Nina Rees is the president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the leading organization committed to advancing the charter school movement. She has over 25 years of experience in Washington, D.C., most recently as senior vice president for Strategic Initiatives for Knowledge Universe, a leading global education company with investments in early childhood education, before- and after-school programs, and online instruction. Prior to that, she was the assistant deputy secretary for Innovation and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education, overseeing the administration of 28 grant programs and programs and policies advancing school choice, charter schools, alternative routes to teacher certification, and school leadership. She also helped coordinate the implementation of several provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. Prior to joining the Education Department, Nina served as deputy assistant for Domestic Policy to Vice President Dick Cheney. She was the senior education analyst at the Heritage Foundation where she developed education policy and served as the chief spokesperson on education. Nina has appeared on various news outlets including CNN, C-Span and PBS's NewsHour and her articles and opinions have been published in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. She also writes a weekly column for U.S. News and World Report. She currently serves on the board of directors of the PIE Network, the board of advisors of the Education Policy and Governance Program at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and the National Association of Charter School Authorizers. A native of Iran who immigrated to America at the age of 14, Nina earned her undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech and a master’s degree at George Mason University. She now lives in McLean, Virginia, with her husband and daughter.