Private School Growth Fund Names Stephanie Saroki de García Founding CEO

DENVER, October 28, 2026 – The Private School Growth Fund (PSGF), a new national initiative to expand the supply of high-quality private school seats, has named Stephanie Saroki de García as its founding chief executive officer. PSGF will officially launch on January 1, 2027, the same day the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC) takes effect.

“Every child deserves the opportunity to attend a great school where they can discover their potential and thrive,” said Hanna Skandera Grady, PSGF board chair and President and CEO of the Daniels Fund. “As we open new doors for families to choose the education that's right for their children, we must also create more great schools to offer new opportunities for them. Stephanie is a proven leader who knows how to turn bold ideas into thriving schools. I can't imagine a better person to lead this exciting new chapter in American education.”

School choice has expanded dramatically. Thirty-one states have opted into the new federal tax credit, and dozens of state programs now help families pay for the school that best fits their child. But the supply of quality private school seats has not kept pace. PSGF exists to close that gap. Starting in Colorado and expanding to other states, the fund will identify and back school leaders where family demand is strongest. PSGF will support a wide range of school models, from faith-based and classical schools to Montessori, STEM, and microschools.

“Parents across the country are gaining real purchasing power to choose their children’s schools,” said Stephanie Saroki de García. “The task now is to make sure great schools exist for them to choose. Too many promising founders never open their doors—blocked by the inability to secure a building, survive the first lean years, or cut through red tape. PSGF will build the infrastructure those schools need to launch, grow, and thrive. I’ve spent my career taking schools from vision to reality, and there has never been a more important moment for this work.”

Stephanie co-founded Seton Education Partners in 2009 and grew it from a two-person start-up into a national network serving 3,500 students every year. In the Bronx, she started the Brilla public charter network and the El Camino faith-formation program, and helped carry the work to the Rio Grande Valley with Brillante Academy. She took the nation’s first blended-learning Catholic school and replicated it across thirteen schools in nine cities. She co-led the creation of Romero Academies, and founded Seton Teaching Fellows, which now counts more than 350 alumni. Along the way, she built the facilities, philanthropic support, and operating capacity that allowed Seton to grow and thrive.

Earlier in her career, Stephanie launched and directed the Philanthropy Roundtable’s K–12 education programs and co-authored Saving America’s Urban Catholic Schools: A Guide for Donors. She began her career as a Teach For America corps member teaching high school English in Oakland, California. She holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

PSGF is anchored by founding partners Daniels Fund, Christian P. Anschutz Foundation, and Beth and Ravenel Curry Foundation. The founding board members are Jill Anschutz, Emily Cox, and Hanna Skandera Grady.