Kathryn Connell-Espinosa, Executive Director
As Executive Director, Kathryn provides strategic and visionary leadership to the Institute and is accountable to the SUNY Board of Trustees and Chancellor for all aspects of the Institute’s programmatic and fiscal operations. Kathryn is responsible for overseeing the Institute’s charter authorizing and renewal activities, monitoring the performance of charter schools, presenting recommendations to the SUNY Board of Trustees, and representing the Institute to the broader community. She also represents the Institute and SUNY to charter sector and charter advocacy organizations at the state and national level.
Kathryn joined the Institute in 2013, and has held several previous positions since then, including Director of Leadership Team Operations, Chief of Staff, and Interim Executive Director. Prior to joining the Institute, she served at the Research Foundation for SUNY’s Professional Development Program as a Compliance Specialist for the Educational Incentive Program. Her deep understanding of the Institute’s history, operations, and SUNY structures ensure that the Institute can fulfill its mission to cultivate an environment where strong public schools can take root and thrive. Kathryn is a proud SUNY graduate with a BA in Psychology from the University at Albany.
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Institute Teams
- Contact information for individual teams can be found on the Institute’s portal page.
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Institute Leadership Team
Carrie Gee, Esq., Chief Counsel
Carrie Gee has more than 20 years of experience practicing education law, representing school districts, charter schools, charter management organizations, private schools, and universities. Since 2022, she has served as Chief Counsel at the SUNY Charter Schools Institute, providing general legal counsel to both the Institute and the SUNY Board of Trustees’ Charter School Committee. In this role, she also oversees the Institute’s legal department and advises on all legal aspects of the chartering and oversight process.Carrie joined the Institute in 2013 as Senior Associate Counsel, a position she held until her promotion to Chief Counsel. Prior to her tenure at the Institute, she was an associate at Whiteman Osterman & Hanna, Hinman Straub, and Ingerman Smith LLP, where she worked in the education and labor practice groups. Her areas of specialization included student-related legal issues such as special education, student discipline, and homelessness, as well as board governance, policy development, and implementation.
Carrie holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Theater from Colgate University and a Juris Doctor from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University.
Contact Carrie / Meet the Legal Team
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Sinnjinn Bucknell, Managing Director for Accountability
Sinnjinn Bucknell serves as the Managing Director of Accountability at the SUNY Charter Schools Institute and has been with the Institute since 2014. As the leader of the Institute’s academic team, Sinnjinn oversees the rigorous qualitative evaluation of school programs, consistent implementation of the academic performance framework, and the new applications process. His goal is to ensure that all SUNY authorized charter schools are held accountable to providing high quality instruction to students and demonstrating strong academic achievement.
Prior to his role as Managing Director, Sinnjinn led the Institute’s performance and systems team. In that position he was responsible for managing the Institute’s academic data systems and providing performance analyses that support the Institute’s work through: monitoring and coordinating the development of school accountability plans and school data reporting; analyzing individual school performance; and providing high quality analytic support to the school evaluation team. Before joining the Institute, Sinnjinn worked as an educational research assistant and as a college access advisor. He has additionally worked in schools as a teacher and debate coach. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Master of Arts in Urban Education Policy from Brown University.
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Dilek Alukaya-Ak, Managing Director of School Finance and Operations
Dilek Ulukaya-Ak serves as Managing Director of School Finance and Operations. In this role, she leads the Institute’s fiscal compliance efforts, ensuring schools adhere to rigorous financial reporting standards, facilities-related compliance, and facility financing regulations. With a deep commitment to educational excellence, Dilek drives strategic priorities and leads digital transformation efforts to enhance financial reporting and operational transparency. Through the development of robust fiscal monitoring programs, Dilek supports schools from the application phase to the pre-opening, renewal, and, when necessary, closure.
Dilek strives to build strong partnerships across the statewide and national charter school sector, and works closely with regulatory bodies, educational institutions, and financial service providers to uphold the highest standards of financial stewardship and operational excellence.
Before joining the Institute, Dilek served as Executive Director at the Chobani Foundation, where she led all operational and financial matters, oversaw the development of educational programs, and cultivated strategic nonprofit partnerships. She holds a Master of Public Administration from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at Albany and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the City University of New York.
Contact Dilek / Meet the School Finance and Operations Team
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Sandy Malloy, Managing Director of Administration
Sandy Malloy is the Managing Director of Administration, and is responsible for oversight of all internal fiscal, budgetary, IT/infrastructure, and administrative matters at the Institute. This role ensures that the entire Institute team has the resources needed to effectively monitor and support the Institute’s vast charter school portfolio across New York State. Sandy uses her experience in administration and finance to help guide the Institute to achieve its Strategic Priorities while operating within the scope of SUNY and the Research Foundation for SUNY’s operating structures.
Sandy rejoined the Institute in 2018 for a second time as Director of Administration, having served in the same role for several years in the early days of New York’s Charter Law. Sandy also previously served as Assistant Director in the Division of Academic and Operation Services in the Office of the Provost at SUNY System Administration, and Grants Coordinator for the SUNY Charter Schools Institute.
Sandy holds an MPA from SUNY Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, and a BS in Economics and Psychology from St. Lawrence University.
Contact Sandy / Meet the Administration Team
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Keegan Prue, Managing Director of Strategy and Communications
Keegan Prue is the Managing Director of Strategy and Communications at the Institute. In this capacity, he oversees the Institute’s efforts to build and maintain relationships with key strategic partners including leaders across the SUNY system and at SUNY campuses, other national charter authorizers, education advocacy and support organizations, philanthropies, researchers, and school leaders and boards of trustees.
His goal is to enact effective systems that support the health of the more than 230 charter schools the Institute authorizes, to build connections that promote the sharing of effective practices and partnerships across the education sector, and to highlight the rigorous systems SUNY has in place to support the planning and operation of successful schools He also oversees all preparation and planning for meetings of the SUNY Board of Trustees Charter Schools Committee.
In previous roles at the Institute, Keegan led the new charter application process and directed the compliance team. He began his career as a 3rd grade teacher in East Harlem before serving as an Assistant Principal and Manager of Strategic Planning at a high-performing charter network in New York City. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Contact Keegan / Meet the Strategy and Communications Team