Mark H. Chichester, JD, Chair is a Co-founder and President of Atlas Research. He brings more than 17 years of executive and board service experience to the firm. Chichester plays an active role in developing and directing corporate growth strategy; oversees the Atlas strategic advisory, strategic communications, and federal advisory committee teams; and manages the firm’s corporate advisory board and the recently established Atlas Institute, providing client solutions for organizational learning, performance, and assessment. Chichester holds a faculty appointment in the Health Systems Administration Department at Georgetown University, where he has lectured on global health and public-private partnerships in public health.
Before Atlas, Chichester was a Vice President and the Executive Director of the Socrates Society at The Aspen Institute, where he developed and oversaw a portfolio of programs and seminars on contemporary leadership issues, including bioethics and health care, climate change and energy sustainability, international security, media, religion, leadership, democracy, technology, and innovation. Participants included entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, private equity and hedge fund managers, journalists, new media executives, congressional staffers, military officers and NGO leaders. During his tenure with The Aspen Institute, Chichester collaborated with private and public sector thought leaders, and worked with senior officials who have served in the Obama, Clinton, Bush, and Reagan Administrations. He conceived and led the development of the Socrates Society Salon Series, inaugurated in Silicon Valley in 2008, and served on the Institute's Venture Fund Committee.
Prior to joining The Aspen Institute, Chichester was Director of the Division of Policy Studies and Research at UNCF Special Programs Corporation, where he provided leadership of the Institute for International Public Policy and the Center for Assessment, Planning and Accountability. Before serving as division director, Chichester was Executive Director of the Institute for International Public Policy, where he was responsible for developing and managing $20 million in portfolio projects and initiatives.
Chichester was an Associate in the General Instrument Corporation government affairs office, where he was responsible for open-source business intelligence projects related to high-definition television technical standard adoption; and, prior to that, while a law student in Foggy Bottom, served on the Director General’s Policy Coordination Staff at the U.S. Department of State.
Chichester has been a member of the U.S. Army Chief of Staff’s Eisenhower National Security Series Working Group, where he organized programs on the impacts and role culture on national security; a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, where he co-chaired the Washington Term Member Advisory Committee; and a District of Columbia Human Rights Commissioner. He is also a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and of the Institute of International Strategic Studies. Chichester was appointed to the U.S. Trade Representative’s Trade Advisory Committee on Africa, and serves on a variety of nonprofit and corporate boards, including the Forum on Education Abroad. Chichester holds degrees in business and law from The George Washington University, where he received the George Washington Award, the Martin Luther King Medal for Outstanding Contributions in Human Rights, and the Baer Leadership Award. Chichester held a Shapiro Fellowship in the Republic of Korea, and he has been an Executive Seminarian of the Aspen Institute.
Elizabeth Oliver-Farrow, Immediate Past Chair
Chairman and CEO The Oliver Group, Inc. Washington, DCElizabeth Oliver-Farrow, Immediate Past Chair, is Chairman and CEO of The Oliver Group, Inc., a public policy and environmental communications firm based in Washington, DC. She brings 40 years of public relations, marketing and production experience to this woman-owned company. She serves on several corporate boards including Carefirst, Inc., is Chair of the Service and Quality Oversight Committee and serves on the Mission and Oversight Committee; Group Hospitalization and Medical Services, Inc. (d/b/a CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield); and the Advisory Board of Comcast Cable of Washington, DC. Since 1995, she has served as a Trustee of the Hispanic College Fund and was recently the Chair of the Board.
Oliver-Farrow has received numerous awards in recognition of her contributions to the business community: 2009 Latina Leader (from the National Puerto Rican Coalition, Inc.); 2006 Hispanic Visionary Award from the New York City,Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; 2005 100 Top Latinas, Hispanic Magazine; 2002 International Leadership Award, Mexican American Chamber of Commerce; 2002 Civic Leadership Award, Hispanic Magazine; 2000 Businesswoman of the Year, New York Federation of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce; 1996 Businesswoman of the Year Award, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; 1993 Blue Chip Award, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and numerous others.
Under her leadership as President and CEO of LISBOA, Inc., Oliver-Farrow received the 2003 Thoth Award Certificate of Excellence from the Public Relations Society of America, National Capital Chapter; 1997 Gold and Bronze CINDY Awards in Public Service category from International Association of Audio-Visual Communicators; 1997 CINDY Honorable Mentions in Public Service and Public Information categories, from International Association of Audio-Visual Communicators; and 1997 Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington Annual Show Award in Regional/National Radio Advertising.
Donna Meacham Blackman, CPA
Vice President, Development Asset Management Marriott International Inc. Bethesda, MDDonna Meacham Blackman is a Finance, Accounting and Project Management Executive recognized for her ability to maximize corporate results and individual performance. She is currently Vice President, Development Asset Management for Marriott International, Inc., a leading lodging company with more than 3,700 lodging properties in 74 countries and territories.
As Vice President, Development Asset Management, Blackman is responsible for providing single point accountability for achieving company goals through project management and analytical, transactional, and negotiation expertise for both pipeline development deals in Europe and existing properties in Europe and the Americas. Prior to her most recent role, Blackman held several finance leadership positions at Marriott including Vice President, Finance - Global Lodging Services, Vice President, Investor Relations and Director, Financial Reporting and Accounting Policy. Prior to joining Marriott, Blackman was a Senior Manager with KPMG LLP in New York and Washington, DC, where she served a variety of both public and private clients in the financial services, broadcasting, University and Not for Profit industries.
In addition to serving on the Board of the NEA Foundation, Blackman currently serves as Treasurer for the BE Great Foundation. She previously served on the Board for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of Inroads, the Women and Family Issues Executive Committee of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and as Vice President of the Washington DC chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants.
She holds an MBA degree from the Robert H Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Accounting from North Carolina State University.
Kimberly Oliver Burnim, 2006 Teacher of the Year
Kindergarten Teacher Broad Acres Elementary Silver Spring, MDKimberly Oliver Burnim began her teaching career in Montgomery County Public Schools in 2000. Determined to make a difference in the lives of at risk children, she chose to teach at Broad Acres Elementary, a culturally and linguistically diverse school in Silver Spring, Maryland. The state was considering Broad Acres for reconstitution at that time due to several years of declining test scores, but the district decided to restructure the school internally. During this process, Burnim served as a teacher leader and is credited with having a major role in the instructional design of the school. Significant school-wide gains in student achievement have been made. Broad Acres has achieved Adequate Yearly Progress for several consecutive years, meeting or exceeding all requirements for the No Child Left Behind Act.
Now in her second decade of teaching, Burnim still believes that all students are capable of achieving. As the "first teacher" for many of her students, she strives to instill in them a love of learning. She values high quality early childhood education and advocates for our youngest learners.
Burnim demonstrates commitment to her own professional development as well. In 2004, she achieved National Board Certification as an Early Childhood Generalist. She also is dedicated to the professional development of her colleagues and serves as a teacher trainer for the district.
Burnim has received numerous awards and in 2006, she was named the National Teacher of the Year. Following a year as a full-time education spokesperson and advocate, she is back in her classroom. However, Burnim continues to speak to groups nationwide, sharing her story, advocating for students as well as teachers, and spreading her enthusiasm for education.
John Stocks, Secretary–Treasurer, became Executive Director of the National Education Association on September 1, 2011. Stocks is a national leader in the fight to transform America’s public schools. Since 2003, he has served as a top-ranking official of the 3.2 million-member National Education Association, the nation’s largest union, with a $330 million budget and 555 staff. NEA and its 51 affiliates across the country represent members at every level of education, from pre-school to university graduate programs.
As NEA’s Deputy Executive Director, Stocks has spearheaded NEA’s top policy, political and membership priorities. He has helped chart a new course for NEA, mobilizing its ranks in support of improving the federal No Child Left Behind law, transforming its political organization, and building new strategic alliances to champion public education.
Stocks’ commitment to public education spans decades. From 1990-2003, Stocks served as the Assistant Executive Director for Public Affairs at the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), which represents 98,000 Wisconsin teachers and school employees. During his tenure, he oversaw WEAC’s Public Relations, Legislative, Political Action, and Teaching and Learning departments. While at WEAC, Stocks championed legislative efforts to expand early childhood education, improve student achievement, lower class sizes, and ensure comprehensive standards for teachers.
Prior to joining WEAC, Stocks served as the Executive Director of Idaho Fair Share, a grassroots citizen action organization dedicated to keeping utility rates affordable for working families. In that capacity, he spearheaded legislation to equalize the playing field for low and moderate income utility ratepayers.
In 1988, Stocks successfully ran for State Senate in Kootenai County, Idaho, defeating a four-term incumbent. As a State Senator, he served on the Commerce and Labor, Health and Welfare, Human Resources, and Judiciary and Rules Committees. One of his proudest legislative achievements came after he successfully shepherded legislation to improve protections for people who were facing foreclosure on their homes due to family medical crises.
Previously, Stocks was a chief architect of the Idaho Senate Democrats’ re-election strategies, securing seven new Senate seats and protecting all incumbents over three election cycles.
Stocks has been recognized by leading national organizations for his contributions to the fight for progressive social change. In 2007, Stocks was honored by the Midwest Academy, a national grassroots training institute with a long tradition of preparing progressive leaders to lead social change. During this time, he was also honored by the national Ballot Initiative Strategy Center for his use of groundbreaking ballot strategies to support sound public policy and beat back harmful measures.
Stocks is a graduate of the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. He and his wife, Connie, have two children, J.T. and Emily.
Robert Lee Adams Jr.
Independent Researcher and Consultant Battle Creek, MIRobert Adams Jr. recently served as Interim Chief Operating Officer at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, GA. Previously, he served as a Program Officer at The Fetzer Institute, a private operating foundation in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He is an education policy specialist and advocate who holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from The University of Texas at Austin. He has conducted extensive research in the area of education reform and equity in the United States and abroad, including Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa.
Adams has taught and directed research projects at DePaul University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and The Graduate Center of The City University of New York. During the fall of 2008, he was Fulbright scholar at the Catholic University of São Paulo in Brazil. His research articles and reviews have appeared in African and Black Diaspora, Anthropology News, American Ethnologist, Identities, Safundi: The Journal of South African and American Studies, and Transforming Anthropology.
Crystal Brown
Chief Communications Officer and Executive Director of Communications The University of Maryland College Park, MDCrystal Brown is a public relations and communications veteran and has spent her career developing PR and communications strategies for a number of corporate, nonprofit and foundation clients. Currently, she is the Chief Communications Officer and Executive Director of Communications at The University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to accepting that position, she was Vice President of the education practice at Widmeyer Communications where she managed multiple education clients and teams. In this role she also oversaw strategy for the firm’s largest client, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Brown is recognized for delivering solid strategic counsel, high-impact results and creative media and social media campaigns. Her broad range of expertise includes PR, marketing communications, digital media, public affairs and crisis communications.
Prior to Widmeyer Communications, Brown served as the Senior Vice President of Marketing Communications for E-Luminate Group, a marketing and PR firm specializing in education technology and education policy. In this role, Brown oversaw the communications practice, including profit and loss, and the delivery of communications services across accounts. During her tenure, she successfully raised the national profile of many long-term clients, including the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, Dell, LeapFrog, Blackboard, NEA Member Benefits, The Institute for Museums & Library Services, 3M, and the National Council on the Aging.
She is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Rhetoric and Communications Skills. Brown enjoys travelling, reading and spending time with her husband Michael and their two young children, Camille and Chase.
Jeremiah Collins joined Bredhoff & Kaiser, P.L.L.C. in 1976 and his practice spans a wide range of areas. He has litigated cases in federal and state courts across the country on subjects including constitutional law, education law, employment discrimination, RICO, OSHA agency fees, political activities, and employee benefits. Collins has extensive experience in appellate litigation and has argued five cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, in twelve federal courts of Appeals, and in state appellate courts.
He has been chief negotiator for unions in both the public and private sectors, and has represented unions in numerous arbitration proceedings and significant grievance arbitration cases. He also speaks frequently at attorney conferences on education law issues and other topics.
Collins received his BA magna cum laude from St. John’s College in 1971, and his JD from Stanford Law School in 1976 where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and assisted Professor G. Gould (later Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board) with litigation and publications.
Sharon Gallagher-Fishbaugh, known to her second-grade students at Salt Lake City’s Dilworth Elementary as “Mrs. G.,” left the classroom in 2010 to serve a three-year term as President of the 18,000-member Utah Education Association. She was elected to the office by her fellow educators in a statewide vote.
The Utah State Office of Education named Gallagher-Fishbaugh the 2009 Utah Teacher of the Year. In April 2010, the NEA Foundation awarded her its top honor, the $25,000 NEA Member Benefits Award for Teaching Excellence.
Gallagher-Fishbaugh is a National Board Certified Teacher, a distinction earned by just 82,000 teachers nationwide who meet rigorous teaching criteria set by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. She has more than 33 years’ experience in Utah public schools.
Paige Johnson is an Education Strategist at Intel. She is developing and implementing holistic models to meet the needs of state and local governments as well as school systems in the United States. In the education space, she is expert at guiding school systems along the technology adoption curve. These models recognize that such efforts demand more than simply providing students and educators with laptops. The work addresses the need for quantitative and qualitative results, visionary leadership, creative funding, rich digital content, ongoing professional development, all supported by a solid infrastructure. Additionally, she brings awareness to the need for advocacy around policies necessary for such systemic reform efforts to gain real traction (i.e., scale and sustainability).
For more than two decades, Johnson has led education transformation as a focal point aligning experts from all fields towards continuous improvement for education. She created and scaled the Intel® Teach Program, an unparalleled professional development initiative with more than 10 million teachers trained in over 80 countries. Intel Teach helps K-12 educators engage students with project-based approaches and effective use of technology to prepare them for the global innovation economy. She also developed a suite of innovative teacher productivity and higher-order thinking tools, free for educators at intel.com/education/k12.
Johnson served on the National Assessment Governing Board on Technological Literacy Steering Committee, defining the new framework for the 2012 NAEP Technology Literacy assessment. She served on the ISTE advisory group for development of the NETs standards, which provides a global standard for ICT literacy. As the former Chair of the P21, Johnson led a coalition that emerged as the leading advocacy organization focused on infusing 21st century skills into education. She is currently a board member for both ISTE and iEarn. In 2011, she was named to EdNet's Best Leaders to “Watch” list.
Herb Levitt is a recently retired high school guidance counselor and former President of the Union County Education Association. He was reelected President seventeen times and served on the New Jersey Delegate Assembly. Before becoming a counselor, Levitt taught mathematics.
Levitt is a former President of the National Education Association's National Council of Urban Education Associations (NCUEA). He served as President of the Elizabeth Education Association for over six years, has been a member of the NEA Board of Directors and on the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) Executive Committee for 18 years. He has represented the NEA at meetings of the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession and its successor, Education International.
Levitt served as Chairperson of the NEA Civil Rights Committee and was a member of the NJEA Frederick L. Hipp Foundation for Excellence in Education Advisory Committee. He served on the Local Professional Development Committee in Elizabeth and on the New Jersey Professional Teaching Standards Board.
Pete Romero is CEO of Experior Advisory, a consulting firm started in 2003 to provide business and political advice to multinational companies and international groups regarding foreign operations, cross-border transactions, and proposals for bids. His client list runs the gamut from infrastructure to international banking.
Romero’s consulting practice—a combination of business, health care, and labor work—builds on his 24 years as a career diplomat. Until 2001, when he left the State Department as Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere Bureau, he served in various diplomatic and State Department posts including chief of mission in El Salvador and U.S. Ambassador in Ecuador. He continues to be quoted as an expert on international affairs. After leaving the State Department, Romero led a joint venture between Violy, Byorum and Partners and the Rothschild for mergers, acquisitions, and private equity.
In addition to his extensive diplomatic background, Romero currently teaches at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and sits on the boards of for profit and nonprofit entities, whose operations span the globe, particularly Latin America and the Middle East. He has served on the Special Olympics Board.
Romero earned a Bachelor’s degree in science and a Masters in international relations from Florida State University.
Jerry L. Johnson is a founding member and principal investor with RLJ Equity Partners. RLJ Equity Partners is a private equity firm founded by Robert L. Johnson and the Carlyle Group that acquires control positions in companies with enterprise values between $75 and $300 million. The firm invests in a broad range of sectors including: Business Services, Government Services, Transportation and Media. Johnson led RLJ’s investments in Media Source, Tok & Stok and CVC International. In 2004, he was appointed by President George W. Bush as a White House Fellow to serve as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense. Johnson was awarded the Secretary of Defense Metal for Exceptional Public Service for his work on the Quadrennial Defense Review.
Also, Johnson has been an investment banker with Donaldson, Lufkin, & Jenrette and consultant with McKinsey & Company. While in business school, he led a year-long project with Harvard Business School students to devise a strategy for the BancBoston Capital to invest over $100 million in burgeoning domestic markets.
Johnson’s civic involvement encompasses leadership roles with a wide range of local, state, and international organizations, including: the Pacific Council on International Policy, the Asia Society, Atlantik-Brücke, the Aspen Institute, and the Federal Communications Commission Capital Access Working Group. Mr. Johnson serves on the boards of Global Kids and the Achievement Network. He is also a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Johnson received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and his B.S. in Chemical Engineering, summa cum laude, from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where he was the President of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. He was recognized with the University of Tennessee’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2009.
Lola Kelly began teaching history in 1976 and has had the opportunity to teach history at all grades, 7-12. Currently, she holds a full-time position as a teacher of United States History and Government and AP United States History in the East Rochester School District, where she also serves as the president of the East Rochester Teachers’ Association.
Kelly’s union work started in 1979, beginning with various local and state committee positions. After more than 20 years as a member of the NEA/NY Board of Directors, she continued on the NYSUT Board of Directors when the state NEA and AFT organizations merged. Currently, she serves as one of two representatives of New York on the NEA Board of Directors and as an ex-officio member on the NYSUT Board of Directors.
Kelly earned a BA in History and Sociology and a MA in the History of Education from the University of Buffalo.
Lori A. McFarling is a 22-year Discovery veteran and highly respected industry leader. She was recently named Chief Marketing Officer. Previously, she served as Divisional Marketing Officer for Discovery Education & Domestic Distribution at Discovery Communications. As a member of the senior leadership team, she oversees all partnership, outreach, professional development, marketing, and public affairs activities for the company’s Education division. She also leads the distribution marketing and sales strategy efforts for Discovery’s U.S. cable networks and for Discovery’s new media programming services, including mobile, broadband, and video on demand.
McFarling also served as Chief Operating Officer for Animal Planet and Discovery Kids Media. She has also held a number of different posts since joining the company as Account Manager, Eastern Region, Affiliate Sales, and Marketing. Before joining Discovery, McFarling was the National Accounts Manager at C-SPAN where she managed distribution, marketing, and community outreach for the network in the western United States. She also held sales and marketing positions with Procter and Gamble’s Food Service and Lodging Division.
McFarling serves in several industry leadership roles as a member of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), Women in Cable & Telecommunications (WICT), and the Association of Cable Communicators (ACC). In 2005, she received the industry's highest honor, the prestigious Vanguard Award for Marketing, and was named to the “Wonder Women” class of television executives in 2006.
McFarling earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Harriet Sanford is the President and CEO of the NEA Foundation and has led the work of the Foundation since 2005. The Foundation’s work is built on its commitment to support the collaborative efforts of public school educators, their unions, school districts, and communities to focus on learning conditions that improve student performance. Harriet began her career as a public school classroom teacher, which led to a senior executive career that spans more than 28 years, with 22 years as the president and chief executive officer of non-profit/ public organizations including the Arts and Science Council in Charlotte, North and the Fulton County Arts Council in Georgia. Her career is bound together by an unwavering commitment to strengthening community by building on the skills, talents, and aspirations of each of its members.
Prior to joining the NEA Foundation, Sanford served as the conceptual lead and manager of "South by South Africa: Crafting Cultural Understanding," a project that built economic links and cultural understanding between South Africa and U.S. partner cities.
Sanford has managed annual budgets of more than $18 million and capital funds of $200 million. A recognized specialist in the field of charitable fundraising, Sanford has led several initiatives that have raised more than $58 million to support the mission of various non-profit organizations. She has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of some 10 non-profit organizations, having contributed her vision and managerial expertise to institutions including a merger of The National Association of Local Arts Agencies and The American Council for the Arts that resulted in the major arts advocacy organization Americans for The Arts.
Sanford's contributions to the advancement of arts education, culture, and cultural understanding have been recognized by numerous non-profit organizations including the North Carolina Arts Education Association, Americans for the Arts, National Black Arts Festival, the National Association of Counties, and The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Through the generous support of grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Ford Foundation, Sanford also served as a United States Information Agency (USIA) fellow to South Africa in the late 1990s. She currently serves on the Board of The NAMES Project Foundation, Hispanic College Fund, Caversham Centre (South Africa), the DCJazz Festival, and she is an advisor to the Communities for the Public Education Reform.
Sanford holds an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree and a BA in Education from New England College, as well as a MPA from the University of Connecticut.
Dennis Van Roekel is president of the National Education Association, which represents more than 3 million public school employees. As NEA president, he leads the nation’s largest labor union and advocate for quality public schools.
Van Roekel is committed to improving student learning and enhancing the professionalism of education employees, which he believes go hand-in-hand. In 2010, he established the Commission on Effective Teachers and Teaching, a national, independent panel that examined policies and practices governing the teaching profession. With the Commission’s input, NEA unveiled its “Leading the Profession” three-point plan in December 2011. The bold agenda incorporates proven best practices from thousands of leading teachers from around the country – its main components are raising the bar for entry, teachers ensuring teacher quality, and union leadership to transform the profession.
In leading the Association, Van Roekel is guided by NEA’s mission: to fulfill the promise of public education and ensure that every child in America, regardless of family income or place of residence, receives a quality education. He is a member of the US Department of Education’s Equity and Excellence Commission, which is tasked with studying, and recommending solutions to, inequitable school finance systems and their effect on student achievement.
A recognized leader on education issues, he has testified before Congress on ESEA reauthorization and federal education policy, ensuring the voices of educators are at the forefront of critical decision-making. He serves as vice president of Education International for North America and the Caribbean, pursuing a common course of action on issues like collective bargaining, raising student achievement, and adequate funding that resonate around the world. He also serves on leading boards, including the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Executive Committee and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education Executive Board.
Van Roekel has been the invited speaker at numerous forums and national summits sponsored by the Coalition for Community Schools, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Council of Chief State School Officers, and Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and a frequent invited guest at the White House. He has discussed education issues with leading publications and networks, including C-Span, MSNBC, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Education Week, and TIME.
A longtime activist for children and public education, Van Roekel taught high school mathematics in Phoenix for 23 years. He served two terms as NEA Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer, and has held key positions in all levels of the Association, including Arizona Education Association President and Paradise Valley Education Association President.
Van Roekel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa in Iowa City and a master’s degree in math education from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.
Lauren Woodman serves as the General Manager, Partners in Learning, in the Worldwide Public Sector organization of Microsoft Corp. In this role she is responsible for Microsoft’s flagship education program, Partners in Learning, a nearly $500 million investment in global education. Through Partners in Learning, Microsoft provides professional development, training, classroom resources and research that have reached more than 200 million students and almost 10 million teachers since its inception in 2003.
Before joining Microsoft in 2002, Woodman served as the Executive Vice President for the Software & Information Industry Association, the principal trade association for code and content companies. A regular speaker and author on technology policy issues around the world, she served in a similar position with the Software Publishers Association since 1996. Woodman began her career on Capitol Hill with Rep. Jim Cooper as a Legislative Assistant handling public policy issues on telecommunications, trade and defense.
Woodman holds a master of arts from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in economics and foreign policy, and a bachelor of arts from Smith College in political science.
Kevin G. Welner is a Professor at the School of Education of the University of Colorado at Boulder, specializing in educational policy and law.
He is Director of the National Education Policy Center (NEPC.Colorado.edu). He earned both his JD (1988) and PhD (1997) from UCLA. Welner's present research examines school reform, the policy use of research, tuition tax credit voucher policies, and various issues concerning the intersection between education rights litigation and educational opportunity scholarship.
Welner received the Early Career Award in 2006 and Palmer O. Johnson Award for best article in 2004 from the American Educational Research Association (AERA). He is also an AERA Fellow.
With 35 years of experience in education technology and Special Education, Zier has extensive experience in developing business strategies to support educators in delivering instruction and managing student achievement information. She cofounded Learning Tools International, a software company providing tools to manage Special Education programs and Individualized Learning Plans (IEPs) serving over five million students. Throughout her career, she has focused on bringing tools and processes to market to support educators.
With many years at Apple Computer, Public Consulting Group and currently with Promethean, she continues to support educators by providing interactive learning system services nationally.
Zier holds an M.A. in Education from the University of Tennessee.
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