WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) today announced the departure of its president and CEO, Peter C. Groff. This former elected official, public servant and charter school advocate has accepted a position with the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) where he will serve as a Senior Advisor to oversee legislative outreach efforts. In addition, he will focus on leadership development with black elected officials and forming stronger coalitions with traditional civil rights organizations and community groups on issues related to education reform. Ursula Wright, Chief Operating Officer at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, has been named the interim president and CEO.
“The board of directors is deeply appreciative of Peter’s contributions and supports his decision to take on the very important work of establishing greater coalitions of support for education reform among black elected officials,” said Mashea Ashton, board chairperson, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and founding trustee of the Black Alliance for Educational Options.
“Peter is the perfect person to spearhead BAEO’s Black elected official outreach and diversity initiatives,” said interim president and CEO Ursula Wright. “His work at BAEO will complement and reinforce many of the policy initiatives in which the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is engaged. This is an exciting time for the charter sector, and I am comforted to know that Peter will be working hard to develop new legislative champions across the country.
“Before accepting his position at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Groff served as the director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the U. S. Department of Education. Prior to accepting that position, Groff was the founder and executive director of the University of Denver’s Center for New Politics and Policy (formerly Center for African American Policy). Groff also served as the 47th president of the Colorado State Senate and was the first African-American in Colorado to hold that post, and only the third African-American in the nation’s history to hold the gavel as state Senate president. Senator Groff, who was called the Conscience of the Senate, served in the Colorado General Assembly for nine years and passed landmark legislation prohibiting racial profiling, requiring booster seats for young children and creating visionary education reform measures.
“Joining BAEO at this time will allow me to focus on what I consider to be a critical barrier to education reform the fact that African American families are not keeping up with the pace of reform or realizing the extent to which they are being left behind,” said Groff. My work at BAEO will allow me to further my advocacy of the charter sector by focusing intently on engaging the entire African American community.”
