Bold Is a Decision: The Leaders Building What Comes Next

At the Bold By Choice Summit Gala, we paused to recognize something bigger than achievement.

We recognized leadership.

Not titles.
Not tenure.
But the choices that expand opportunity for students.

The Bold By Choice awards are designed to do more than celebrate success. They set a standard. The choices we honor become the example of what leadership can look like when it is rooted in courage, clarity, and commitment to students.

Throughout the evening, five awards were presented. Each one told a different part of the story of what it means to build what students need now.

Stewards of Possibility

Colorado Charter School Institute

This award recognizes leaders shaping the future by challenging assumptions and creating new approaches in service of students.

The Colorado Charter School Institute has demonstrated how authorizing can go beyond oversight to become a platform for innovation, flexibility, and expanded opportunity.

They are helping define what comes next.

Pathways to Opportunity

West Michigan Aviation Academy

This award honors organizations building real, tangible pathways for students.

West Michigan Aviation Academy has created a model where learning connects directly to future careers. Students gain hands-on experience, industry exposure, and meaningful credentials that prepare them for life beyond the classroom.

They are not just preparing students for graduation. They are preparing them for what comes after.

Arc Changer

The Mind Trust

This award recognizes leaders who move barriers so students can move forward.

The Mind Trust has played a critical role in supporting new school models, backing innovative leaders, and creating space for new ideas to take root.

Their work reflects what happens when systems are designed with intention and persistence.

Catalyst

Bluum & J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation

This award celebrates the power of partnership.

Bluum and the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation have demonstrated how collaboration across organizations can unlock opportunities that no single entity could create alone.

Their work shows that when vision and action align, the impact can reach students at scale.

The Lantern Award

Ann Andrews

The Lantern Award is the highest honor of the evening.

It recognizes leadership that guides, strengthens, and advances the work through humility, courage, and clarity.

Ann Andrews has been a steady force in shaping the field and supporting others in their leadership. Her impact is not only seen in what has been built, but in the people she has influenced along the way.

She represents what it means to lead with purpose.

Continue to be Bold for Students Futures

The evening reflected a simple truth.

Boldness is not a personality trait. It is a decision.

A decision to challenge what exists.
A decision to build what is needed.
A decision to expand what is possible for students.

These leaders and organizations are not waiting for change.

They are creating it.

And because of that, the future looks different.