Underwood Named Permanent Executive Director Of Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School

The Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School said Thursday Matt Underwood, who served as interim director of the institution since last May, has been named permanent director.

The school's board of directors said Lara Zelski, who had been interim principal of the ANCS' elementary school campus in Grant Park, is now in that post permanently.

The middle school campus, where Underwood also serves as principal, is in Ormewood Park.

Both campuses opened separately — Neighborhood Charter School in 2001 in Grant Park to serve kindergarteners through fifth graders students and Atlanta Charter Middle School in 2005 in Ormewood Park sixth graders to eighth graders.

They merged last year.

"Mr. Underwood has done an extraordinary job of providing leadership to both campuses and formalizing the merger of the two campuses," the board wrote in a notice to ANCS parents and staff.

"His efforts have included ensuring consistent policies and procedures across both campuses; establishing a spirit of collaboration across campuses with the families, staff, and board; and to top it all off, he recently led the effort to secure a $1 million professional development grant for ANCS in partnership with Georgia State University’s College of Education."