What is FerskenED?

Chase Eskelsen, M.Ed.

Chase Eskelsen serves as the owner and principal at FerskenED.

Prior to starting FerskenED, Chase was the Chief Operations Officer at an education nonprofit focused on creating and launching new blended learning schools and programs. Under his leadership, the nonprofit launched two blended programs and acquired an international online school with hybrid components.

His educational background started at a full-time online charter school in Texas where he oversaw the operations of the school including attendance and truancy, state testing, registrars, enrollment, and main office tasks. He was then able to launch a second full-time online district school in the state. His team was able to grow enrollment from about 1,400 to approximately 8,000 at the charter and 0 students the first year to about 6,000 students when he departed the district school.

He then transitioned to a role with a major EdTech company supporting the academic policy and public and government affairs teams. He ended his time with this organization as the national director of board and partner relations.

Chase holds a M.Ed. in School Administration. In his free time he enjoys traveling, spending time in the mountains, gardening, and utilizing his sourdough starter in new recipes with his wife and three kids.

Jessica Shopoff, M.Ed.

Jessica Shopoff serves as the Director of Policy for the Texas Public Charter Schools Association. She is responsible for championing the Association’s efforts to reform charter school policy in Texas as they pursue the mission to ensure every family has the ability to choose a high-quality public school.

Prior to joining TPCSA, Jessica was a Harvard Strategic Data Project Fellow and School and Market Analyst for the Learn4Life network of dropout recovery charter schools. She is an educator at heart and her professional career includes time spent as an elementary teacher, online charter high school lead advisor, regional data specialist and trainer, and accountability policy specialist. She is a self-professed data nerd and policy wonk who believes that zip codes should not determine a child’s future.

Jessica holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Texas at Dallas and a M.Ed in Educational Technology Leadership from Lamar University. She lives in San Antonio, and in her free time enjoys reading, watching football, hiking, and camping in the Texas Hill Country with her husband, four kids, and two dogs.