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Principal EL is the head of school at Thomas Edison Public Charter School in Wilmington, DE, and is the best-selling author of I Choose to Stay (movie rights optioned by Disney) and The Immortality of Influence (with foreword by Will Smith). He recently debuted three more books: Passionate Leadership, Building a Winning Team, and Retention for a Change about the importance of leadership, mentoring, parenting, and service to others—topics he’s sure to dive into on the main stage at NCSC23. 

Principal EL first received national acclaim as a teacher and chess coach of the eight-time National Chess Champions of Vaux Middle School in Philadelphia. Winner of the Marcus A. Foster Award for outstanding School District Administrator and the University of Pennsylvania’s distinguished Martin Luther King, Jr Award, Principal EL has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, and Oprah Radio Network.

We are delighted to welcome him to the keynote speaker slate this year. 

Luma Mufleh is a Syrian/Jordanian entrepreneur, coach, and thought leader in refugee and English Language Learner (ELL) education.

Nina Rees is the president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the charter school movement. Prior to joining the National Alliance, Nina spent 20 years shaping education policy in the public and private sectors. She served as the first Deputy Under Secretary for Innovation and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education. Before moving to the Education Department, Nina worked in the White House as Deputy Assistant for Domestic Policy to the Vice President of the United States.

Nina also served as Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at Knowledge Universe, a leading global education company with investments in early childhood education, before- and after-school programs, and online instruction. In the 1990s, Nina was the Heritage Foundation’s senior education analyst and chief spokesperson on education. She began her career on Capitol Hill, where she worked for then-Congressman Porter Goss.

Nina has been a guest on Bloomberg, CNBC, C-SPAN, Fox News, MSNBC's Morning Joe, and PBS’s NewsHour. Her articles and opinions have been published in the The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Washingtonian named her one of Washington DC’s Most Influential People in 2021 and 2022.

Nina currently serves on the board of directors of the PIE Network and the advisory committee of the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. She is a Pahara-Aspen Fellow and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

A native of Iran who immigrated to America at the age of 14, Nina earned her undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech and a master’s degree at George Mason University. She now lives in McLean, Virginia, with her husband and daughter.