Jonas S. Chartock was named Executive Director of the Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York in May of 2008. Mr. Chartock previously served as the Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the Charter School Policy Institute (CSPI) in Austin, Texas, a position he held since 2005. At CSPI, Mr. Chartock provided overall strategic and tactical leadership to the organization, managing all daily operations and executing the policies of the CSPI board of directors. He served as a liaison to constituents, funders, other charter organizations, and the general public regarding the issue of public school choice and developed and directed programs providing high quality, web-based policy and research. Prior to joining CSPI, Mr. Chartock served as Executive Director of Teach For America in Houston, Texas, where he was responsible managing both a regional staff and board of directors dedicated to ensuring the effectiveness of over 500 first- and second-year teachers. Mr. Chartock also played a key role in the nationwide development of Teach For America. He began his professional career as a teacher through Teach For America in the Compton Unified School District in Compton, California. Mr. Chartock is an Ed.D. candidate at the University of Texas at Austin, with an anticipated degree date spring of 2009. He holds an Ed.M. in School Leadership from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education; an M.A. in Education: Curriculum and Instruction from Chapman University; and a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Jennifer G. Sneed, Ph.D. is Senior Vice President of the Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York.  Dr. Sneed has worked for the Charter Schools Institute since 2001, beginning as its Vice President for Applications.  Prior to joining the Institute she served as the Executive Director of Personnel for the Western Suffolk BOCES on Long Island for three years, and worked for 11 years for the New York State Education Department in a variety of areas, including special education law, regulations and policy development, special education research, development and training, school improvement/School Quality Review, and as Coordinator of BOCES District Superintendents.  Dr. Sneed also has experience as a classroom teacher and school administrator.  She received her B.S. and M.S. in Special Education from Illinois State University, and her Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University at Albany in Educational Administration and Policy with a focus on educational policy, politics and law.

Shawn C. Davis is the Director of Administration for the Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York. She is responsible for managing all fiscal and administrative matters related to the Institute, including: development of the operating budget and master contract; authorization of vendor/consulting agreements and other payments; and the processing of all personnel actions. In addition, Ms. Davis oversees all administrative processes related to the work of program staff, as well as general office operations. Prior to joining the Institute in October 2004, Ms. Davis worked as a Project Staff Associate with the University Center for Academic and Workforce Development (SUNY), providing programmatic and fiscal oversight to 10 welfare-to-work programs across New York State. Ms. Davis formerly worked as a Business Analyst with Public Consulting Group, a management consulting firm located in Boston. Ms. Davis received her B.A. in Policy Studies from Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and a Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in Public Management/Human Resources from the University at Albany, Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy.

Kate Graetzer is a Special Projects Assistant at the Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York. She is responsible for preparing the office for meetings of the State University Trustees and tracking related actions.  She also supports the Institute's communications efforts, including updates to the Institute’s website and document and report finalization. Ms. Graetzer most recently served as an Administrative Assistant at the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) in Albany, where she coordinated various projects for its annual fundraising campaign.  Prior to her service at MDA, Ms. Graetzer worked at Overture Services in Los Angeles, first as a Client Services Specialist and later as a Content Editor. She was responsible for educating clients about editorial guidelines and policies, as well as evaluating client websites and writing advertising copy for inclusion in online search results. Before joining Overture, Ms. Graetzer served as an Assistant Editor at Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, publisher of scholarly and reference books and journals. Ms. Graetzer received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Hamilton College.

Ron Miller, Ph.D. is the Vice President for Accountability at the Charter Schools Institute. After teaching for seven years in New York City public schools, Dr. Miller joined the central offices of the New York City Department of Education, where he conducted evaluative research and organizational studies. As Director of the Office of School Planning and Accountability, he served as the educational accountability officer for the Department. In that capacity, he developed school accountability reports for the city schools and coordinated staff development on their use for district administrators in all the high school and community school districts. In addition, he worked with school leaders to develop their competence to use data for school improvement. In this role he developed PASS, a school performance review system which was adopted in 600 city schools. Dr. Miller has regularly presented papers at annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association and has served as Adjunct Assistant Professor at Teachers College Columbia University and Pace University. He holds an AB degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Applied Anthropology from Columbia University.

Maureen C. Murphy is the Director of Charter Accountability at the Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York. She is responsible for the ongoing refinement and management of the Institute’s practices and procedures regarding school compliance including: serving as an initial point of contact for SUNY authorized charter schools on compliance relating questions; monitoring enrollment; facilitating requests for changes in program; conducting an annual review of school admissions information; and handling school facilities issues including coordinating public hearings and tracking open issues.  Ms. Murphy also serves as the Institute’s compliance liaison with the New York State Education Department. Ms. Murphy joined the Institute in 2006 as the Institute’s Senior Grants and Finance Analyst.  Previously, she served as Finance Director for the New York State Small Business Development Center (NYS-SBDC). Ms. Murphy received her B.S. degree in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Albany.

Cynthia M. Proctor is Director of Public Affairs of the Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York.  With more than 10 years experience in the communications field, including seven years in higher education, Ms. Proctor brings a comprehensive set of writing, editing, and media relations skills to the position.  Ms. Proctor responds to external inquiries to the Institute as well as oversees the implementation of the Institute’s multi-faceted communications plan.  Prior to joining the Institute, Ms. Proctor served as a member of the senior leadership team of the Office of the Provost at the State University of New York System Administration.  Ms. Proctor received her B.S. degree in Public Relations/Journalism from Utica College of Syracuse University.

Ralph A. Rossi II, Esq. is Vice President and General Counsel of the Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York.  He joined the Institute in May 2004. Prior to that time he served as the general counsel for the Office of the New York State Inspector General for six years and as director of industrial finance and special counsel for the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation for two years.  Mr. Rossi was previously associated with the law firm of Chadbourne and Parke LLP where he practiced in the firm’s litigation and white collar groups.  Mr. Rossi is a graduate of Columbia College and Rutgers School of Law - Newark. He resides in Washington County with his wife and two children.

Susan Seymour is a Senior Analyst at the Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York. In the past Mrs. Seymour taught pre-kindergarten through 10th grade.  From l996 to l999 she worked in the Governor’s Office of Regulatory Reform as an analyst.  There she assisted various state agencies, among others the banking department and the Office of Children and Family Services, in cutting “red tape” from their New York State regulations. Interested in education reform, she joined the Charter Schools Institute in l999.  She received her B.S. from The University of Rochester and her M.A. from Manhattanville College concentrating in Special Education and Reading.

Simeon Stolzberg is a Senior Analyst at the Charter Schools Institute of the State University of New York. Part of the Institute’s oversight and evaluation team, Mr. Stolzberg participates in informal, annual and renewal school visits. Mr. Stolzberg also assists in the development and execution of the Institute's research agenda, performing statistical analyses of student academic data, and providing technical guidance to schools as needed. Prior to joining the Institute, Mr. Stolzberg managed his own consulting practice, advising charter schools across the country in their application and planning phases. He also served as Middle School Director for the Beginning with Children Charter School in Brooklyn, New York. In 2002, as a Building Excellent Schools Fellow, Mr. Stolzberg wrote the prospectus and application for the Berkshire Arts & Technology Charter School (BArT) in Massachusetts; the school was one of only five schools approved by the state that year. Mr. Stolzberg served as the school’s founding principal. Mr. Stolzberg received his Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, with independent studies in education and political economy, from Williams College.