After serving as a teacher and an administrator in traditional public-school districts, Cheri became Deputy Superintendent in the Kansas City Missouri School District. She then served in top school leadership positions in the charter sector in Kansas City and was the founding principal/superintendent of University Academy. Cheri led the Missouri Charter Public Schools Association in 2009 and the Florida Charter Schools Association in 2011. She specializes in new school development and school turnaround.

Other positions include the Chief Growth Officer for Phalen Leadership Academies, the Vice President of Strategic Expansion and Development for the Learn4Life Network of Charter Schools, and the Chief Strategy Officer for the National Charter School Institute. Cheri’s work also includes six successful Florida charter school applications, a state-approved TX charter in Austin, an 1882 Texas District-Charter Partnership, a 10-year charter in Columbia and Charleston, SC, and a state-approved charter in Buffalo, NY, as well as turnaround contracts for schools in Michigan and Indiana. Cheri has also secured federal CSP grants for numerous charter schools throughout the country.

Cheri earned her Master of Science Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy from Arizona State University and Bachelor of Science in Education from Southwest Missouri State University. Cheri has completed the coursework for her Doctorate of Philosophy in Educational Leadership from the University of Nebraska and has an Education Specialist Degree from the University of Missouri.