Nancy Hopkins-Evans is the Chief Academic Officer of LEAP Academy University Charter School, a kindergarten through 12th-grade public charter in Camden, New Jersey.
Utilizing her 15 years of experience in school leadership, public education and higher education, Dr. Evans leads LEAP Academy’s academic mission and instruction and helps prepare students to become global citizens and to meet the challenges of a college education. She also coaches faculty, supports parents, engages the community and directs the school’s expanding focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
Dr. Evans is an expert chemist and scientist who completed her Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry at the University of Michigan’s Medical School in Ann Arbor. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at Chestnut Hill College, Dr. Evans completed her master’s degree in Chemistry at Villanova University and went on to her doctorate. Later she completed three years of postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics from 1994 to 1997 and an eight-month placement at the Department of Cancer Research at Merck Research Labs.
Professionally, Dr. Evans served in the School District of Philadelphia for nine years as an instructional leader. Her work in the district included time as a Deputy Chief for High School Reform, the Director of High School Curriculum and a special assistant to the Deputy Superintendent; in these roles Dr. Evans helped increase focus on math and science education and STEM careers in the nation’s 10th-largest school district (with over 178,000 students).
Her career in science also included five years as an Associate Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at Rutgers University, where she still teaches courses as an adjunct professor. Together, her experience in both K-12 and higher education play a valuable part in her role as Chief Academic Officer to maintain and improve LEAP Academy’s rigorous STEM and college preparatory curriculum.
Dr. Evans has received numerous honors and awards for her academic and professional work, including the Leadership for Large Scale Improvement award from the Harvard Institute for School Leadership, a “Who’s Who in Science and Engineering” honor in 1999 and postdoctoral fellowships from the Ford Foundation, the United Negro College Fund, the National Research Service Award and the National Institutes of Health.
The mission of the LEAP Academy University Charter School is to enhance opportunities for the children and families of the City of Camden through the collaborative design, implementation, and integration of education, health, and human services and through community development.
All LEAP faculty are issued and maintain a class web page, where students and parents may visit to find daily homework assignments, classroom news and events, and communicate freely with teachers.
Grades K–6 | Grades 7–12
