Ember Reichgott Junge, Board Vice-Chair

Ember Reichgott Junge, Esq. is currently serving as the Vice President and Chief Advancement Officer of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, the largest nonprofit in Minnesota providing wide ranging services to children and families, senior citizens, and people with disabilities. A Former Minnesota State Senator, Ms. Reichgott Junge is the author of Minnesota's 1991 first-in-nation charter school law, which was a winner of the 2000 Innovations in American Government Award from the JFK School of Government at Harvard University. As a national spokesperson for public charter schools, she has made appearances with Bill Clinton, Al Gore, U.S. Education Secretaries Richard Riley and Lamar Alexander and many others. In 1992, Ms. Reichgott Junge was honored by Business Week Magazine as one of "Six Local Heroes Making a Difference" in sponsoring one of the "most innovative experiments in the nation." She also sponsored into law the first public school open enrollment initiative in the country, allowing students to attend public schools of choice anywhere in Minnesota.

Ms. Reichgott Junge was recently inducted into the National Charter School Hall of Fame for her many years of dedication and service as a former board member of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

Ms. Reichgott Junge holds a Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law, an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, and a B.A. from St. Olaf College.