Newark Charter School Fund Adds New Administrators

The Newark Charter School Fund (NCSF) has hired four new staff members: Rana Khan, vice president of policy and new schools; Lisa Keise Miller, vice president of quality schools; Aileen Philbrick, chief of staff; and Akua Hill, program associate for new schools and policy.

“Rana, Lisa, Aileen and Akua all bring unique perspectives and experiences that will strengthen theNewark Charter School Fund family,” said Mashea Ashton, CEO of NCSF. “Their contributions will help us meet our goal that all Newark kids should have access to high-quality schools, regardless of economic status.”

Rana Khan is the former chief of staff to the executive director of office of space planning at the New York City Department of Education, where she managed special citywide initiatives and projects as they related to space planning within both instructional and administration sites. She currently serves as a founding board member of Great Oaks Charter schools in Newark, which is currently in co-located district space.

Lisa Keise Miller most recently served as the New York/New Jersey regional vice president for Revolution Foods, a national provider of meals for schools through the National School Lunch Program. She is a former New Jersey public high school science teacher.

Aileen Philbrick joins NCSF after 14 years at EdisonLearning Inc., where she was most recently vice president of business systems. She was part of the EdisonLearning team behind launching the diverse provider model in the School District of Philadelphia in 2002.

Akua Hill has a background in youth and community engagement, including serving on the Child and Youth Master Plan Task Force to organize key community members and non-profit executives in creating a comprehensive plan for Nashville, Tenn.

Established in April of 2008, the Newark Charter School Fund (NCSF) works to develop and support high quality charter schools in Newark. With a waiting list forcharter schools in Newark of over 10,000 students, NCSF is embarking on the next phase of its development with the goal of expanding the number and quality of charter school seats, while promoting a strong partnership between charter and district schools.