Alton B. Nelson, Jr. is the chief executive officer of Making Waves Academy (Richmond, CA) and a former founder and school leader of S.A.C. Prep (Sacramento, CA) - both public charter schools. Between 1999 and 2003, Alton worked in the Chicago area at Northwestern University's office of development and as an associate at the Chicago Public Education Fund where he managed a portfolio of alternative teacher credentialing programs. Before graduate school, Alton was a teacher, coach, and administrator at The Branson School (in Ross, CA). While at Branson, Alton was a two-time recipient of the Mt. Tamalpais Cup teacher award and the Klingenstein Summer Fellowship through Teachers College Columbia University. Before Branson, Alton worked as a Project YES intern at the East Bay Conservation Corps in Oakland, CA. Alton holds a BA degree in history from UCLA and an Ed.M. from Harvard University.