Hilary Harmssen is a senior nonprofit leader with over 20 years of experience supporting charter schools and public education systems. At KIPP Northern California, she served as Chief External Impact Officer, leading communications, policy, fundraising, and community engagement for a network of high-performing charter schools. She built strong relationships with district authorizers, aligned stakeholders, and advanced equitable student outcomes. Earlier, at CCSA, Hilary led statewide efforts supporting hundreds of charter and district schools through advocacy, coalition-building, and strategic planning. She brings deep expertise in stakeholder engagement, governance, and navigating complex education environments.
Strong relationships with charter school authorizers are critical to a school's long-term success an…Strong relationships with charter school authorizers are critical to a school's long-term success and sustainability, yet many leaders find themselves navigating unclear expectations, communication breakdowns, and high-stakes accountability conversations. This session will provide practical, experience-based strategies for building and maintaining productive partnerships with authorizers.
Participants will explore best practices for proactive communication, including establishing clear channels, framing data and outcomes effectively, and maintaining transparency without overexposure. The session will also focus on direct engagement with staff and board members, including how to prepare for meetings, anticipate authorizer priorities, and position a charter school as both compliant and mission-driven.
In addition, the presenters will address how to navigate challenging situations, including corrective action plans, renewal concerns, leadership transitions, and political dynamics within districts. Participants will learn approaches to advocacy that are professional, strategic, and grounded in student outcomes without escalating conflict or damaging long-term relationships.
This session is designed for schools working with authorizers where capacity is limited, and relationships carry heightened importance. Participants will leave with concrete tools, communication frameworks, and real-world examples they can immediately apply to strengthen trust, reduce friction, and advocate effectively for their school communities.
Filling seats in today's charter school landscape requires more than a great school; it demands a st…Filling seats in today's charter school landscape requires more than a great school; it demands a strategy. In this session, the presenter will walk through the building blocks of a full-cycle enrollment recruitment approach that drives measurable results, from the first touchpoint with a family to a student walking through school doors on day one. Starting with goal-setting - how to work backwards from an enrollment target to build a realistic funnel and align investment to what it actually takes to hit your numbers. From there, participants will be able to dig into role clarity: successful recruitment is an organization-wide responsibility, not one person's job. Looking at frameworks for defining ownership across a team so nothing falls through the cracks, the presenter will help participants to explore what it takes to show up in the community in ways that build trust and generate leads, and how targeted paid media can dramatically expand reach and drive awareness at scale without wasting budget on broad, untargeted campaigns.
Together, participants will tackle progress monitoring by looking at how to build the tracking systems and structures that give real-time visibility across every stage of the enrollment funnel, from initial lead to application, offer, and registration because knowing numbers at every step is what allows leaders to course-correct before it's too late. Whether building an initial recruitment strategy or looking to sharpen an existing one, participants will leave with practical tools and a clear framework they can start using immediately.
