Ember Reichgott Junge

Biography:

Former Minnesota State Senator Ember Reichgott Junge is author of Minnesota’s 1991 first-in-nation charter school law, a winner of the 2000 Innovations in American 

Government Award from Harvard University’s JFK School of Government. The 18-year legislator served as Senate Assistant Majority Leader before stepping down from public
service in 2000.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of chartering, Reichgott Junge wrote Zero Chance of Passage: The Pioneering Charter School Story, a candid memoir of her challenging journey of pioneering the first charter school law from idea to national movement. The book has won multiple national awards, including 2013 Grand Prize Winner of Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards, and Third Grand Prize Winner for Nonfiction Books in the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards (www.ZeroChanceOfPassage.com).

Reichgott Junge is a national education policy leader and spokesperson for charter public schools, consulting with K-12 education, chartering, business and philanthropy entities around the nation. She is past founding board member of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, and current board vice chair of Maryland-based Charter Schools Development Corporation (CSDC), copublisher of Zero Chance of Passage. She was inducted into the National Charter Schools Hall of Fame in 2008, and received the Brian Bennett Education Warrior Award from Democrats for Education Reform in 2012. She currently serves as board chair of Level Up Academy, a Minnesota charter school to open in 2015.

As President of Ember Communications, Inc., Reichgott Junge is a national speaker and trainer on leadership, strategic communications, and public services redesign for leaders in business, nonprofit and government sectors. In addition to public service, she draws on over twenty-five years of experience in business and nonprofit law, five years as nonprofit executive for a large human services organization, twelve years of media messaging as frequent television political analyst, former radio host, and editorial writer, and lifetime of board service, including Citizens Independent Bank, Twin Cities United Way, and Minneapolis Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Ember received her BA from St. Olaf College (Northfield, Minnesota), JD from Duke University Law School (Durham, North Carolina), and MBA from University of St. Thomas
(St. Paul, MN). She is an avid ballroom dancer and most enjoys spending time with her husband, Michael Junge.

Ember Communications, Inc. ~ 500 E. Grant Street, #1308 ~ Minneapolis, MN 55404
612.886.2108 ~ www.ZeroChanceOfPassage.com ~ ember@visi.com

Monday, November 17, 2014

Time: 11:30am Reception – 12:00pm Luncheon

Keynote Speaker: Ember Reichgott Junge

Former Minnesota State Senator

Topic: The Changing Landscape of Public Education:  Innovative Trends and Breakthroughs

Ms. Junge will talk about innovative strategies she has observed in K-12 public charter and district schools, including personalized  learning, teacher professional partnerships and teacher-led schools, and breakthroughs in areas like technology and parental engagement.