Executive Director

Wendy Swanson Choi currently serves as our full-time Executive Director. Wendy's depth of experience ranges from board and school administration to school and education program development. Prior to working for NEO, Wendy served as a School Improvement Specialist for Minneapolis Public Schools. She also provided school start-up leadership for Venture Academy, a blended-learning charter school in Minneapolis, and served as a Venture Academy board director for four years. She has also served as Interim Executive Director and board member at Nova Classical Academy, providing leadership for the high-school program and site expansion, and as an instructional leader and leadership coach in high-performing charter schools.

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Systems Analysts

Tu Nguyen serves as our primary Systems Analyst responsible for ensuring that NEO most effectively and efficiently implements systems and procedures including data analysis and school performance monitoring, school document review, and use of technology. Tu has previously worked in a charter school as a Special Education teacher, case manager, and educational assistant, and has his Masters Degree in Special Education. He also brings experience to the team in teaching through distance learning.

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Adam Myhand serves as our second Systems Analyst responsible for ensuring that NEO most effectively and efficiently implements systems and procedures including information flow, board observations, new school readiness to open, and school site visits. Adam has also previously worked at a charter school as a Special Education educational assistant.

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Advisors

To assist in effectively and efficiently monitoring the progress of each new school, the Executive Director coordinates and oversees the work of the NEO Advisors comprised of experts in charter school and student performance, charter school operations and finance, and charter school governance.

 

The Executive Director, the Administrative Assistant, and the NEO Advisors monitor and document progress with the pre-operational and operational indicators and the school and student performance indicators as outlined in the authorizer-school contract. NEO contracts for specialized work with NEO Advisors and budgets annually for their work by July each year. As charter authorization volume increases, additional Advisors with expertise in the areas of oversight and technical expertise are added based on the school and authorizer needs.

 

Ron Berger serves as an expert in education finance, facility, and management as well as governance. Ron Berger, a former charter school founder, board chair, and charter school business manager retired from Lionsgate Academy where he served as Business Manager for many years and helped the school grow from one to three campuses. He works with NEO to improve the quality of feedback that schools receive regarding charter school facilities, operations, finance, and governance.

 

Dr. Daniel Jett serves as an expert in educational leadership and governance having received his PhD from the University of Maryland in Educational Planning, Policy, and Administration. His dissertation title is "Teachers' Knowledge About and Attitudes Toward a Performance Assessment, The Maryland Writing Test". He has a MS in Education Administration and Supervision and a BS in Secondary Education. Dr. Jett holds a MN Superintendent license.

 

Dr. Jean Neuman serves as an expert in academic and organizational oversight and evaluation. Dr. Neuman served as a teacher and coach in St. Paul Public Schools for ten years, a middle school principal and a high school principal in Anoka Public Schools for five years, and a principal in Minneapolis Public Schools for more than twenty years. Dr. Neuman has led, designed, developed and restored innovative elementary school programs including Windom Spanish Immersion and Seward Montessori and high school programs including Broadway High School. Her PhD is in Education Administration: Preparation of the Urban Principal.

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Dr. Willie Jackson serves as an expert in the areas of early learning programs and education program development and evaluation as well as mediation. She has her Ed D. in Education Policy and Administration specializing in Curriculum Design and Industrial Relations and MS in Education and Counseling. She is a licensed District Superintendent, School Business Officer, Director of Special Education, Elementary and Secondary School Principal, and Elementary Education Teacher specializing in Specific Learning Disabilities. She is certified as a Mediator under MN Rule 114, a hybrid civil mediator and as a National Principal Mentor and Parent Consultant.

 

Anita Dualeh serves as an expert in the areas of charter school governance and operations and charter school and student performance, having worked at the Minnesota Department of Education providing oversight and managing the development and implementation of the performance assessments for English learners. Anita has her Masters Degree in Teaching ESL.

 

Michelle McGuire serves as an expert in facilities and operations, as well as connecting schools with resources in meeting facility and operational needs and project management. She provides technical assistance to new and existing schools in meeting facility and operational regulations, in addition to supporting their mission and vision for their program.

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Jennifer Borgeson serves as an expert in technology, academic, and organizational oversight and evaluation. Jennifer served as a testing coordinator and administrative intern at Park Center IB World School in Brooklyn Park, Assistant Principal at Connections Academy in St. Paul, Instructional Leader and Data Coach at Broadway High School in Minneapolis, and Staff Development, Assessment, Media, and Technology Specialist in Osseo Public Schools. Her Master of Science is in Information and Media and Technology. She is licensed in Minnesota as Principal, Library Media Specialist, and Elementary Teacher and has National Certification for Online and Blended Teachers.

 

Maria Nezami serves as an expert in charter school governance and education programming. She has served on the founding team of a successful charter school and worked in a Special Education Department with children on the autism spectrum, providing teaching assistance and student supervision along with administrative support in classroom discipline and control, physical classroom maintenance, student management, directing of independent study, interlingual rendition, interpretation, parent-teacher conference management, administering examinations, and providing one-to-one tutoring.

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Andrea Enneking serves as an expert in document review as well as in oversight of education programming. She has a Master's Degree in Teaching and Learning and has an Elementary Education license in Minnesota with her Bachelor of Science in Special Education. 

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Lulzim Axhijaj serves as an expert in oversight of charter school operations, governance, and education programming. He has a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership as well as a Bachelor of Science in Education Technology.

 

The Advisors:

• Review start-up charter school applications for approval or rejection by the Board of NEO

• Review existing charter school applications for change of authorizer

• Monitor the activities of authorized schools

• Review the annual reports of authorized schools

• Recommend technical assistance to authorized schools

• Review authorized charter schools for renewal of contracts

• Conduct or arrange for formal reviews of authorized schools

• Attend authorized charter schools’ board meetings

• Monitor finances of authorized charter schools

• Remain current with charter school procedures and related statutes

 

Board Of Directors

 

Aleem Roshan (Board Chair)

Aleem Roshan Mahammad works with Global Security Solutions COE at Medtronic as Information Technology Program Manager. In that role he develops and reviews all information security plans and processes throughout the organization’s network to ensure alignment between data security and U.S. and global privacy practices, and acts as a liaison to the information systems department, legal department, and IT internal Audit team. He develops and manages preferred vendor relationships in collaboration with strategic sourcing to provide Medtronic with the highest value, lowest overall cost with highest quality service globally. He evaluates technologies, processes, and vendors, negotiates and selects superior service and acts as liaison to the IT security risk assessments for new vendors. He therefore brings additional skills and experience in systems, regulatory compliance, and risk mitigation to the NEO board.

 

Aleem also brings a wealth of experience gained serving as a charter school board chair of a charter school authorized by a different authorizer than NEO. While serving as a charter school board chair, Aleem directly experienced the challenges of charter school leadership. He coordinated and led board meetings, worked with the board and school leadership in strategic planning, and provided leadership in overseeing the academic, operational, and financial performance of the charter school. His experience serving as board chair of a charter school and working with another authorizer afforded him valuable insights, knowledge, and experience in serving in the role of board chair of NEO.

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Jawad Lodhi

Jawad Lodhi is Senior Director of Application Development at Ameriprise and has experience in developing and implementing key strategic initiatives and delivering transformational, high-impact business and technology solutions. He has a Master's Degree in Computer Science and Data Mining.

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Dr. Nabeel Syed

Dr. Nabeel Syed has his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Minnesota. He provides experience and expertise to NEO in organizational management and regulatory compliance. He spent nine years overseeing and managing radiopharmaceutical production and ensuring compliance with all regulatory agencies and three years overseeing peritoneal dialysis products distribution to home healthcare patients. He is currently responsible for manufacturing of high energy radioisotopes, radiochemistry, quality control and commercial distribution of diagnostic products.

 

Dr. Wafa Qureshi

Dr. Qureshi is a pediatric dentist. Her main focus is on educating children and their families, especially those who are marginalized by mainstream care, how to improve and maintain their oral health. She has served as the President of Minnesota Association of Pediatric Dentistry. She provides experience and expertise to NEO in organizational management, oversight and regulatory compliance.