Dr. Jason Bransford is the Chief Executive Officer for Gem Innovation Schools (GIS). His primary responsibility is leading the growth and health of the GIS network of schools, ensuring the network remains mission focused. He oversees the management of overall operations and resources of the schools. 

Beginning in 2014, Jason co-founded GIS, the first non-profit charter school management organization in the State of Idaho. The network includes one state-wide virtual school as well as a growing number of  on-campus schools located across the state. At full capacity each school will serve grades K-12, with the network serving a total of over 2,600 students. 

Before the inception of the charter school network, Jason was part of a team that revitalized the state-wide virtual school, Idaho Distance Education Academy (now Gem Prep: Online), which subsequently received the highest state academic rating and the highest SAT scores of any district in the state. Building on the virtual school’s success, he worked with national education leaders and philanthropists to secure the financial, strategic, and operational support necessary to open the network’s  brick and mortar schools. 

Jason is deeply committed to his faith. He and his wife, Rebecca, are the proud parents of 5 children. He enjoys spending time with his family hunting, fishing, riding ATV's, and playing sports. Jason  earned a B.S. degree from Brigham Young University-Idaho, an M.S. degree from the University of Houston, an Ed. S. from Idaho State University, and his doctorate from the University of Utah. Jason was born and raised in Baytown, Texas.