User Profile

Chief School Officer, Secondary Transformation, Houston Independent School District

Jason Bernal serves as the chief school officer of secondary transformation for the Houston Independent School District. He was previously with YES Prep Public Schools, where he was named president in May 2011 and CEO in August 2013. At YES Prep, Jason worked closely with the senior leadership team and the board of trustees to set the strategic direction for YES Prep as well as manage daily operations. Under Jason's leadership, the organization has grown to 13 campuses, 700 employees, and 7,000 students. In 2012, YES Prep won the inaugural Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools and was named the "most outstanding" charter management organization in the country. In addition, multiple YES Prep campuses have been named EPIC award winners, Blue Ribbon schools, and ranked in the 100 top public high schools in the country by US News and World Report. Jason began his career with YES Prep as a teacher in December 1997 as a teacher and worked his way up in the organization holding the positions of school director, head of schools, and vice president of operations. He holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish from Montana State University-Billings and a master's degree in educational leadership from Sam Houston State University. Jason is a Fellow of the 9th class of the Pahara-Aspen Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.