Leadership Changes at the Idaho Charter School Network

The Board of the Idaho Public Charter School Network (ICSN) voted on November 7^th to hire Bill Russell as part-time Chief Executive Officer of the Idaho Charter School Network. Terry Ryan, after five years as CEO of ICSN, resigned and was voted on as ICSN Board Chair. The Idaho Charter School Network also voted the long-time Idaho charter school attorney Chris Yorgason onto the board.

According to Ryan, “When Bluum received the $17.1 million Charter Schools Grant in late September from the U.S. Department of Education it became clear that I had to leave the part-time paid CEO position at ICSN to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest between Bluum and the ICSN.” Ryan continued, “Bill Russell is a long-time supporter of Idaho charter schools, serves on the board of North Star Charter School, and is an outstanding attorney who has dedicated himself to education in Idaho. We are lucky to have him.”

Bill Russell is Dean for the School of Business at Northwest Nazarene University, and will serve as part-time Chief Executive Officer for the Idaho Charter School Network effective November 7, 2018. Russell shared, “I am excited to continue working with Terry, the board of the Idaho Charter School Network, Idaho’s diverse public charter schools and ICSN’s lobbyists Emily McClure and Blake Youde to protect and enable the ongoing expansion of Idaho’s outstanding public charter school sector.”

The Idaho Charter School Network is a 501(c)4 organization committed to improving student achievement and expanding choice among high-quality public schools by advancing and supporting Idaho’s public charter schools. It supports efforts to improve the overall charter school movement both in Idaho and across the nation.