Will Burns

About Will Burns

^{Executive Director of the Charter Schools Action Fund}

Will Burns has focused on solving complex challenges with practical solutions. His approach balances strategic thinking with an ability to unite diverse voices, ensuring progress that benefits communities and improves access to opportunities. This approach has defined a career centered on equity and impact rather than public attention.
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Education advocacy has been a significant focus throughout his career. While serving as Executive Vice President of National Advocacy for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and Executive Director of the Charter Schools Action Fund, Burns oversaw federal advocacy for charter schools and developed political strategies that strengthened public understanding of school choice. These roles gave him a platform to influence national education priorities and create momentum for sustainable funding and reform at the federal level.
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His work in these positions led to significant achievements, including protecting $440 million in federal charter school funding through four consecutive appropriations cycles and helping shape new charter school legislation. In addition, he directed over $2 million toward political initiatives and pro-charter candidates while implementing the first integrated federal political strategy for the charter school movement. He also created a national training program to help under-resourced states build advocacy capacity, equipping local leaders with tools and techniques to communicate more effectively and confidently engage in policy debates.
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His professional experience also extends to the private sector. As the head of government partnerships for a micromobility company under Ford Smart Mobility, Will Burns, in Chicago, helped secure long-term operating agreements in more than 30 municipalities, including New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. He worked with local governments to create model transportation ordinances that supported equitable and environmentally friendly dockless mobility systems. This experience blended innovation with public policy, demonstrating how startups and local leaders can collaborate on sustainable urban transportation solutions.
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Before those roles, he built a strong record in elected office. Representing Illinois’s 26th District in the state legislature, Burns championed legislation protecting tenants in foreclosed properties, co-sponsored the Civil Union Act, and advanced welfare policy reforms for survivors of domestic violence. Later, as alderman of Chicago’s 4th Ward, he led post-recession redevelopment efforts, co-authored a minimum wage ordinance, secured affordable housing guarantees, and converted a closed high school into an open-enrollment arts academy. These efforts combined community preservation with economic growth, reflecting his commitment to equity-focused urban development.
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His early political career included serving as Deputy Campaign Manager for a congressional campaign and holding senior staff positions in the Illinois State Senate, where he worked on ethics reform, death penalty repeal, reentry policy, and school funding. Outside government, he held roles in civic organizations focused on education, tax policy, and equity, including work with the Chicago Urban League and Metropolitan Planning Council. These early experiences deepened his understanding of policy development and how collaboration creates lasting change.
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Beyond professional roles, community involvement has always been central to his life. Will Burns, Chicago, has served on multiple nonprofit boards and volunteered with faith-based and civic groups, focusing on expanding access to opportunity and strengthening local communities. His leadership earned recognition as an American Marshall Memorial Fellow and an Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow, honors highlighting his ability to build consensus and work across political and social divides. Although he now lives in Washington, D.C., with his family, he continues to carry forward the values and lessons learned in Chicago, where his dedication to service and collaborative problem-solving began.