"More Great Seats 4 Kids": A SUNY Charter Schools Institute Podcast

The SUNY Charter Schools Institute's "More Great Seats 4 Kids" podcast is your resource for sustained charter school excellence. The series dives deep into the SUNY authorization process and the high standards and best practices that make New York’s charter schools so successful. Each episode will feature interviews with Institute staff members and leaders at our highest performing charter schools. We will explain what it takes to become – and remain – a high quality charter school and ensure more great seats for kids throughout New York State.

Contributors

Host

Mike Lesczinski

Mike Lesczinski serves as the Director of Communications at the SUNY Charter Schools Institute. In this role, he is responsible for all internal and external communications, including strategy, planning, messaging, writing, media relations, and content development. Prior to joining the Institute, Mr. Lesczinski served as the Chief Communications and Government Affairs Officer at Excelsior College. A member of the College’s executive staff, Mr. Lesczinski offered strategic counsel to the president, acted as Excelsior’s primary spokesperson and speechwriter, and managed both internal and crisis communications. He was also responsible for advancing the institution’s government relations agenda and actively involved with both college-wide operations and policy-making activities.

Guests

Guest

Keegan Prue, Managing Director of Strategy and Communications, SUNY Charter Schools Institute

Keegan Prue is the Managing Director of Strategy and Communications at the Institute. In this capacity, he oversees the Institute’s efforts to build and maintain relationships with key strategic partners including leaders across the SUNY system and at SUNY campuses, other national charter authorizers, education advocacy and support organizations, philanthropies, researchers, and school leaders and boards of trustees.

In previous roles at the Institute, Keegan led the new charter application process and directed the compliance team. He began his career as a 3rd grade teacher in East Harlem before serving as an Assistant Principal and Manager of Strategic Planning at a high-performing charter network in New York City. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Guest

Natalie Lozada, Executive Director, Haven Charter High School

Guest appearance on:

Launching a New Charter School with Natalie Lozada, Executive Director, Haven Charter High School