Staff & Board
Chris Korsmo
Interim Executive Director
Barbara Gilchrist
Director of Partnerships & Stakeholder Agreement
Adán Juarez Cordova
Director of Talent and Culture
Rini Kamalakkannan
Creative Director
Maggie Meyers
Vice President, Communications
Mitch Price
Senior Policy Advisor
Darcelina Soloria
Regional Advocacy & Organizing Manager for Eastern Washington
Katie Stein
Executive Assistant & Office Manager
Jeannette Vaughn
CSP Project Director & School Implementation Coach
JT Williams
Regional Advocacy & Organizing Manager for Western Washington
Through numerous leadership roles across social impact sectors, Chris successfully led efforts to expand health care, improve educational outcomes, and expand access to services on behalf of children and families. She led the League of Education Voters, one of Washington state’s foremost education advocacy groups working to provide every student in the State equal opportunity for success. While at LEV, Chris played a central role in bringing charter schools to Washington, eventually co-founding WA Charters and serving on the Charter Commission. Before joining the League of Education Voters, Chris worked for Planned Parenthood Federation of America as their Director of Government Relations and with Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin as VP of Public Affairs.
Adán brings extensive skills in talent diversification and development. With a decade of experience in education, he has taught middle school math, recruited and certified new teachers, and consulted on school staffing solutions. Adán has committed to mission-driven work as he overturns barriers that keep all students from accessing an equitable education. Having taught in charter schools, Adán understands the value that comes with a community centered education. Ask him about solving for y, and be prepared to be entertained.
Adán holds a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a founding teacher under Teach For America’s DACA Initiative. This is at the heart of Adán’s passion for equitable education – a space that values the immigrant narrative. He is excited to bring all of this to support the WA Charters team in our thriving culture.
In his free time, he enjoys movies, exploring Washington, and discussing reality tv.
With a background in architecture and design, Rini is intentional about creatively telling authentic stories in partnership with communities. She believes in the power of youth voice and advocacy. Crafting ethical and inclusive content is at the forefront of her work, to shift and disrupt inequitable narratives.
Rini earned her Master of Communication in Communities and Networks from the University of Washington’s Communication Leadership program. Previously, she served as the first Social and Digital Media Strategist at Washington MESA and has worked with several youth organizing & online community building initiatives.
Rini is a high energy, lifelong learner and loves road-tripping to National Parks with her husband!
Darcelina lives in her hometown of Spokane, Washington. Raised by a single parent with an eighth-grade education, Darcelina understood the value of education from a young age. She is the first in her family to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree; she enjoyed her educational experience so much that she pursued a second degree! She holds degrees in Organizational Management and Accounting from Whitworth University.
Darcelina and her wonderful, supportive husband are founding parents at Spokane International Academy where their two sons attend. In 2015, Darcelina volunteered with Washington State Charter Schools Association to rally parents and community members to advocate for public charter schools; this is where her passion for education advocacy began. She quickly discerned that parents often did not know the power of their own voices – and that she could help them harness their power.
In 2017, Darcelina began working as an organizer for Stand for Children Washington, an education advocacy non-profit, as their Spokane organizer. During that time, she supported families by developing workshops to help them navigate K-12 and postsecondary education opportunities. In addition, Darcelina helped to implement a parent fellow program and parent advocates to work alongside the Spokane district to support the Racial Equity Resolution by hosting parent listening sessions and developing a racial equity team.
Darcelina is excited to be using her skills in her current role at WA Charters. In her personal time, she works to keep her boys from fighting too much while playing Minecraft. She is hopeful that once the pandemic settles, she can go back to karaoke and singing at church and local events.
Maggie provides strategic oversight for all communications functions at WA Charters. Maggie’s passion for increasing awareness of and support for Washington’s high-quality charter public schools is fueled by her commitment to educational and racial justice. Prior to joining WA Charters in 2014, Maggie worked for a local, women-owned marketing firm, and as a magazine coordinator, freelance editor, and writer for various magazines and children’s book publishers. Maggie earned her B.A. from Bowdoin College and her Master of Education in Language, Literacy, and Culture from the University of Washington. Maggie lives in Seattle with her husband and two young sons.
Mitch Price is a founding team member of WA Charters. Prior to joining WA Charters, he worked on the successful statewide ballot measure campaign in support of Initiative 1240, which authorized the creation of public charter schools in Washington state. Previously, Mitch was a researcher at the University of Washington’s Center on Reinventing Public Education, where he studied education law and policy. Mitch has also worked as an attorney, a college admissions and financial aid counselor, and a substitute teacher.
Katie resides in Gig Harbor with her husband of almost 30 years. She has two grown children and a new grandbaby, who she is over the moon for. She loves spending time with her family. Although a native of Southern California, she has called Washington her home since 1998.
She attended Southern California College of Business and Law where she earned her AA degree in paralegal studies. Katie has almost 18 years of experience as an Executive Assistant. She excels in organization, problem-solving, multi-tasking and customer relations. She is passionate about helping others and is enthusiastic to put her experience and skills to work at WA Charters.
Katie enjoys music of all genres and has an extensive and eclectic collection of vinyl records, CDs and cassette tapes. Her favorite thing to do is to attend live concerts with her husband. Katie also collects vintage toys and games from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.
Jeannette serves as the statewide Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grant Project Director and School Implementation Coach for schools in eastern Washington. Prior to joining WA Charters, Jeannette served as Director of Innovative Programs for Spokane Public Schools, where she led the development of charter authorizing and school options for the school district. Previously, Jeannette served as a charter school leader in California and a teacher. Jeannette holds a BA Liberal Studies degree from San Diego State University and a Masters in Educational Technology from National University. Jeannette feels passionately about the need for school choice and is a strong advocate for how charters can provide opportunities for students, families, and communities.
Jonthomas “JT” Williams works to support high quality, anti-racist educational programs that uplift the voices and stories of families from the Global Majority. He does this through advocacy, collaborating with educators, and working together with families to dismantle oppressive systems and hold those systems accountable.
JT has worked in K-12 educational system in the Puget Sound region for about 20 years including, charter public, traditional public, and independent schools. He worked for Rainier Scholars for over 7 years, leading admissions efforts and collaborating with K-12 public and independent schools on equitable enrollment and college readiness pipelines for students that are most underrepresented in higher education.
As the Founding Community and Family Engagement Manager for Ashe Prep charter public school, JT led equitable family-centered engagement, fully enrolled the school, and collaborated with founding families and the community to build a school that was responsive to the needs of Black American families. Most recently, JT worked for the Renton School District as one of only four partnership and engagement managers, leading an anti-racist family and community engagement plan to increase student achievement.
JT earned his B.A. in Community, Environment, and Planning from the University of Washington and has a master’s degree from the University of Washington in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. He has certified training in Basic Mediation and Family Mediation; he is currently in practicum to become certified as a Washington state family mediator.
JT is the proud father of one son and volunteers his time to fight for equity and racial justice in his community of South Seattle/Skyway.