We are delighted to introduce to you the seven globally-recognized scholars, thought leaders, and practitioners, who will serve as the inaugural cohort of our newly formed Senior Fellows Advisory Group.

For many years, the NEA Foundation has formally engaged the expertise, knowledge, and resources of several groups, such as the NEA Foundation Board of Directors, educators, the NEA’s executive leadership, corporate and philanthropic partners, and others. Guidance from our Senior Fellows will support further our local education reform projects that are co-developed by union leaders, educators, districts, and school administrators. Such work is a signature feature of the NEA Foundation Closing the Achievement Gaps Initiative and Institute for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, in which collaborative efforts aim to ensure a high-quality education for all students.

Drawing upon the unique talents and expertise of this prestigious group, the Foundation aims to bring critical thought leadership to deepen and accelerate improvement of systems to increase teaching effectiveness and the quality of academic and non-academic supports to students and their families.

Members of the NEA Foundation’s Senior Fellows Advisory Group are:

• 
  Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto.

• Gloria J. Ladson-Billings, Kellner Family Professor of Urban Education in Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

• Luke Merchlewitz, second grade teacher in Winona, MN, and adjunct faculty member at Winona State University.

•  Susan Moore Johnson, Jerome T. Murphy Professor in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and academic dean from 1993 to 1999.

• Pedro Noguera, Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education at New York University and former teacher, focusing on the influence of social and economic conditions in the urban environment on schools. 

• Mary Pinkston, high school math teacher in Delaware’s Brandywine School District, where she has been named Brandywine High School, District, and State Teacher of the Year.

• Jerry D. Weast, recently retired Superintendent of the Montgomery County Public Schools, the largest and most diverse school system in Maryland.
  

Read more about our inaugural Senior Fellows Advisory Group.