Iowa Coalition for Public Charter Schools

MIKE HUGELET - Director & Founder
Iowa Coalition for Public Charter Schools

Mike spent most of his childhood in Coral Springs, Florida, and finished his secondary education in the Chicagoland area. Mike earned his Bachelor’s degree and teaching licensure from the University of Iowa. You may have unknowingly seen Mike during his years at Iowa, as he performed as Herky the Hawk, the school mascot! He began his career in education as a middle school social studies teacher and coach in Minneapolis. He then moved back home to pursue his Master’s degree in School Counseling at Loyola University Chicago. While earning his Masters, Mike ran an educational non-profit that supported inner-city students as they attended private schools around Chicago. Mike then joined the founding team member of Gary Comer College Prep, a public charter school, which is a 6-12th grade campus of Noble Schools. While serving at Comer for over a decade as a teacher, counselor, athletic director, and administrator, Mike was proud to help its students graduate from college at a rate 3 times higher than the national average for low-income students.

Most recently, Mike ran the School Counseling & Future Ready programs for Des Moines Public Schools. He lives in the Des Moines area with his wife and two daughters. He is proud to champion the public charter school movement and open high-performing schools across Iowa. Mike invites you to join the Iowa Coalition as we work to improve educational outcomes for our most precious citizens, our children.