Ray Lambert has been a part of the charter schools movement since 1999 and has led OCA since 2004. He has worked in several different settings with students of varied ages. Education is Mr. Lamberts’s second career; he retired after 25 years of military service. He holds a Master’s in Human Resources from Boston University as well as Educational Administration Licenses (4-9) and (9-12) from Xavier University.
Under his leadership, OCA has grown from 150 students in grades K-8 to more than 2,700 students enrolled in grades K-12. He also has led the school to an “Excellent” rating from the Ohio Department of Education for increasing student achievement and exceeding state standards for quality.
In November 2010, Mr. Lambert was named School Leader of the Year by the Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools (OAPCS). Mr. Lambert received the award during the Association’s 2010 State Conference for his contributions to increasing student achievement and enhancing the quality of education within Ohio’s charter schools.
In May 2011, Mr. Lambert won an award for Outstanding Leadership by an Individual in the Field of Distance Learning. He received the award during a ceremony in conjunction with USDLA's 2011 National Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the only recipient of the award in the online technology/pre K–12 category.
“Ray is focused on student achievement, continually challenging his staff to move students forward,” said Christy Lamb, assistant high school principal for OCA. “Ray is patient, fair, consistent and compassionate, and his leadership has moved OCA to excellence. School Leader of the Year is a well-deserved honor.”