RePublic Schools, a network of public charter schools, based in Jackson, Miss., and Nashville, Tenn., has hired Dr. Angela Wheeler-Bass as its Mississippi regional executive director. Bass, a Mississippi native, will oversee all Mississippi RePublic schools and lead the implementation of the network’s strategic plan while maintaining relationships with advocacy partners, community and political leaders.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Wheeler-Bass to RePublic Schools and confident in the wealth of knowledge and experience that she brings to our organization,” Jon Rybka, CEO of RePublic Schools noted. “An accomplished professional in the education sector both statewide and on a national level, I look forward to the growth of the Mississippi region of RePublic to come under her leadership.”
Dr. Wheeler-Bass earned her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Mississippi, a Master’s in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Bachelor’s Degree from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. In her most recent role, she served as executive director of the Mississippi Early Learning Alliance (MELA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing diverse groups of stakeholders together – state leaders, practitioners, and community members – to achieve systemic change for young children. Prior to her role at MELA, she was the deputy director of policy at Mississippi First, a non-profit specializing in education policy, advocacy, and reform.
“I am driven to work in education policy and reform by my own personal experiences involving inequities and low expectations in public schools. I believe that only through diverse perspectives can equitable and transformative solutions emerge.” Dr. Wheeler-Bass said. “I am excited to carry out my commitment to social justice through educational reform through this new and exciting opportunity with RePublic Schools.”
She is the co-author of several key policy publications including The State of Pre-K in Mississippi and Keeping the Promise: Strengthening the Mississippi Charter Schools Act of 2013. Dr. Wheeler-Bass also has experience serving on the State Board of Education at the Mississippi Department of Education, as chair of the subcommittee on School Performance and Accountability.
Dr. Wheeler-Bass resides in Jackson, Miss., with her husband, Kevin Bass, and two children, Laila (9) and Kevin II (6). In addition to her work as a leader in education as a classroom teacher, school administrator, education policy expert, non-profit leader, and governor-appointed state board commissioner, she is active in her community as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and the Junior League of Jackson. On a national level, Angela has served on the Policy Council for Education Leaders of Color, and she has been selected to many leadership cohorts including the Aspen Institute’s Jackson Workforce Academy, the Policy Innovators in Excellence Leadership Cohort, and the Leadership for Educational Equity Policy Leadership Academy.