As the Center’s executive director, Hanley brings extensive leadership experience in evaluation, strategic planning, budgeting, and project management.

In 2007 he organized and directed the California Charter School Association’s Oakland Charter School Collaborative. Working to improve operating conditions for the 33 charter schools serving Oakland’s neediest students, he helped develop a more transparent approval and evaluation system, gain a share of future parcel tax money for charter schools, founded the first charter high school athletic league, and obtained a federal grant to improve emergency preparedness. In addition, he has monitored school quality closely, working with struggling schools to improve or close.

Hanley’s long held interest in education (five years teaching high school economics as a Junior Achievement business volunteer) culminated in his election in 2001 to the Board of the San Mateo Union High School District, where he has twice been board president. He successfully championed a more rigorous curriculum, an accountable professional development program, and advanced placement classes open to any student. Combined these broke years of academic stagnation, significantly raising all schools’ scores.

His county school board colleagues elected him president of the San Mateo County School Boards Association as well as to four terms in the California School Boards Association’s (CSBA) policy making body, the Delegate Assembly. CSBA appointed him to its High School Reform Task Force and its Policy Platform Committee. He was also executive director for California Parents for Educational Choice, an organization dedicated to exploding myths about the current education system and promoting increased choice for families.