The New York Charter Schools Association is pleased to announce the appointment of Fatimah Barker to the role of Interim Executive Director. Barker brings with her a wealth of experience in charter school support and advocacy.
“We are so excited to welcome Fatimah,” said Anna Hall, Chief Executive Officer of the Northeast Charter Schools Network, the umbrella organization of both the New York Charter Schools Association and the Connecticut Charter Schools Association. “She is a seasoned leader and advocate, and will provide the Association with incredible leadership and insight as we also proceed with a search for a permanent Executive Director.”
Barker has nearly two decades of experience working in the public charter school sector, serving in multiple capacities with the charter school network Achievement First. Most recently, she served as the Interim Chief Executive Officer for the organization. In that role, she led the strategy for the organization, spanning three states and serving 15,000 students and families with the support of AF’s executive cabinet.
Prior to that, Barker served as the network’s Chief External Affairs officer as well as a middle school principal in East New York, Brooklyn.
Barker also has experience with higher education and other non-profit work, serving as a consultant with New York based Universities as well as Foundations.
“I have always respected and appreciated the work of the Association; I am excited to support their critical work during a time of transition,” said Barker. “I also look forward to using this opportunity to learn even more about the charter sector across New York. The work being done day in and day out in schools of every size and location is important to me and I’m grateful for the chance to learn more about it and support in every way that I can.”
A native of Brooklyn, who as a youth also attended schools in the Rochester area, Barker received her bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and her master’s degree from Hunter College.
Alongside Barker’s Interim role, the Association is also excited to announce a search for a permanent Executive Director. GoodCitizen will be leading a national search to find our next Executive Director. GoodCitizen is an industry leading, executive search firm that specializes in senior leadership hiring for nonprofits and foundations. GoodCitizen brings deep search experience from working with organizations like ours, and a diverse, national network that is second to none.
To learn more about this opportunity, or to pass along the names of leaders in your network who might be interested in this opportunity, please contact Kevin Bryant at Kevin@goodcitizen.com.