Dr. Ana Ponce
Executive Director, GPSN
Dr. Ponce joined GPSN in 2019, after 19 years as CEO of Camino Nuevo Charter Academy (CNCA), a charter network serving approximately 3,500 pre-K through 12th grade students near downtown Los Angeles. Under her leadership, CNCA won numerous awards and distinctions including the Title I Academic Achievement Award, the California Association of Bilingual Education Seal of Excellence, the California Distinguished Schools award, and the Effective Practice Incentive Community (EPIC) award; in 2011, Forbes named Dr. Ponce one of the top seven most powerful educators in the world.
A daughter of Mexican immigrants and the first in her family to graduate college, Dr. Ponce started her career with Teach for America at a public school in South LA, later helping found the first independent charter school in the community. Ponce earned her bachelor’s from Middlebury College, a Master's in Bilingual-Bicultural Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, an administrative Tier 1 credential and second master's degree from UCLA through the Principal's Leadership Institute (PLI), and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Loyola Marymount University. She serves on several boards and committees, including the Advanced Education Research and Development Fund, California Charter Schools Association, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Educators of Color Leadership Committee, and UnidosUS