Congratulations to the recipients of CCAP’s 2025 Excellence in Authorizing Awards:
Amanda Goldman, Director of Innovative Schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District, and Deidre Walsh, Director of the San Diego Unified School District Charter School Office.

CCAP introduced the awards in 2024 to recognize authorizers who inspire and support colleagues and charter leaders in their districts, county offices of education, and throughout the state. The awards are presented each year at CCAP’s California Charter Schools Authorizers Conference, which this year was in Palm Springs, June 16-18.

Director, Charter School Office
San Diego Unified School District
39 Charter Schools
18,612 Students

This award celebrates “an authorizer who has set a benchmark in developing and implementing outstanding practices that inspire peers across the state.”

“I like to think that we are approachable by other authorizers, that if they have a question or are curious about how we do something, they feel that they can reach out to us and ask,” said Deidre Walsh, who has been in the San Diego USD charter school office for 12 years.

Indeed, of the six staff members in the charter office, the newbie started three years ago. There is also stability among the 39 charter schools in the district. Although it’s a large authorizer, the district rarely gets new charter petitions. That constancy has allowed them to develop expertise in charter oversight and to build strong relationships with leaders of the 39 charter schools authorized by the district, said Walsh.

The steadfastness has also enabled the charter schools to have greater autonomy. In nominating her for the Authorizer Exemplar Award, colleagues described how Walsh has created a climate of trust, collaboration, and transparency.

“We have really tried to be supportive, but not supporting,” Walsh explained. “We will assist the charters where we can, we will provide guidance for them, we will answer as many questions as we can. We also want them to be as independent as they can.”

One example of this is a charter advisory group established by the charter office that brings together experienced charter leaders every few months to share ideas and discuss issues, such as pending legislation or changes to oversight under consideration by the district.

“From an authorizer’s perspective, I may see something one way, but they help us understand it from the charter operator’s perspective,” said Walsh. “We use them as a way to gauge the impact and if something will be beneficial to both of us.”

Above all, those who nominated her emphasized her clear, unwavering commitment to serving all students.

Tom Hutton (left), CCAP Executive Director; Rick Farace, Program Manager, Tiffany DeGraffenreid, Manager (and CCAP Board Member), and Deidre Walsh of SDUSD; Indra Ciccarelli, Director II of the Los Angeles County of Education’s Charter School Office, who was recognized for CCAP’s 2024 Authorizing Exemplar Award; and Corey Loomis, Director of Charter and Community Schools, Riverside County Office of Education, who was recognized for NN4DA’s 2024 inaugural award for innovation.

Director of Innovative Schools
Sacramento City Unified School District
15 Charter Schools
5,914 Students

This award recognizes an authorizer “who goes above and beyond to support their colleagues, fostering a collaborative and thriving professional environment.”

“My goal is to make sure that no one else feels as alone as I felt in the first few months of doing this job,” said Amanda Goldman, who has led Sacramento City USD’s charter school office for a little over two-and-a-half years. Authorizers from nearby districts and county offices of education cited her helpfulness to them, all the more impressive given than she is relatively new to the profession herself.

This passion for “paying it forward” was borne not just from Goldman’s personal experience, but also from her doctoral research identifying isolation as a key factor in preventing people from being successful in leadership positions.

“Not only am I going to throw a bunch of resources at you, but I’m also going to have a conversation to help you prioritize and help you think about what you want to do first,” added Goldman.

Sac City’s charter office is on the small side — “a mighty threesome” Goldman calls them — and colleagues who nominated her for the award agree. They noted that she led them in developing common practices for oversight and supporting charter schools to ensure that all 15 schools authorized by the district use similar metrics and reporting processes.

She is also eager and happy to share best practices with other districts and is active in the Community of Practice network of charter schools started by the Sacramento County Office of Education. She is on a planning committee working to create a similar network for authorizers throughout the county.

While a recent arrival to the authorizing side, Goldman has been in the charter world for about 20 years, as a teacher, principal, and co-founder of a charter school. Four months into her current position, she attended her first CCAP conference and realized how much she had to learn and how hard it is to find the resources and people to help, and the time to make those connections.

“There’s a very small group of us that do this work across the state,” said Goldman and, like her, they all need all the help they can get. “If you assume that folks are doing the right thing, but may or may not have the resources, ensuring they have the right resources is how you ensure that they do the right thing.”

Tom (left); Nancy Wheelhouse, Fund Specialist, Bee Moua, Budget Analyst, and Amanda Goldman, Director, Innovative Schools in SCUSD; Indra; and Corey.

CCAP’s 2026 Awards will be presented at the 2026 conference, June 16-18 in San Diego. Nominations can be made using a short and simple online form available at the button below: