Meet the Leadership Team

Marcus Harden

Marcus Harden: Executive Director

“At my core, I’m a builder who believes public education should feel like possibility, not just compliance, not just policy. Possibility. I care about the lived experience of students and families, and I believe accountability and belonging aren’t opposites, they’re partners.”

By day, Marcus Harden serves as the Executive Director of the Washington State Charter School Commission, working with Commissioners, staff, and school leaders to ensure Washington’s charter schools are high-quality, legally sound, and worthy of public trust. His focus is modern authorizing that is clear, transparent, and useful, for schools and the communities they serve.

By night (or at least after the calendar stops bullying him), Marcus is usually laughing too loud, overthinking one playlist, and staying suspiciously optimistic about people.

His superpowers: turning complexity into clarity and building relationships that move work forward without losing the humans in the process.

Want to know more? Ask him about why love is tattooed on his arm, or why he’ll always choose joy + results over noise, or why he believes he’s Batman.

Dr. Sarah Lloyd

Dr. Sarah Lloyd, PhD: Deputy Director

“I am a mother first. Everything else builds from there, including how I think about public education.”

By day, Dr. Lloyd serves as the Deputy Director of the Washington State Charter School Commission, where she guides strategy, strengthens alignment, and ensures the Commission’s authorizing practices are rigorous, transparent, and worthy of public trust. She works across teams to keep expectations clear, priorities aligned, and decisions grounded in their real impact on families and communities.

Dr. Lloyd brings more than 25 years of leadership across public service, education, workforce development, youth and human services, and nonprofit management. Throughout her career, she has strengthened organizational culture, sharpened strategic focus, and elevated performance, bringing clarity, values alignment, and disciplined execution to demanding environments. Her work consistently leaves organizations steadier, sharper, and better positioned to deliver on their commitments.

She is known for bringing clarity where it is needed most, naming what others avoid, and turning vision into disciplined action. She believes accountability and dignity can and must coexist, that strong systems should feel human, and that public trust is earned through clarity,
steadiness, and meaningful engagement with communities. By night, she is raising three daughters who keep her sharp and energized. Honest dialogue, deep laughter, and the kind of joy that keeps the work human are part of everyday life.

Her superpowers include:
• Cutting through noise and misalignment
• Making complex work make sense
• Challenging thinking in ways that make strength visible

Want to know more? Ask Dr. Lloyd about leadership, raising bold women, or why she believes strong systems should feel human. Expect a conversation that expands your thinking and reminds you of the power of community.

Kara Lowe

Kara Lowe: Chief Operations Officer 

Kara comes to the Commission with a background in business management and over seven years of legislative affairs experience for state and federal trade associations. After staying home with her children, Kara returned to work as a preschool teacher. She spent five years working in early childhood education. Kara has worked in public schools as a traveling art teacher for grades K-5 and completed a special education public school internship in Occupational Therapy. After spending time living on the East Coast and in the South; she returned to the Pacific Northwest to raise her family.

Kara is proud to be a product of Washington State public schools and is a daughter of a 35-year public school educator. She holds a Dual Emphasis Bachelor of Arts from The Evergreen State College in Community Health Sciences & Non-Profit Business Management, with a minor in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Policy.

Kara’s interests are in the improvement of systems framework in society, and public policy. She is excited to partner with the Commission in working towards maintaining and achieving educational equity in Washington State.

Jess Saven Barton

Jess Saven Barton, PhD: Chief Accountability Officer

“At my core, I’m a problem-solver who believes public education should feel inspirational. Not just focus on compliance. Not just focus on policy. Inspirational.”

By day, Jess serves as the Chief Accountability Officer at the Washington State Charter School Commission, focused on school performance. In this role, she helps ensure charter public schools are high-quality, legally compliant, and worthy of public trust, so students and families experience public education as stable, supportive, and real.

By night (after her brain hamster stops overthinking possibilities), you can find Jess knitting a sweater while trying to keep her dog from drooling on the yarn, because balance fuels her continued commitment to public service.

Jess’s superpowers: Developing systems and structures to make complex work seem manageable and explaining data to others so they don’t run in fear from her spreadsheets.

Want to know more? Jess is always learning new things! Ask her about her foray into processing raw wool to spin yarn, or the empire of heirloom beans she grows and diversifies annually.

Italiana Hughes

Italiana Hughes: Director of Technical Assistance

“At my core, I am an advocate who believes public education should feel like freedom. Liberation is what is possible when our youth are educated in a manner that is best for them. When we recognize students’ brilliance, making space for them to shine, they will reach their
full potential and there is nothing that can dim their light.”

By day, Italiana serves as a Director of Technical Assistance (DTA), at the Washington State Charter School Commission, focused on school support and community engagement. In this role, she helps ensure charter schools are making good on their promises to students and
families and serving them in the ways that are most useful to them. She approaches her work with an emphasis on equity and helping people feel like they belong.

By night, you can find Italiana trying her best to keep up with her two kids and watching way too many true crime documentaries.

Italiana’s superpowers are using equity-driven precision and fostering genuine, authentic relationships.

Want to know more? Ask Italiana about her experience being a solo mom by choice or a
competitive powerlifter!

Halma Abubakar

Halma Abubakar: Director of Technical Assistance

“At my core, I’m an operations-minded builder who believes students should be served in the ways they were always meant to be — with dignity, care, and systems that actually work for families with families and community in mind.”

By day, Halma is the Director of Technical Assistance on the Washington State Charter School Commission, where she supports schools with a strong foundation in operations and school founding. In this role, she partners with school leaders to provide equity-centered technical
assistance that strengthens systems and supports long-term success.

She helped found two charter schools in South King County and is passionate about ensuring schools are set up to support students not just academically, but holistically. By night (and in between school runs), she’s usually spending time with her family, enjoying a
good cup of tea and finding joy in the small moments that keep her grounded.

Superpowers: turning vision into systems and always keeping students at the center of decisions.

Want to know more? Ask her about starting schools from the ground up, or where to find the best tea for long conversations with people she loves.

Jonathan Houston

Jonathan Houston: Director of Technical Assistance

“At my core, I believe that education is life and that every life is a learner. I also believe that the institution of education has a responsibility to model love as classroom management, love as curriculum and instruction, and love as community service. In this way the institution can
advocate for the unseen possibilities where every student can be recognized for their brilliance and where authentic empowerment can cultivate belonging. I believe public education should feel like love and joy. Not just compliance and politics. Not just grades and standards. Unbridled joy.”

By day, Jonathan serves as the Director of Technical Assistance at the Washington State Charter School Commission, focused on school and board support. In this role, he helps ensure charter schools are high-quality, legally sound, and worthy of public trust, so students and families experience public education as stable, supportive, and real. By night, you can find Jonathan trying to change and save the world while trying to understand the secrets of the universe as part of two top-secret not-so-secret world-renowned organizations, because balance is also a public service.

Jonathan is part Director of Technical Assistance, part lyricist, part ninja, part mad science, and 100 percent dad. His not-so-secret superpower is his ability to create concepts, frameworks, and systems that center people’s lived experiences while upholding their dignity and humanity. Want to know more? Ask Jonathan about Biosintegrumology, the math formula he discovered, the book he wrote or his music video on YouTube; but be ready, because he will probably make you laugh and learn something.

Dominique Mayes

Dominique Mayes: Business Manager

Dominique brings calm, clarity, and care to complex organizations. She believes strong systems should make people’s work better, not heavier, and that public education should feel steady, trustworthy, and grounded in purpose.

As the Business Manager for the Washington State Charter School Commission, she focuses on the operational foundation that supports the agency’s work across Washington State. From financial coordination to internal processes, Dominique works collaboratively to strengthen systems that work in real life. Deeply relational by nature, she prioritizes trust and shared ownership, aligning people, processes, and priorities so teams can move forward with calm confidence, even when priorities shift. She believes meaningful progress happens when people work together rather than in silos.

Outside the office, Dominique is cheering her daughters on from the sidelines, navigating college milestones, and keeping up with the full and lively rhythms of family life. She is naturally curious and always ready to try something new, whether planning the next adventure, cooking for friends, exploring a new restaurant, getting lost in a crime series, laughing through a good comedy, chasing sunsets on the water, or car karaoke and dance parties. She brings that same energy and perspective into her work.

Parenting has shaped Dominique’s leadership as much as any professional role. Her daughters are at the center of her life and continually reinforce her belief that when people feel supported, steady, and confident, they thrive.

Her superpowers include:

• Bringing calm, curiosity, and energy to every interaction
• Building connections that inspire collaboration and confidence
• Helping teams feel supported, seen, and ready to contribute their best

Charmaine McCladdie

Charmaine McCladdie: Manager of Communications and Engagement

“Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by others doing it.” — James Baldwin

Charmaine serves as the Manager of Communications and Engagement at the Washington State Charter School Commission, supporting the Commission’s mission to authorize, oversee, and strengthen high‑quality public charter schools across Washington State. In this role, she supports key agency operations and leads the Commission’s external communications and digital presence, in a way that reflects the agency’s mission and goals and elevates the stories of the charter school communities we serve.

Charmaine is known for her future-focused thinking, disciplined execution, and ability to translate priorities into meaningful outcomes. Above all, she believes public trust is earned through clear expectations, consistent support, and meaningful engagement with families and communities.

Outside of this work, Charmaine works to support her community through counseling. She also enjoys watching horror films, playing video games, exploring great food spots, and capturing aesthetic photos of her matcha drinks. She’s always happy to talk about The Legend of Zelda, Harry Potter, or classic Chucky movies.

Xavier Woods

Xavier Woods: Executive Assistant

Xavier serves as the Executive Assistant for the Washington State Charter School Commission, supporting the agency through operations, coordination, and the thoughtful weaving of perspectives that help shape the Commission’s work. At his core, he’s a problem-solver and an
advocate who believes public education should feel like momentum—not just compliance, not just policy, but forward movement. Through his pursuit of his bachelor’s degree from The Evergreen State College, Xavier found himself drawn to contributing to change rather than watching it happen. He’s elated to be working with the Commission to see educational pathways expand and be available to all.

By day, he focuses on operations, agency support, and keeping the Commission’s work aligned, people-centered and grounded in purpose. By night, you might catch Xavier on a runway, hanging out with his pug, or in a deep conversation that somehow always turns philosophical.

A Washingtonian born and raised in Olympia, he’s watched the state grow through many eras while doing some growing of his own. Now, he’s grateful to contribute to that evolution for the people of Washington and the generations to come.

Superpowers include:
• Type-A precision with Type-B warmth
• Bridging perspectives to create shared understanding
• Sparking conversations that go deeper than expected