FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Patrick Beausoleil
Tel. 616.717.0484
Charter School Facility Developer
Announces Strategic Hire: Amy Ruck Kagan
Salt Lake City, UT: August 30, 2016 – Highmark School Development—the nation’s leading, facility developer for charter schools—has announced the hiring of Amy Ruck Kagan as its Director of Portfolio Management.
Ms. Ruck Kagan brings 15 years of public education experience to Highmark, with nine of those years in the charter school sector. Most recently, she served as the founding Executive Director for Philadelphia Charters for Excellence (PCE), Philadelphia’s leading advocate for high-quality charter schools in the city.
Prior to PCE, Ruck Kagan was the Director of Charter Schools for the New Jersey Department of Education where she oversaw a portfolio of 87 charter schools and later served students and families in New Jersey as the Deputy Commissioner for Innovation for the state Department of Education. Before her work in New Jersey, she developed charter schools in New York City and Washington, DC for a non-profit organization and also worked for the New York City Charter School Center.
Highmark selected Ruck Kagan because of her experience in building accountability and performance management systems; in finding areas of flexibility and autonomy for charter schools; and for her support of policies and practices that improve educational options and outcomes for students.
Highmark CEO Glenn Hileman described Ruck Kagan’s hiring as “strategic.” “We have a portfolio of nearly 50 charter schools across 15 states, and we’re adding up to 20 facilities per year. We’ve known Amy for several years and are very pleased to have her on board. Her relationships, experience, depth of knowledge, and character will prove to be a great value to Highmark and the schools we serve.” Hileman concluded with, “I look forward to having Amy engage our current and future charter school partners.”
Highmark School Development is a facility developer for charter schools with access to $200 million in capital annually for facilities. Highmark was founded in 2005 and operates in 15 states, serving over 30,000 students. The firm works with start-up charter schools, operational schools, and multiple-site charter school management companies. It also develops properties for select private school operators.