PNW with her dog.

Isabella is a Southern California native of Mexican and Nicaraguan descent. Always being a lover of the arts, she attended The School of Arts and Enterprise, an arts-based charter school in Downtown Pomona, California. Later, she received her bachelor’s degree from Portland State University (PSU), where she pursued a major in Business Management and a minor in Spanish.

During college, she had many jobs, including mentoring incoming first-year students to a part-time babysitter to Event Coordinator for PSU Athletics. She then interned for a local Portland non-profit that promoted healthy food choices and served students across the nation from K-8^th grade. Throughout her experience, she found her niche was working and supporting others in a team setting to serve the community at large.

Through an internship program, she found Charter School Capital and loved that the opportunity combined her passions for creativity, serving the community, and working with students. After Isabella’s internship, Charter School Capital hired her for as its Marketing Coordinator position. Outside of work, you will find her painting, doing photography, or working on her next art project.

Jennifer Bishop joins us as a Servicing Manager. Their bio will be updated shortly!

After graduating with BA/HONS in History from Richmond University in London, Jen spent a decade in the nonprofit sector overseeing Salesforce, program development, and operational growth.

As a multi-certified Salesforce Administrator, Jen is a strong advocate for a people-centric workforce and holds that central to her management of CSC’s Salesforce platform and integrations. By observing patterns of key stakeholders, Jen promotes thriving processes and culture through organizational and technical innovation.

While Jen enjoys travel, archery, concerts, her pets, and escape rooms, she really lives for any chance to hop on her motorcycle and hit the road (or off-road).

Jen is a dynamic member of CSC’s Facilities Financing department. With extensive background in commercial real estate—everything from property management to capital markets —her work as an acquisitions associate helps CSC get schools into their forever homes. Jen finds meaning in using her passion for real estate to create a sustainable future for students and schools.

Jen loves traveling, whether it be to a new city, state or country. While earning her degree in finance, she even spent a summer in Tianjin, China doing market research. She also loves photography and breakfast foods—on the weekends you can find her trying new local brunch spots!

Julia is an Oregon native who headed east for college, earning her undergraduate degree from The University of Notre Dame and her Juris Doctorate from Duke University. She came to Charter School Capital after positions as a real estate finance attorney at a prominent New York law firm and in-house counsel at a real estate developer managing New York City-owned property in Brooklyn.

Julia is excited to join our legal team and work with passionate and motivated colleagues to provide the best possible service to our clients. She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and two children. She loves cooking, running the bridges of New York City, and passing along her love of downhill skiing to her kids.

Delighted to have Joanna part of the CSC Family! Joanna’s bio will be up shortly.

Kaelia lives in Oregon where she enjoys all the beautiful hikes, lakes, and running trails that the PNW has to offer.

She studied journalism and ran cross country and track at Linfield University and later worked for Linfield as an admission counselor and diversity officer where she supported and advised traditionally underserved populations.

Kaelia loves running, traveling, cooking, trying new foods, and meeting new people. She is excited to join Charter School Capital for its supportive, hard-working team and mission to serve students.

Kasi brings two decades of marketing experience to her role at Charter School Capital, along with a background in educational publishing and technology. She has dedicated her career to supporting students, teachers, and administrators with the resources they need to thrive. At CSC, Kasi develops and drives demand generation and branding efforts, manages marketing operations, and oversees events and partnerships.

A Pacific Northwest native, Kasi earned her BA in English and Political Science from the University of Puget Sound. Outside of work, you can find Kasi exploring local parks and the coast with her husband, son, and rescue dogs. She’s also on a perpetual mission to find the best pinot noir in Oregon and the most delicious pizza in the greater Portland area.

Kathleen was born and raised in Northern California and spent 20 years in the Los Angeles area before relocating to Oregon.  Before moving to Oregon, she regularly visited family in the PNW throughout her life.  She earned a bachelors in finance, graduating summa cum laude.  Her love for math, finance, real estate, and educational opportunities led her to Charter School Capital.  She brings twenty-five years of experience as a paralegal, with a concentration in litigation, commercial real estate, and finance.

The opportunity to work with commercial real estate, coupled with assisting and supporting charter schools was the right fit for Kathleen.  She avidly volunteers with many organizations in her community and wholeheartedly supports the underdog to level the playing field for all.  Being a single mother and raising two children of her own, she knows firsthand the disparities of educational opportunities for our youth.

In her spare time, you can find her hanging out with her children and granddaughter, riding her horses, hiking, camping, cooking, rescuing horses, tending to her eight acre homestead, and volunteering in her small town (population 2,000).  She is active in a women’s group supporting her local community, as well as the livestock welfare liaison appointed by the mayor’s emergency response representative.

Katie grew up in the Northwest, appreciating nature, bargain hunting, baking fancy desserts, and enjoying the seasons. A graduate of the Art Institute, she has an eye for design and can’t stop scrolling through decorating and DIY blogs. She has a boho aesthetic with a house full of plants.

Katie worked in early childhood education for thirteen years. In that time, she led kids on adventures through Mount Tabor Park and gardened with children in an organic vegan urban farm. Katie has experience as an office manager and an Accounts Receivable/Credit Coordinator. She is always curious about how things work, and she likes to keep up with continuing education in accounting, fintech, HR issues, and diversity/inclusion. She believes that creativity and problem solving should be fun.

Katie enjoys a good quiet morning listening to birds and sipping coffee. She enjoys music that makes her cry and tv that makes her laugh—but not the other way around. She lives with her partner, Steve, and their dog and cats in Portland.

Kelly grew up in Rockford, Illinois, just outside of Chicago, and is a diehard Cubs fan. She studied education at Northern Illinois University and went on to pursue her paralegal certification. After 13 years working within a law firm in the Portland area, Kelly decided she wanted a change and Charter School Capital gained a new team member. She enjoys her co-workers and has fun with the office’s downtown location. Kelly enjoys baking and reading, but spends most of her “downtime” managing her family’s busy schedule of sports and school activities.

LeAnn was born and raised in Oregon. She currently lives in Portland. Prior to coming to returning to Oregon, LeAnn lived in Washington, California, New York, and Texas.

LeAnn is a licensed elementary teacher and has taught in a Portland-area charter school. She completed her undergraduate degree at Texas State University and a Master of Arts in Teaching at George Fox University. She is an advocate of school choice and the charter school movement. In fact, her daughters attended a charter school for elementary and middle school.

LeAnn is married to her best friend Jeff, has two teenage daughters, and had two sparkling twin boys in August 2021. She enjoys spending time with family, going on adventures – especially to the coast, reading, writing, cooking, crocheting, and hanging out with her 2 cats and dog.

Born in Mexico, Lucero migrated to the US at a young age with her parents. Growing up, she witnessed first-hand the sacrifices both of her parents had to make for her siblings and her to have a better life. During her sophomore year of high school, Lucero attended a charter school in San Pedro, CA, that completely changed how education could be experienced as a student. She received her B.A. in Social Sciences from Western Oregon University.

After graduation, Lucero followed her passion for community work in migrant communities and became an instructional assistant at Echo Shaw Elementary via its Migrant Education Program. She continued her career as a legal assistant, supporting clients in the process of receiving their Visas. Her personal experiences as a first-generation Latinx Mujer have helped her create meaningful relationships with those Lucero has had the opportunity to work with and support. Now at Charter School Capital, she hopes to continue impacting the community she loves via her new role with charter schools.

During her free time, Lucero enjoys going to the beach, spending time with family, reading, and watching movies. Her favorite thing to do during the Oregon summers is enjoying the multiple hikes that the PNW has to offer!

Originally from San Diego, Lucy moved to Los Angeles to open the first Charter School Capital office with CEO Stuart Ellis. She then took the plunge to move to Portland as one of the first team members when Stuart offered to sweeten the deal with an incentive that made it possible to fulfill her Harley-Davidson motorcycle obsession. She started as a Jill of all trades, doing jobs like Accounts Payable, Underwriting, Funding and managing tradeshows until hires were made to fill those roles. As our Office Manager, she’s happy to keep her focus on keeping the lights on…literally. Whether it’s onboarding new hires or organizing employee Lunch n’ Learns, keeping us in office equipment and organizing entire office moves (she has overseen 5 to date!), she generally makes everything flow smoothly. In her free time, she enjoys skiing, dancing, and gardening.

As the Executive Director of International, Luke leads the growth of Charter School Capital (CSC) beyond the US. As Nelson Mandela says, “Education is the greatest weapon we have to change the world”, and with the International growth of CSC, we have the unique opportunity to affect education on a global scale. This opportunity excites Luke immensely.

Luke holds degrees in Corporate Finance and Real Estate Investment and is an active member of the World Affairs Council. Over the last 10 years, he lead education projects in Africa and hopes to spend the next 10 years growing educational programs with CSC in many more countries. The positive impact we can have on the world through education is an exciting and humbling prospect.

As an avid world traveler, he is lucky enough to have visited over 65 countries around the world. Without a doubt, Luke says the greatest education he had in his life comes from learnings drawn from the places he visits and the people he meets along the way. As he says, “It’s a great big world out there!”

Maddy is a Portland native. She studied international business at the University of Oregon and began her career as a broker in commercial real estate. She has a strong background in industrial real estate, including property management, leasing, acquisitions, and development. As an integral part of CSC’s Operations team, Maddy establishes relationships with brokers that can help CSC get schools into their forever homes. She works to streamline process surrounding real estate transactions and loves the fast-paced nature of the industry.

In her free time, you can find Maddy next to a river, lake, or the ocean in her home state of Oregon.

Makena is originally from the Central Valley of California, where she grew up on 20 acres of land surrounded by animals and nature getting to explore endlessly.

Craving greener scenery, she moved to Oregon in 2018 and attended Portland State University. In 2020 she graduated with a B.S in Marketing and a certificate in Food and Beverage Sciences. Shortly after joining the School of Business, she became a peer advisor and was able to help students better access the information they needed to be successful. She found a love for supporting and assisting students to achieve their goals, which was the main drive that led her to CSC. She finds herself inspired by CSC’s mission to serve students and is excited to be a part of the team.

Growing up exploring so much land played a significant part in her life’s passion for traveling and exploring the world. As an avid traveler, Makena has had the privilege of visiting over 25 countries so far and hopes to add to that number very soon. Beyond traveling, she spends most of her time with her cats, reading or playing the drums.

Marin is CSC’s branding wordsmith, writer, and editor. Marin came to CSC with a background in education, having taught English overseas and stateside for public and private schools. After earning her Master’s in English from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Marin taught university-level writing, reasoning, and rhetoric for 6 years. She has experience writing marketing copy, travel blogs, and web content, and has published poetry, magazine pieces, and scholarly articles. Marin’s work at CSC weds her love of the written word with her dedication to working for quality education for all.

Marin raises chickens, loves the outdoors, running, gardening, birding, and baking. When she’s not tinkering with words, she’s exploring her home on the Columbia River Gorge with her husband and two kids.

Mary was born and lived in Ireland until 2012, when she moved to Portland, OR with her Husband and 2 boys. Following in her Dad’s footsteps, Mary has worked in Real Estate her entire career, starting after she completed her bachelor in Accounting and Finance (Commerce) at the University College Dublin, since specializing in development and asset services. Outside of work She loves attending soccer games, Lacrosse games and sitting on the sidelines at her kids basketball games. Herself, her husband and kids love to travel and be outdoors as much as possible. They love living in Portland as it reminds them of their home country with the added bonus of sunshine in the summer.

Matt is a true Oregonian. Born and raised in the Portland area, Matt attended the University of Oregon, where he received a B.S. in business, specializing in finance. As the Manager of Financial Analysis and Risk, he has a deep understanding of the charter school space and the financial challenges that schools face. He enjoys the analytical side of his role, but has a passion for collaboration and problem solving that serves our clients well. When he’s not in the office, you can find him on the golf course, or enjoying the expansive Portland food scene.

Matthew grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and received his BS from Belahven College in Jackson, Mississippi. He spent 17 years working in Education from Florida to Alaska, with a focus on literacy reform and consulting. After years of working in both public and private education, and supporting the charter movement, Matthew is excited to be here at Charter School Capital and support its mission to help charter schools grow, achieve stability, and ultimately serve more students. In his spare time, you can find him either watching SEC football, or at the soccer fields with his wife and two boys.

Delighted to have Meagan part of the CSC Family! Meagan’s bio will be up shortly.

Michelle is an Account Manager for the Client Services team, Eastern Region. She maintains long-term relationships with the schools she works with, and on an ongoing basis strategizes solutions for fiscal emergencies to growth planning. She loves the energy and innovation of working for a startup company and loves that her work involves helping kids get the education they deserve. She hails from sunny San Diego and is part of a big family whose holiday family gatherings are pretty epic. She met her husband, a native Oregonian while attending the University of San Diego where she studied Finance, with a minor in French. Both adventurous at heart they moved to Portland, directly after graduation. A Portlander for six years, Michelle enjoys all the green scenery, the Oregon Ducks, hiking, movie-going, and Voodoo Donuts.

Hailing from a small town in Wyoming, Nancy attended the University of Utah where she received a B.S. in accounting, a Masters in Professional Accountancy, and a Juris Doctorate. Prior to joining Charter School Capital in her role as Assistant General Counsel, she worked both in the private and public sector with extensive experience in the areas of public finance, structured finance, commercial finance, corporate finance and real estate. In her spare time, Nancy enjoys traveling, gardening, and spending time with her husband, daughter and their one-eyed cat. Like many of Charter School Capital’s employees, Nancy is excited to be a part of a growing organization where she has a true voice in charting the company’s path going forward.

Originally from Boston, Rich loves the laid-back vibes of his new home in Portland. He is responsible for developing new services to help charter schools succeed. Prior to joining Charter School Capital, he spent time as a management consultant at Strategy& (formerly Booz& Co.) in New York, where he developed a love for frameworks, models, and all things PowerPoint. Prior to his time as a consultant, he spent several years working for Cambridge Associates, where he helped endowments and foundations manage their investments.

Rich is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds an MBA from The Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and a BS in Business Administration from Northeastern University. Outside of work, Rich loves trying to perfect his sourdough bread recipe, exploring the outdoors, and sipping on local Northwest wines.

Robert graduated from Washington State University with a degree in Accounting and minor in Spanish. His prior experience is in financial consulting with a focus on securities/institutional litigations and valuations. At CSC, Robert serves as Sr. Corporate Financial Analyst on the Finance & Accounting team. He loves working for an organization with such a great purpose and vision.

Outside of work, you’ll find Robert playing league tennis or jamming on his guitar.

Ryan was raised outside of Boston and graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts. After college, he moved west with his wife Monique and their three children: Lauren, Liam, and Reed. It’s been over nine years now, but he’s still a die-hard Boston sports fan. He enjoys coaching his kid’s sports teams and doing volunteer work with his wife’s non-profit organization, Friendly House. Ryan has been with Charter School Capital for seven years now and is passionate about working with local leaders to make their visions a reality.

Ryann is a Virginia native who completed her BS in Marketing Management at Virginia Tech, followed by a Juris Doctorate and MBA from Campbell University. Ryann really enjoys supporting school choice and feels good about Charter School Capital’s mission. She also likes working with her team; a group of people that make work fun. Ryann loves to travel and would love to someday visit Uganda or Rwanda to see mountain gorillas, but for now, she enjoys weekend trips closer to home.

Born and raised in the Central Valley in California, Samantha received her degree in Computer Science from Solano Community College before deciding to move to Portland. She has been in Oregon for almost ten years, enjoying the lush wilderness of the Pacific Northwest.

After moving to Portland, Samantha was trained in mortuary sciences, working with families to prepare their loved ones for a final goodbye. Before joining CSC, she worked at a law firm servicing clients throughout the state with their family law and criminal cases. This experience helping families in the system opened her eyes to the lack of resources available to her community. She is excited to use her background to implement educational opportunities for children as special and unique as they are.

Samantha enjoys exploring Portland’s brunch scene, thrift shopping, and reading as much as possible when she’s not busy drafting documents.

Selena grew up in the deserts of Southern California, climbing trees and building forts. In 1999, she moved to Oregon, which was supposed to be a temporary change in scenery, and fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. Selena attended George Fox University after a change in major from Dental Hygiene to Business. Selena loved the small school feels and being recognized by professors years after graduation while shopping for groceries.

At CSC, Selena monitors daily general ledger activity, maintains the organization’s fixed asset records, and assists with the monthly close process. While this may not sound exciting for many people, I find comfort in accounting processes and making sure the details add up.
It was imperative in her job search to find a company that made some positive difference in the world because she wanted her daily work life to contribute to a better society—something she felt CSC could help her do.

Outside of work, I spend my time with family cooking up a big meal, hitting a trail, gardening (although my plants probably wouldn’t call me a very good gardener), or working on my 1890s home rehab project.

Seth is the Director of Information Technology at CSC. He manages and directs the company’s information technology vision, strategy, and operations.  Seth earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Colorado College, with a focus on archaeology and minors in Religion and Italian.  Seth went on to work on an excavation site outside of Rome and later in the American Southwest.

At CSC, Seth finds meaning in driving deeper technology adoption and integration, which further empowers all CSC staff to excel at supporting charter schools. Seth is also a large-scale collaborative sculpture artist, focusing on community-based interactive art, with the goal of inspiring people to design, create and build art projects of all sizes.

After 20+ years in the photo industry, most recently as a District Account Manager with Nikon Inc., Shausta switched careers to join Charter School Capital.  She successfully managed territories throughout the Western and Southern United States, bringing a unique blend of creative type and strategist to problem-solving in a way that yields impressive results.  Shausta brings her success at managing independent retail accounts in a challenging marketplace to the charter school movement. Eight years ago, this Seattle native returned to the Pacific Northwest via California.  In her spare time, Shausta enjoys time with friends, riding her Aprilia, lounging with her rescue dogs and making sure the cat doesn’t burn the house to the ground.

Siva Gajula graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Business Administration concentrating in Finance and Business Analytics. He chose Oregon because it had a great business program, amazing sports teams, and he wanted to stay in-state for college. My favorite memories were attending Oregon vs. Arizona basketball games because those were some of the best basketball games he has ever seen live.

At CSC, Siva spends his time analyzing complex and multi-faceted real estate transactions related to facility acquisitions. What excites him about this role is that there are always opportunities to tackle complex financial challenges and develop creative solutions for our schools.

Outside of work, Siva follows basketball, football, and European soccer. And while he doesn’t have a favorite basketball or football team, his favorite soccer team is Chelsea. He also spends time adding to his sneaker collection.

Slava is a Salesforce Developer at Charter School Capital, where he specializes in APEX programming and declarative development across the company’s operations. A first-generation college student, Slava earned his Ph.D. in Physics and Math at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University in St. Petersburg, Russia. Slava has worked in the AEC industry for over 10 years, developing software solutions to streamline workflows. Slava’s role at CSC allows him to leverage his understanding of data flow to build effective automation.

In his free time, Slava enjoys working with horses. He volunteers at one of the largest horse rescue ranches in the Phoenix area. Outside of work, you can find Slava on a horseback or at a local rodeo.

Smita was born and raised in India where she received a Bachelor’s in Accounting and Finance from Karnataka University. She moved to beautiful Portland 11 years ago where she studied and graduated from Portland State University earning her Master’s of Science in Finance.  After graduating, Smita spent a esteemed four-month internship at Tektronix as a corporate controller followed by four years at H&R Block where she prepared over 400 individual tax returns impressively receiving the highest customer satisfaction rate.

A strong believer in education, Smita was inspired to join Charter School Capital so she could be a part of an organization that is helping schools provide quality education to so many students. And motivated by success, she embraces the certainty that, “There is no secret to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure,” as stated by Colin Powell.

Smita lives with her husband and two beautiful daughters, ages nine and 13. In her free time, she enjoys vacations where she gets to explore new places with her family, and loves dancing—performing Bollywood dances at various Indian cultural events.

Tabatha was born and raised in Brazil, where she graduated in Hospitality Management. She took an adventurous step by living in Italy and UK for three years, working in the Hospitality Industry while exploring the multicultural European countries.

Tabatha got married and returned to Brazil, where she got her master’s degree in Business Administration from FGV. After 5 years, the family embraced a new journey and decided to move to USA. Here, she worked on a real estate investment company for three years before joining CSC.

When she’s not working, Tabatha enjoys playing with her kids, meeting her friends and, like a true Brazilian, she enjoys a good barbecue.

Originally from Los Angeles, Tommy earned his degree in business from Boston University. He comes to Charter School Capital with a robust background in Facilities Acquisition, having worked on projects around finance, development, underwriting, construction, and tenant improvement projects.

Tommy lives in California, where he loves to cook, travel, work on cars, and spend time with his wife and kids.

Tony grew up in the Inland Empire of Southern California before moving to Orange County to attend Chapman University. At Chapman, he majored in Business Management before spending 11 years at a STEM-focused non-profit. His work centered on collaboration with local and regional governmental agencies to secure funding for STEM education for schools throughout Southern California.

He joins Charter School Capital in 2021, to begin assisting schools in the Southwest to meet their financial goals. Tony met his wife while at Chapman and spends his extra time traveling, running half marathons, and playing softball with college friends.