Despite government interest in expanding charter schools within Virginia, very little is known about how these charter schools are led (Balow, 2022; Lehnen, 2016; Tyler, 2022; Youngkin, 2022). Research supports that leadership is a significant influence on the success of a school and, therefore, a critical component to understanding how to create new, successful charter schools in the state (Bell et al., 2019; Finn et al., 2016; Oberfield, 2017). Given the paucity of research on how to lead successful Virginia charter schools, this is an important topic to study. This mixed methods, grounded theory (MM-GT) study aims to explore the traits and behaviors of effective leadership within successful secondary charter schools in Virginia, using self-reported data through surveys and interviews of three leaders of long-established, successful secondary charter schools in Virginia. The research was guided by a primary research question: What are the leadership traits of effective principals of a charter school in Virginia, and three secondary questions: What distal and proximal leadership traits do effective charter school principals in Virginia have? How does the unique context and environment of Virginia charter schools impact the role of an effective leader? How do Virginia charter school principals perceive and appraise their leadership skills? First, each school's full state accreditation status 3 was verified, then the leaders had the opportunity to self-evaluate their leadership skills using the "Northouse Leadership Traits Questionnaire (LTQ)" survey; finally, each participant was interviewed on-site at their charter school. The findings provided insight into traits that are innate to these leaders, as well as traits that can be learned and shared by the charter school leaders. Some of the findings supported the expansion of learning designs to equip potential leader candidates better, while some indicated practices of potential leadership candidates. Participants indicated that the most important practice of their role is to support students and focus on students' success above all else. In addition, participants further expressed that relationship building was the most important skill in ensuring success as a leader of a charter school in Virginia. Additionally, this study bridges key theoretical concepts of leadership to the traits practiced by these leaders. The study concludes by supporting the growth of charter schools in the state by recognizing the key strengths of the existing charter school design and the unique role of charter school leaders in Virginia, as well as identifying professional networks that are potential growth areas for Virginia. A new educational toolbox is needed for districts looking to grow charter schools in Virginia. Effective charter school leaders in the state require preparation, training, and specific professional experiences to best serve the environment's unique needs. A protocol is needed to encourage the growth and development of effective, potential leaders for future charter schools in Virginia. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]