When Nanette Merrill took the helm of the Idaho Charter School Association last July, she knew she had a lot to learn. She had spent years opening and running schools in the Gem Prep network, but leading a brand-new statewide association meant mastering a different set of skills: legislative advocacy, coalition building, and unifying a diverse charter sector under one organizational voice. Six months in, Merrill said the experience has been both exhilarating and humbling. “It’s been an exciting learning curve,” Merrill said. “I naively thought I knew charters coming in. But there’s another whole layer of the wonderful work that’s happening.”