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Staff
Nicholas Kelly
President
Nicholas Kelly will lead strategic planning efforts to make sure SCW remains a leader in the parent choice movement in Wisconsin. He is devoted to ensuring parents throughout the state have educational options and will advocate for the rights of all parents to make educational choices for their children. Working with school, business, and other community leaders, he will build statewide support for parent choice.
Before joining School Choice Wisconsin, Nicholas was the Principal of St. Thomas More High School. He and his team improved the schools’ academics and infrastructure while building a solid culture among faculty and staff.
Nic holds a Master of Arts degree in Secondary Education and Educational Leadership from Cardinal Stritch University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater. He recently received the prestigious Herb Kohl Educational Foundation Principal Leadership Award.
Carol Shires
Vice President of Operations
Carol has a 20-year history with the Parental Choice Program. As the VP of Operations at School Choice Wisconsin, Carol oversees the day-to-day operations of SCW and is the primary liaison between private schools and the Department of Public Instruction.
In addition, she has extensive experience in a school environment having served ten years with Eastbrook Academy, primarily in the role of Business Manager.
Carol supports private school administrators with Choice Program compliance concerns, onboarding assistance, and strategic program updates. She seeks to be a trusted resource to help schools succeed in the program and increase the number of high-quality options available for families.
Ultimately, Carol believes in the power of a good education to help each child develop their God-given potential. Her broad program experience uniquely equips Carol to both come alongside schools and provide strategic input into SCW’s policy agenda.
Carol holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Nebraska.
Susan Mitchell
Interim Director of Policy and Government Affairs
Susan Mitchell is fortunate to have worked with so many friends and allies during the past three decades to advance parental choice.
Hired in 1993 by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), Mitchell helped organize a broad coalition of parents, educators, business executives, and other community leaders to expand parental choice. With strong support from Governor Tommy Thompson and legislative champions, the coalition advocated successfully for ground-breaking reform and then helped defend the gains from legal and regulatory challenges.
Mitchell subsequently directed the American Education Reform Foundation (AERF) and the American Education Reform Council (AERC) under the leadership of Bill Oberndorf and John Walton. The two nonprofits assisted advocates in selected states to develop sound policy, organize coalitions, and execute legislative strategy. In 2004, Mitchell stepped down to found School Choice Wisconsin to defend gains in Milwaukee and prepare to expand statewide. She currently serves on the SCW board.
Mitchell’s passion for parental choice grew from her work with her husband George in the Mitchell Company Inc. which specialized in public policy research, project management, and strategic planning. He has remained a valued partner and strategist throughout her work.
Mitchell also has held various executive positions in business and government, including service as Wisconsin Commissioner of Insurance. She is a former reporter for the Wall Street Journal.
Michael Metoff
Director of Research
Michael Metoff provides personalized and timely support to executive members in their business-related tasks. Mike will create reports, engage in research, organize events, and mange our CRM system.
Before joining School Choice Wisconsin, Michael was the Dean of Students at St. Thomas More High School. Michael’s roles included daily operations of the school, communications with students and families, data entry and analysis, all with the goal of remaining focused on the mission, values, and goals of the school.
Michael holds a Masters of Science in Educational Leadership from Cardinal Stritch University and a Bachelors of Arts in History from University Wisconsin Milwaukee.
Chris Lawrence
Statewide Director of Outreach
Chris Lawrence is the Outreach Director at School Choice Wisconsin, a public policy group in Wisconsin that seeks to support and grow the choice program in Wisconsin. He has four children, and three school-aged children who are enrolled in the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program. He has extensive grassroots experience in Wisconsin, and is active in the WELS Church serving as a delegate to the Wisconsin Lutheran High School Conference, representing St. Marcus Lutheran school.
Prior to joining School Choice Wisconsin, Lawrence worked for Republican Gubernatorial candidates Tim Michels and Kevin Nicholson, conservative public policy groups No Better Friend Corp. and Americans for Prosperity and worked as a legislative assistant to Republican Senator Duey Stroebel.
Lawrence has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin.
Nataly Andrade
Director of Outreach, Hispanics for School Choice
Product of school choice herself, Nataly professionally came in contact with the education sector after returning from Mexico in 2016 and becoming an admissions representative and later on, Director of Admissions for St Joan Antida High School in Milwaukee. She became fond of the school choice program during this time by aiding Hispanic families (mainly) in understating the choice program during their admissions process.
Nataly Andrade is our Hispanic outreach coordinator working directly for the Hispanics for School Choice movement. She has close connections with the Hispanic community in Milwaukee and is working to expand her outreach work in Wisconsin.
Nataly’s primary goal in the job is to educate parents about choice and see the program expand. She has a cheerful sprit, is knowledgeable, experienced, and very outgoing. Nataly holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology from the University of La Salle in Mexico.
Elizabeth Emery
Operational Support Specialist and Writer
Elizabeth Emery began her career in education as a high school English teacher at St. Thomas More High School in Milwaukee. Her experience working with students shaped her ability to communicate clearly, problem-solve, and handle a variety of tasks. During her time there, she became the Department Chair, helping build her leadership skills and spark her interest in management and instructional design. All of this contributes to her role at School Choice Wisconsin, where she will help streamline daily operations to ensure efficiency and adherence to our strategic plan.
Further, Elizabeth’s background in writing will be utilized to help create content related to marketing, research, policy, and more. What started as a passion for helping students appreciate and learn the writing process has expanded into her professional career. She is excited to use storytelling as a means to highlight the success of our kids, schools, and parental choice programs.
Elizabeth holds a Masters of Science degree in Curriculum and Instruction from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Bachelors of Science degree in Secondary Education and English from Marquette University.