Chas Ackley

Executive Director, Baltimore

Chas is a seasoned educator, coach, mentor, and administrator with 12+ years of experience in education and nonprofit management. Before joining Urban Alliance, he served as the Chief Program Officer, Target Investment Zone (TIZ) for the Living Classrooms Foundation. In his role, he oversaw all operations, programming, partnerships, and overall strategy. Before joining Living Classrooms, he was a Baltimore City Middle School teacher at The Crossroads School. During this time, he founded the BeMore Athletic League in order to give middle school students greater access and opportunity to participate in sports. Today, the league serves over 1,000 students in six sport options for over 20 Baltimore City Schools. 

Chas holds a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Penn State University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. He is driven to amplify the lives of young people in Baltimore by improving access to opportunity through education and workforce pathways. As a native and survivor of Upstate NY winters, Chas is a now proud Marylander, with his wife Katie, and two children.