Ivy Prep Academy Founder Praised For Her Leadership, Vision For Charter Schools

Nina Gilbert, the new CEO of Ivy Prep Foundation, was praised by the Ivy Preparatory Academy Board of Trustees for the “tireless leadership” and dedication to students that she showed as executive director of the Ivy Prep Network of charter schools.

Gilbert, a nationally acclaimed visionary in the charter schools movement, was promoted to lead the foundation that provides financial support for Ivy Preparatory Schools with the full support of her board.

“I want to personally thank you for your tireless leadership and undying commitment to the vision and mission of Ivy Preparatory Academy,” said Christopher Kunney, president of Ivy Preparatory Academy Board of Trustees. “Your efforts to provide a quality education for the communities we serve has prepared students for college-level-work.”

Victoria Hudson, a veteran educator who has worked as a math teacher, a dean, and a principal at Ivy Preparatory Academy Gwinnett, will replace Gilbert as executive director of Ivy Preparatory Schools.

As CEO of the school foundation, Gilbert, who has a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, will become a national advocate for education reform, Ivy Preparatory Schools, and its effort to provide a high-quality single-gender public education for K-12 students that prepares them for college.
 
Gilbert’s new role will allow her to continue to advise the senior management team to ensure that there is fidelity to the strategic vision of Ivy Preparatory Schools.  Additionally, Gilbert will focus on building external partnerships with stakeholders who can boost the resources and funding provided to the Ivy Preparatory Academy campuses in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.
 
Gilbert will support and lead communication efforts and forge essential partnerships with universities, national education reform organizations, philanthropists, and elected officials at the local and national levels to benefit the future operations and success of Ivy Prep Schools. 

Gilbert also will use her skills as a visionary and creative thinker to strengthen and build the Ivy Preparatory Network into schools of excellence. She will continue to be an important spokesperson for Ivy Preparatory Schools as its founder, and will also continue to share her experience in education reform as a parent, practitioner, and scholar who was forced to stand on the front lines of policy and legislative debates that have impacted the school choice movement in Georgia and beyond.

Gilbert will spend a great deal of time working to raise private funds to support the Ivy Prep Network of schools.

“Philanthropic and community support is critical, as our model requires supplemental resources to support the programs and services that have been proven effective with our student population,” said Gilbert.

Prior to the announcement of the administrative shift in the Ivy Prep Network, Gilbert was already being nationally recognized for her work in education reform, when she became one of 24 education executives nationwide to be named to the 2013 Pahara-Aspen Education Fellowship Program.

The prestigious two-year fellowship is awarded to innovative leaders working to improve public education in urban and rural communities. The program provides a forum for officials working in nonprofits, foundations, charter schools and traditional school districts to collaborate and share ideas. The program also supplies resources to support their efforts to transform schools in their communities.

During Women’s History Month, Gilbert was also named as a “Class Act Educator” by theroot.com, which is a national site that highlights news and social issues that impact the African American community. 

Gilbert is most excited about her newly developed relationship with Morehouse College, where she is spending part of her time as an adjunct professor and working on education reform initiatives through the Morehouse Research Institute.

"We are very excited about Dr. Gilbert working with us on our education reform project," said Bryant T. Marks, Ph.D., and Executive Director of The Morehouse Research Institute. "We think she will bring both an on-the-ground understanding of what is going on in the classroom with black students as well as deep understanding of education policy and leadership.''