Raena Janes has added another title to her growing list of accomplishments: mom, mentor, school superintendent, volunteer, crusader for high- quality Arizona education, and now Phoenix Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree. The 38-year-old superintendent of three Arizona charter school systems was one of 40 business, non-profit, government and community leaders honored on Thursday, June 16 by Phoenix Business Journal as one of 2011’s best young leaders in the Phoenix metro area.

In its 11th year, the well-known Phoenix Business Journal 40 Under 40 Program recognizes local leaders who have achieved impressive milestones in their careers while significantly contributing to the Valley’s overall quality of life.

“I am incredibly flattered to have been recognized and included among such an impressive list of Phoenix leaders,” said Janes, who joined a 2011 40 Under 40 list including influential community members such as Cynthia Aragon of the Arizona House of Representatives.

Janes is the Superintendent of Heritage Elementary School, a growing tuition-free charter school in Glendale that is part of a thriving three-school, five-campus charter system that Janes founded in 2002 and which includes Liberty Charter School in Phoenix and La Paloma Academy in Tucson. She will be adding a sixth campus to her charter school system later this summer, with La Paloma Academy - Saddleback scheduled to open in Douglas in the fall for the 2011/2012 school year.

Raena Janes was nominated for this prestigious 40 Under 40 honor by Jackie Trujillo- Watins, Chief Academic Officer of La Paloma Academy in Tucson. Trujillo-Watins has been inspired, mentored and motivated by Janes throughout her career in education.

In her nomination, Trujillo-Watins noted, “I’ve watched firsthand how parents appreciate the well-rounded education their children receive. It is amazing to be part of the journey working with her.”

In 2002, Janes began working toward her dream of turning an Arizona school in danger of closing into a learning environment that she could be proud to have her own children attend. She applied for a charter and started her first school, La Paloma Academy, with 350 students and a focus on character-based education, emphasizing family values and community service along with academics. In less than six years, that school evolved into three flourishing schools with multiple campuses in three cities, serving more than 3,000 students. The charter system’s successes include increased enrollment at all three schools, a State of Arizona “Performing Plus School” rating, and a school whose seventh graders scored among the highest in the state on the 2010 AIMS test. Another school received the State of Arizona’s Excellence in Education Award.

To learn more about Heritage Elementary School in Glendale, please visit www.hesglendale.org. To learn more about Liberty Traditional Charter School in Phoenix, please visit www.ltsphoenix.org. For more information about La Paloma Academy in Tucson, please visit www.lpatucson.org.

About Heritage Elementary School
Heritage Elementary School, founded in 2002, is one of Arizona’s fastest-growing charter school systems. The tuition-free, character-based charter school is home to two campuses, one in Glendale and one in Williams, and serves more than 1,000 students in preschool through eighth grade. Both the Glendale and Williams locations offer bus/van transportation. Students that go to Williams are offered a 5-day school week, while traditional schools in the area have been cut back to 4 days. Raena Janes, an active advocate for Arizona education and charter schools, is the superintendent of Heritage Elementary School. Visit the school’s website online at www.hesglendale.org.