Katie Kirley
Executive Director @Steel City Academy
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WORK HISTORY
Executive Director @Steel City Academy
Gary, IN, US
Systems Leadership & Fiduciary Oversight• Overseeing a $7.4M annual budget and a $23M facility master plan to renovate the historic Lincoln Achievement Center property, expanding capacity for a 280+ student waitlist. • Achieved a complete financial turnaround, moving the organization from \"does not meet standard\" to \"green\" in every financial and organizational indicator. • Sustaining a 90%+ staff retention rate and an \"A\" rating from the Indiana Department of Education. Legislative Advocacy & Policy Influence• Secured the first 15-year charter renewal in Northwest Indiana (only the 3rd in state history), signaling top-tier regulatory confidence. • Testified before the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee to help pass landmark 2025 legislation for charter school funding parity. • Serving on the Executive Committee of the Indiana Charter Innovation Center, representing Lake and Porter County charter schools.
EDUCATION
Columbia University
Master of Education (M.Ed.), Secondary School Administration/Principalship
Indiana Wesleyan University
Masters, Curriculum and Instruction
Loyola University Chicago
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Psychology
SKILLS
ABOUT KATIE KIRLEY
I am an ambitious, values-driven founder and executive leader committed to building schools where adults and students thrive at the intersection of purpose, joy, and accountability. As the Founder and Executive Director of Steel City Academy, I have spent more than a decade proving that academic excellence is not dictated by zip code—and that high-performing, resilient institutions can be built from the ground up.My leadership journey is rooted in founding and scaling a school from “Year Zero.” I opened Steel City Academy with no building, no staff, no students, and no seed funding—and led it from startup to becoming the highest-performing school in Gary and the first A-rated school in the city in more than 20 years. Under my leadership, the school progressed from an F rating in year one to an A rating by year four, grew enrollment from 60 to more than 320 students with a robust waitlist, and earned a rare maximum 15-year charter renewal—reflecting sustained academic excellence, organizational health, and long-term viability.I bring deep expertise in designing and leading the full ecosystem required for school success: instructional vision and data-driven academic systems, talent recruitment and development, governance partnership, compliance, and operational infrastructure. I have scaled Steel City Academy’s annual operating budget from approximately $875K to $7.4M while maintaining 90%+ staff retention over the last four years, even amid national staffing shortages. I remain deeply connected to teaching and learning, maintaining a classroom presence to model instructional quality and accelerate adult development.Beyond my own organization, I am a committed advocate for public education equity and institutional sustainability. I have testified before the Indiana House Ways and Means Committee to advance charter funding equity and regularly advise peer school leaders on academics, data driven leadership, and organizational design. I believe that through disciplined systems, community-embedded leadership, and unwavering accountability to outcomes, cities like Gary can once again be known for world-class public schools.
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