Former Governors And Leading Policy Experts Convene In Washington For Education Policy Discussions with Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows

Washington, DC – The Hunt Institute continues its history of investment in America’s political leaders by welcoming its fifth cohort of Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows this week in our nation’s capital. Twenty high-ranking state officials and political leaders from across the country will begin their nine-month immersion into state-level education policy.

The 2018-2019 Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows include:

At the kickoff meeting on December 5-7, 2018, the bipartisan cohort of Fellows will be joined by leading minds in education, policy, and politics to discuss the importance of K-12 standards and assessments, school funding, early learning, school choice, and effective teachers and school leaders. Fellows will also participate in a local school visit at Two Rivers Public Charter School.

“New Mexico’s economic and civic prosperity is my top priority, and an excellent education is foundational to success,” said New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver. “I look forward to engaging with state leaders from across the country through the Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows program to better understand education’s role in improving opportunities for all students.”

During the nine-month program, Fellows will be exposed to a variety of policy mechanisms and program exemplars across the education continuum that collectively can improve outcomes for students. Unique to this program, Fellows also have access to the Hunt Institute’s bipartisan network of former governors who have established reputations for working across the aisle and improving public education. The governors joining the Fellows this week are: Gov. Jim Douglas (R-VT); Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr. (D-NC); Gov. Tom Kean (R-NJ); Gov. Jack Markell (D-DE); Gov. Bob Taft (R-OH); and Gov. Bob Wise (D-WV).

[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”From the local level, including cities like Flagstaff, to every state and territory, and at the federal level, there are critical decisions to be made to ensure we achieve equity and excellence in our schools and for our students,” shared Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans.[/perfectpullquote]

Highlights from this week’s program include discussions with: Andrew Smarick, Director of Civil Society, Education, and Work at the R Street Institute; Denise Forte, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation; Elliot Steinberg of the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation; Jeana Ross, Secretary, Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education; Rachel Schumacher, Senior Advisor of Early Childhood, The Hunt Institute; Margie Vandeven, Director of Educational Partnerships – State and Local Government at the SAS Institute; Nina Rees, President, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools;  Dr. Howard Fuller, Director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University; Anthony Randazzo, Executive Director, Equable Institute; Dr. Josh McGee, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute; Dr. Marguerite Roza, Director, Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University; Heather Harding, Director of Policy and Public Understanding for Education at the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation; Fordham Institute President Mike Petrilli; Pedro Rivera, Secretary of Education, Pennsylvania; Allan Golston, President of the United States Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Joy Hofmeister, State Superintendent, Oklahoma; Dan Weisberg, CEO of TNTP; Andy Cole, Consultant, The Wallace Foundation; and Jackie Gran, Chief Policy & Evaluation Officer at New Leaders.

Before the second convening in August 2019, Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in regional visits to innovative programs, state-specific briefings in their home states, and distance-learning opportunities, such as webinars

“We are excited to have another distinguished cohort of Fellows join us this year,” said Dr. Javaid Siddiqi, President & CEO of the Hunt Institute. “This program continues to attract a high-caliber of state leaders and we look forward to helping them craft their visions for leading on education in their states.”

Since its launch in 2014, the Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows program has established a network of over 90 Fellows representing 48 states and the District of Columbia. The Fellows program has three Fellows who currently serve in gubernatorial roles – Governor Kate Brown of Oregon (Cohort 1), Governor Jeff Colyer of Kansas (Cohort 2) and Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa (Cohort 1) and two Governors-Elect, Brad Little of Idaho (Cohort 1) and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan (Cohort 3).

“I am honored to be able to join this expanding network of Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows,” said Iowa Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg. “I know Governor Reynolds appreciated the connections she made with leading experts, former governors, and other state leaders, and I look forward to a similar positive experience and to use what I learn to help Governor Reynolds improve education policy in our state.”

About The Hunt Institute
An affiliate of the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy, The Hunt Institute is a recognized leader in the movement to transform public education. Marshaling expertise from a nationwide partner network since it was established in 2001, The Institute brings together people and resources that help build and nurture visionary leadership and mobilize strategic action for greater educational outcomes and student success.

About the Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows
The Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows program seeks to partner with senior-level political leaders who have the knowledge, skill, and will to be effective, reform-minded education policymakers at the state level. Named for renowned education governors Jim Hunt (D-NC | 1977-1985; 1993-2001) and Tom Kean (R-NJ | 1982-1990), the national, nonpartisan Fellowship launched in the fall of 2014. Through the Fellowship, the Institute’s vision is to help political leaders develop a deeply rooted vision for educational improvement.