Charis L McGaughyDr. Charis McGaughy has worked within the educational arena for over two decades. She recently began serving as the chief of staff for the Eugene School District 4J. Prior to that, she was a director at the Educational Policy mprovement Center (EPIC) for almost 8 years. During her tenure, she worked all over the country on national, state, and district-level initiatives related to improving college and career readiness, and increasing secondary and postsecondary alignment. She has also worked at the state level for the Texas Education Agency and the Tennessee Department of Children Services. She began her career as a teacher, and has taught in Houston Independent School District and Boston Public Schools. Dr. McGaughy has considerable experience directing large-scale, multi-faceted educational policy initiatives, is an experienced public speaker, and is the author of several reports, chapters, and articles on education. Her background as an educator, an educational policy worker, and her extensive research experience enables her to serve as a bridge among various educational stakeholder groups. Dr. McGaughy holds a PhD in Educational Leadership, Policy and Organizations from Vanderbilt University, a master's degree in Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, and a BA in Government from Pomona College.