Speakers
Keynote Speakers | |
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Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission Mignon L. Clyburn was sworn in as a member of the Federal Communications Commission on August 3, 2009. Prior, Ms. Clyburn served for 11 years as the representative of South Carolina’s sixth district on the Public Service Commission of South Carolina (PSC). She served as chair of the PSC from July 2002 through June 2004. Most recently, Ms. Clyburn served as the chair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ (NARUC) Washington Action Committee and as a member of both the association’s Audit Committee and Utilities Market Access Partnership Board. Commissioner Clyburn is also a former chair of the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (SEARUC). Prior to the SC PSC, Commissioner Clyburn was publisher and general manager of The Coastal Times, a Charleston-based weekly newspaper that focused primarily on issues affecting the African American community. She owned and operated the family-founded newspaper. Prior to her appointment at the FCC, Commissioner Clyburn served on the South Carolina State Energy Advisory Council, the Trident Technical College Foundation, the South Carolina Cancer Center Board, the Columbia College Board of Visitors, the Palmetto Project Board (as secretary/treasurer) and has enjoyed previous service as chair of the YWCA of Greater Charleston and on the boards of Reid House of Christian Service, Edventure Children’s Museum, Trident Urban League and the Trident United Way. In addition, Commissioner Clyburn was previously appointed to the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee’s Common Ground School Improvement Committee and the Edventure Museum’s South Carolina Great Friend to Kids Committee. She also is a Life Member of the NAACP, a member of The Links, Inc. and the SC Advisory Council of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and was past president of the Charleston County Democratic Women and Black Women Entrepreneurs. |
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Director, Education Division, Center for Best Practices, National Governors Association As Director of the Education Division at the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Dane oversees all education-related policy research, analysis and resource development. He regularly provides consultation and tailored analysis to the nation’s governors on a host of issues including No Child Left Behind, early childhood, elementary and secondary, and postsecondary education. Under Dane’s leadership, NGA’s work continues to assist governors on developing policies that increase the number of students who graduate from high school ready for postsecondary education and the workplace. Recognized as a national expert in his field, Dane has authored numerous reports on issues ranging from school finance and teacher quality to school redesign and pay for performance. He recently spearheaded NGA’s national initiative Redesigning the American High School, launched by former Governor Mark Warner of Virginia during his tenure as NGA Chair. Currently, Mr. Linn is leading the Common Core Standards Initiative which is state-led process for developing national standards in English Language Art and mathematics. Prior to his work at NGA, Dane worked at the West Virginia Department of Education where he was responsible for ensuring the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Before that, he served as legislative liaison to the House of Delegates. His professional experience in education began as an elementary school teacher and principal. |
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Senator (D-WA), United States Senate Patty Murray never planned to enter politics, but today she is serving her fourth term in the U.S. Senate as a member of the Democratic Leadership. From the classroom to the Congress, Patty Murray has been an effective and tireless advocate for Washington’s working families. Originally known for her work on education and children’s issues, Murray has become a leading figure on transportation, border and port security, healthcare, economic development and veteran's issues. In the 1980’s, when a state politician told her she “couldn’t make a difference,” Murray led a grassroots coalition of 13,000 parents to save a local preschool program from budget cuts. She went on to serve on the local school board, and in 1988 was elected to the Washington State Senate. Murray is a unique voice in the United States Senate, where she is known for her down-to-earth, determined style. Patty Murray has drawn on her experience as a PTA member and a school board president to make education a national priority. She successfully sponsored the bill to help schools hire new, qualified teachers to reduce class size. She has worked to increase Pell grants to make college more affordable, is a national advocate for disadvantaged, homeless, and migrant students, and has fought for improvements to "No Child Left Behind." Senator Murray is a recognized champion for Washington's 670,000 veterans and veterans throughout the country. Murray is the daughter of a disabled World War II veteran and is the first woman to serve on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Senator Murray serves as the chair of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations subcommittee, which oversees the nation’s transportation and housing budget. Senator Murray is also a staunch advocate for America's aerospace industry and has been a leading critic of the Air Force's decision to give a $35 billion air tanker refueling contract to Airbus - a foreign-owned and subsidized company. Murray has been a champion for women and families. She has spearheaded efforts to close the pay gap, protect women in retirement, and increase access to child care. Murray helped write and pass the historic Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and helped reauthorize it in 2000 and 2005. Senator Murray is a proven leader on labor issues and is currently working to identify solutions to build "multiple pathways" for high school students to obtain long-term, family-wage jobs in the globally competitive market through training and education efforts. Senator Murray also continues to use her oversight role as Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety to protect workers at the workplace and to continue to fight for workers' rights to organize and collectively bargain. More at http://murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Biography |
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Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of Innovation & Improvement, U.S. Department of Education Jim Shelton is the assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement, managing a portfolio that includes most of the Department's competitive teacher quality, school choice and learning technology programs, housed in the Office of Innovation and Improvement. Previously, he served as a program director for the education division of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, managing the foundation's national programs and work in the northeast region of the United States. Shelton has also been a partner and the East Coast lead for NewSchools Venture Fund and co-founded LearnNow, a school management company that later was acquired by Edison Schools. He spent over four years as a senior management consultant with McKinsey & Company in Atlanta, Ga., where he advised CEOs and other executives on issues related to corporate strategy, business development, organizational design, and operational effectiveness. Upon leaving McKinsey, he joined Knowledge Universe, Inc., where he launched, acquired and operated education-related businesses. Shelton holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Atlanta's Morehouse College as well as master's degrees in business administration and education from Stanford University. Shelton currently resides in his hometown, Washington, D.C., with his wife, Sonia, and two sons, Justice and Jameson. |
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President, Alliance for Excellent Education Bob Wise is president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. He currently co-chairs the Digital Learning Council and chairs the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. As governor of West Virginia from 2001 to 2005, he fought for and signed legislation to fund the PROMISE Scholarship program and created the Governor’s Helpline for Safer Schools. From 1983 to 2001, Governor Wise served in the U.S. House of Representatives and as a member on the House Education and Labor Committee. Governor Wise serves on several boards including: the Public Education Network’s board of directors and the board of trustees of America’s Promise. |
Additional Speakers | |
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Deputy Secretary & Chief of Staff, Delaware Department of Education Dan Cruce is the Delaware Department of Education’s Deputy Secretary/Chief of Staff. Mr. Cruce received his Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law in Wilmington, Delaware and his Bachelor of Arts degree from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Prior to joining the Department, Mr. Cruce was the Assistant Superintendent/Chief of Staff for the Christina School District. Formerly, Mr. Cruce worked for the New Castle County Executive Office and Law Department. He was the first law clerk to The Honorable Kent A. Jordan, United States District Judge for the District of Delaware. Mr. Cruce was also Associate General Counsel for Corporation Service Company where he specialized in corporate legislative/compliance issues and Uniform Commercial Code product development. Additionally, he was a law clerk for Kent County Family Court. While attending law school, Mr. Cruce worked for former United States Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. in his Wilmington office. Mr. Cruce serves on the Board of Directors’ Executive Committee of the Delaware Theatre Company and is the President of both the Delaware Humane Association’s Board of Directors and the Delaware Arts Consortium Board of Directors. Mr. Cruce is also a Board member of the Wilmington HOPE Commission. |
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Director, Office of Federal Programs / Title I, Baltimore City Public Schools Tasha Franklin Johnson is an experienced educator currently serving as the Director of the Office of Federal Programs/Title I for the Baltimore City Public Schools. She is a former classroom teacher and school administrator with research interests in equitable education, culturally relevant practices, and teacher preparation in urban school systems. Dr. Johnson has extensive international and domestic teacher education experience preparing aspiring teachers and leaders to provide instructional services in urban schools. Dr. Johnson graduated from Southern Methodist University (SMU) with a BA in African American History and BBA in Organizational Behavior and Business Policy. She holds a masters degree in Education specializing in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University and a doctorate in Early Childhood, Elementary Education from New York University. |
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Coordinator of Educational Technology, Maine Department of Education Steve Garton is the Coordinator of Educational Technology for the Maine Department of Education. He provides oversight and logistical support for Maine’s education technology programs with a primary focus on the Maine Learning Technology Initiative providing 1-to-1 computing for the students in Maine. He sits on the board of the Maine School and Library Network, which provides bandwidth for most of Maine’s schools and libraries. Steve is co-chair of the Technology Approach subcommittee on the Smarter Balanced Consortium. He has been a presenter at several national conferences. He received his bachelor’s degrees in Math from Slippery Rock University and Piano Performance from Eastern Illinois University. His Masters is in Educational Technology from Youngstown State University. | |
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Executive Director, New York Regents' Research Fund Matthew Gross is Executive Director of the Regents Research Fund, which provides research, analysis, and supplemental capacity to the New York State Board of Regents and Education Department. In his role as the Fund’s first Executive Director, Matthew oversees the organization’s growth strategy, public-private partnerships and day-to-day operations. Matthew has played a leadership role in development of the Regents Research Fellows, a team of nationally-recognized thought leaders providing research, policy and design recommendations to the Regents and Department in support of statewide education reforms. Prior to joining the Fund, Matthew was Vice President of Planning & Resource Development at Pencil, a national leader in building private-sector partnerships with public schools that improve student achievement. Earlier, Matthew spent several years managing entrepreneurial ventures, including co-founding and serving as President of out-of-home media company Submedia. Matthew began his career as a Teach For America corps member, teaching music at C.S. 50 in the South Bronx. He holds a B.A. from Columbia University. | |
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Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and State Technical Assistance, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education Dr. Carl E. Harris was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and State Technical Assistance of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the United States Department of Education in January 2010. Prior to his appointment, Harris was Superintendent of Durham Public Schools (DPS), where he provided leadership for 53 schools and nearly 33,000 students in the North Carolina district. During his tenure as superintendent, he focused on advancing academic achievement, fostering relationships with parents, businesses and the community, and improving school leadership. Harris previously served the district as deputy superintendent and as assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. A native of Franklin County, N.C., Harris also served as superintendent of that public school system from 1999 until 2004, where he was instrumental in bringing about significant increases in student achievement for all ethnic groups. Harris has received numerous awards and distinctions for his contributions to education, including the Central Carolina Regional Superintendent of the Year award, the National Association for Gifted Children Educator Award, and the Franklin County Living Black Legend Award. In 2008, he received the University Council for Educational Administration Educational Leadership Award, becoming one of 33 educators recognized nationally and the only educator in the state of North Carolina to receive the honor. In addition to his roles as classroom teacher, coach, and district office administrator, Harris has served on the leadership teams of various professional organizations, including the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Steering Committee for Advanced Certification for School Administrators, the Central Carolina Regional Education Services Alliance, and the NC School Technology Commission. He is a past president of the North Carolina Association of School Administrators. |
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Senior Program Associate, Common Core State Standards, Council of Chief State School Officers At the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), Carrie Heath Phillips works on adoption and implementation of the Common Core State Standards (Common Core) and state accountability systems. Carrie has been involved with the Common Core initiative since its inception and, during the standards development process, was responsible for building support for the initiative among national education stakeholders. Prior to working at CCSSO, Carrie was a fellow on Capitol Hill for Senator Chris Dodd. She began her career in education as a fifth grade classroom teacher in the Chicago Public Schools. Carrie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Policy and a Master’s degree in Education from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. |
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Senior Education Policy Advisor, Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, Ranking Member Mike Enzi (R-WY) Lindsay Hunsicker is currently the Senior Education Policy Advisor for Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) on the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Her portfolio for the Committee focuses on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Head Start Act, but also includes education research, early childhood education, and child care issues. Prior to coming to the Committee, Hunsicker served as a Senior Legislative Assistant for Senator John Ensign (R-NV) for six years. In that position Hunsicker’s portfolio included education, labor, human services, and pension issues. She began her work on Capitol Hill with Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR). She holds a B.A. from the University of Washington. | |
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Director, State Relations and Policy Analysis, American Association of State Colleges and Universities Daniel Hurley has served as the Director of State Relations and Policy Analysis for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities since March 2007. The association, located in Washington, D.C., consists of some 420 public college and university presidents, chancellors and system heads from throughout the United States. In his capacity, Hurley provides analysis and commentary on a broad range of public policy issues affecting higher education at the campus, system, state and national level. His expertise includes issues related to college access, higher education finance, as well as economic issues associated with public postsecondary education. Hurley is coordinating the development of the AASCU Innovations Exchange, an online repository of institutional best practices at U.S. public universities spanning a broad range of issues critical to helping campuses' carry out their distinct missions. Prior to joining AASCU, Hurley served as the Director of University Relations and Administrative Services for the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan, based in Lansing. Prior to that, he served as the administrative assistant to the president of Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. Hurley has received degrees from four west Michigan public postsecondary institutions and served as an adjunct professor for three of his alma maters, teaching in the fields of communications, educational leadership, and public policy. |
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Vice President, Dutko Worldwide Anna Kimsey serves as a Vice President in Dutko Worldwide’s education practice where she manages a variety of corporate and non-profit education clients, and conducts education policy and industry research. In addition to providing counsel on Federal policy, Anna does extensive work at the state and local level – working with Governors’ offices, state departments of education, local officials, and school districts across the country. As a member of Dutko’s state and local team, Anna also helps to coordinate clients’ interaction with political organizations, including the National Governors Association, Republican Governors Association, Democratic Governors Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, and American Legislative Exchange Council. Anna’s past Washington experience includes work in CNN’s DC Bureau with National Correspondent, Bob Franken and CNN Productions. |
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Executive Director & Chair of NC RttT Proposal Committee, Friday Institute for Educational Innovation Glenn Kleiman is Executive Director of the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation and Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the NC State University College of Education. His current roles include servcie as Chair of the NC Race to the Top Proposal Development Committee, Co-Chair of the NC eLearning Commission's Teaching and Learning Subcommittee, and Member of the Governor's Education Transformation Commission, which provides oversight of the NC Race to the Top grant. A cognitive psychologist by background (Ph.D., Stanford, 1977), his work in education has spanned basic and applied research, curriculum development, software development, providing professional development for teachers and administrators, policy analyses, and consulting for school districts and state departments of education. Prior to joining NC State in July 2007, he was, since 1985, Vice President and Senior Research Scientist at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) in Newton MA, where he most recently directed the Center for Online Professional Education and was Co-Director of the Northeast and Islands Regional Education Lab. He was also on the faculty of the Harvard Graduate School of Education from 1995-2007 and was educational chair of the Harvard/EDC Leadership and the New Technologies Institutes. |
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Writer, Politics K-12, Education Week Alyson Klein covers federal policy for Education Week and writes the Politics K-12 blog, with Michele McNeil. She joined Education Week after nearly two years at CongressDaily and internships at the Chronicle of Higher Education, and the Baltimore Sun. She holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. |
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Senior Vice President, Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers Consortium (PARCC) , Achieve Laura McGiffert Slover joined Achieve in 1998, shortly after governors and business leaders created the organization. As senior vice president, Laura has senior responsibility for leading a new unit at Achieve that is tasked with overseeing the design, development and implementation of the next generation assessment system developed by the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a consortium of 26 states that received a Race to the Top assessment award. Laura began her career as a high school English language arts teacher in Eagle County, Colorado, where she was involved in the district's early efforts to develop standards and benchmark assessments. She also taught writing and composition at Colorado Mountain College. Since she joined Achieve in 1998, she has held a number of positions, most recently Vice President for Content and Policy Research. In that role, she led Achieve's work in the area of standards and assessments, including its efforts on the development of Common Core State Standards and the launch and oversight of the 15 state American Diploma Project (ADP) Assessment Consortium, one of two existing multistate assessment partnerships. She also provided senior leadership for Achieve’s benchmarking and alignment initiatives in English, mathematics and science; its international benchmarking analyses; and its overall research agenda and technical assistance to states. She currently serves on the DC State Board of Education. |
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Technology Resource Supervisor, Loudoun County Public Schools Lynn McNally has served as the Technology Resource Supervisor for Loudoun County Public Schools since 2005. Loudoun County continues to weigh in as one of the faster growing school districts in the United States. One critical factor in managing successful growth is the district’s ability to carefully plan and coordinate defined programs and systems, managed appropriately with policy and procedures. To that end, in her current position, Lynn sits on the Loudoun Tech Planning Team and the School Board Tech Steering Committee, oversees a software review/management system, supports 75 Technology Resource Teachers and their Technology Assistants who provide professional development and support to classroom teachers, and manages a technology leadership professional development program for administrators. She holds a MS degree in Instructional Technology from Shenandoah University and has experience as an administrator, teacher, professional developer, and curriculum writer in K-12, higher ed, and other educational organizations including the Discovery Channel and the Smithsonian Institute. | |
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Coordinator, Technology Policy, New York State Education Department Dr. Lawrence Paska leads the New York State Education Department's Office of Educational Design and Technology, which is responsible for the implementation of the Statewide Learning Technology Plan for the University of the State of New York (USNY), the state’s interconnected system of educational services overseen by the New York State Board of Regents. He develops policies and initiatives to foster and implement educational technologies across learning and teaching environments statewide, in partnership with other NYSED offices, and state and national organizations. Currently, Larry is developing a statewide virtual learning network and policies to support “next generation learning”. Larry was previously an Associate in Social Studies Education at NYSED, serving as a statewide curriculum and assessment specialist for P-12 social studies education. He also served as a middle school social studies teacher in the New Rochelle and Oceanside school districts, both in New York. He is also an adjunct professor of education at the University at Albany (State University of New York), where he will teach his first online course this summer. Larry is an ex-officio Board member of NYSCATE (New York State Association for Computers and Technology in Education) and Learning Forward New York (the former NYS Staff Development Council). He is also an active member of ISTE, ASCD, the National Council for the Social Studies, and the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA). |
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Vice President for National Programs and Policy, Thomas B. Fordham Institute Mike Petrilli is Vice President for National Programs and Policy at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where he oversees the Institute's research projects and publications, including The Education Gadfly. He is also research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, Executive Editor of Education Next, and contributor to Fordham's Flypaper blog. Petrilli is author, with Frederick M. Hess, of No Child Left Behind: A Primer. He comes to the Institute from the U.S. Department of Education, where he served as Associate Assistant Deputy Secretary in the Office of Innovation and Improvement. In that role, he oversaw approximately two-dozen discretionary grant programs that support a variety of education reforms, including alternate routes to certification, charter schools, and more, and helped to implement the No Child Left Behind act. Before working at the Department of Education, he was Vice President of Community Partnerships at K12, an Internet education company. He started his career as a teacher at the Joy Outdoor Education Center in Clarksville, Ohio. Mr. Petrilli holds a Bachelor's degree in Honors Political Science from the University of Michigan and a teaching certificate in high school social studies. He lives with his wife Meghan and sons Nico and Leandro in Takoma Park, Maryland |
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Director of Academic Achievement, Council of the Great City Schools Dr. Ricki Price-Baugh serves as the Director of Academic Achievement for the Council of the Great City Schools, the nation’s primary coalition of large urban public school systems. She directly assists urban districts in enhancing instructional systems to boost student achievement. Additionally, she participates in researching instructional materials and practices associated with improved student achievement. She has taken an active role in the Council’s efforts to call for and advance common standards for our nation’s schools. Price-Baugh retired as the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instructional Development in the Houston Independent School District, where she led the development and implementation of the Prekindergarten-12 curriculum, professional development for administrators and teachers, and the district’s alternative teacher certification program. Her prior experience included teaching at the secondary school level for 13 years and serving as the district’s K-12 software resource coordinator before joining the Curriculum Department as the director of educational programs. She has also taught curriculum theory and practice for aspiring principals at the University of Houston. Dr. Price-Baugh received her B.A. degree from Tulane University and her M.A. from the University of Maryland. She earned her Doctor of Education in Educational Administration from Baylor University. | |
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Co-Founder and Partner, Bellwether Education Partners Andrew J. Rotherham is a co-founder and partner at Bellwether Education Partners, a non-profit organization working to improve educational outcomes for low-income students. Rotherham leads Bellwether’s thought leadership, idea generation, and policy analysis work. He also writes a weekly column on education for TIME.com as well as the blog Eduwonk.com and is co-publisher of “Education Insider” a federal policy research tool produced by Whiteboard Advisors. Rotherham previously served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy during the Clinton administration and is a former member of the Virginia Board of Education. In addition to Bellwether, Rotherham has founded or co-founded two other influential education reform organizations including Education Sector and served on the boards of several other successful education start-ups. Rotherham is the author or co-author of more than 125 articles, book chapters, papers, and op-eds about education policy and politics and is the author or editor of four books on education policy. He is a senior fellow at the Center for Reinventing Public Education and also at the PostPartisan Foundation. He serves on advisory boards and committees for a variety of organizations including The Broad Foundation, Education Pioneers, and the National Governors Association. He is on the board of directors for the Indianapolis Mind Trust and the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia and serves on the Visiting Committee for the Harvard Graduate School of Education. |
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Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of Representative Denny Rehberg (R-MT), Chairman, Labor, HHS & Education Appropriations Subcommittee Kristin McKenzie Smith: Kristin is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Congressman Denny Rehberg from Montana. Rep. Rehberg is Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee. Prior to joining Rep. Rehberg's office, Kristin was Vice President at the Alpine Group, a government relations consulting firm. At Alpine, Kristin represented the firm's technology, media and telecommunications clients. Kristin began her government career in the United States Senate. She worked for Senator Conrad Burns from Montana from 2001 to 2005 and Senator Olympia J. Snowe from Maine from 2005 to 2007. Kristin earned her B.A. in biology and M.A. in Legislative Affairs from the George Washington University. She also holds a M.A. in Communication, Culture and Technology from Georgetown University. | |
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Director of the Postsecondary Education Program, Center for American Progress Louis Soares is the Director of the Postsecondary Education Program at the Center for American Progress. Louis brings more than 15 years of private, nonprofit, and public sector experience, and expertise in state strategy and incentives for economic development, adult literacy, and workforce development. He has worked as a nonprofit director, educator, policy analyst, volunteer, and advocate across the fields of workforce, education, and economic development. A leader in workforce development and human capital issues, Louis has published articles and op-eds on workforce and innovation. Prior to joining American Progress, he served as director of business development at the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation where he managed Rhode Island’s business attraction, export assistance, government contracting, and small business initiatives from 2003 to 2006. As director of education and training for the Rhode Island Technology Council from 2000 to 2002, Louis developed and managed a workforce training strategy for a 240-member trade association, which included implementing education-business partnerships at the high school, college, and corporate levels to align with relevant workplace skills. He also was a small business consultant with the U.S. Peace Corps in Romania in 1995 and 1996. Soares holds a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in business economics from Brown University. |
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Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Education Joanne Weiss is Chief of Staff to the United States Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. She joined the Department in 2009 to serve as Senior Advisor to the Secretary and Director of the Race to the Top Fund. In this capacity, she led the Department's $4.35B Race to the Top program, designed to encourage and reward States making system-wide, comprehensive, and coherent education reforms. Prior to joining the Administration, Joanne was Partner and Chief Operating Officer at NewSchools Venture Fund, a venture philanthropy firm working to transform public education by supporting education entrepreneurs and connecting their work to systemic change. At NewSchools, Joanne focused on investments and management assistance for a variety of charter management organizations, human capital solutions providers, and academic tools and systems designers; in addition, she oversaw the organization's operations. Prior to her work at NewSchools, Joanne was Chief Executive Officer of Claria Corporation, an e-services recruiting firm that helped emerging-growth companies build their teams quickly and well. She previously spent twenty years in the design, development, and marketing of technology-based products and services for education. She was co-founder, Chief Executive Officer, and before that, Vice President of Products and Technologies at Academic Systems, a company that helped under-prepared college students succeed in mathematics and writing. Joanne also served as Executive Vice President of Business Operations at Wasatch Education Systems, where she led product development, customer service, and operations for this K-12 educational technology company. She began her career as Vice President of Education R&D at Wicat Systems, where she was responsible for the development of nearly 100 multimedia curriculum and assessment products for K-12 schools. Joanne has a passion for education, and has spent much of her career pioneering innovative work to increase the effectiveness of teaching and learning processes. She holds a degree in biochemistry from Princeton University. |
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Senior Education Counsel, Office of Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee Peter Zamora, Senior Education Counsel, Office of Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee | |
