North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue has appointed School of Education Dean David Cooper to the Governor’s Education Transformation Commission, a new board of influential leaders who will advise the governor on the use of federal “Race to the Top” funds for implementing the “Career and College: Ready, Set, Go! Initiative” across North Carolina.
“Part of my pledge for Ready, Set, Go! is that every student, no matter where he or she lives, will have access to a quality education,” Perdue said in a Sept. 28 news release. “The Education Transformation Commission will help to coordinate and streamline efforts toward that goal.”
Perdue appointed Bill Harrison, chair of the State Board of Education, and the Governor’s Advisor for Education Transformation, as the chair of the commission.
“Governor Perdue and State Board Chair Bill Harrison are committed to making the most of the federal Race to the Top grant funds,” Cooper said. “With this appointment to the commission, they are expressing confidence in Elon University as a valued partner in public education, and I am honored to represent Elon.”
The other 23 members of the commission are:
• Lt. Governor Walter Dalton, chair of the eLearning Commission
• June Atkinson, state superintendent of Public Instruction
• Alisa Chapman, associate vice president at UNC general administration
• James Coon, superintendent of Pamlico County Schools
• Ed Dunlap, executive director of the NC Schools Boards Association
• Jennifer Facciolini, 2010-11 Teacher of the Year
• Carl Forsyth, Voyager Academy
• Jessica Garner, 2009-10 Teacher of the Year
• Elizabeth Glennie, senior research analyst, RTI International
• Pete Gorman, superintendent of Charlotte/Mecklenburg Schools
• Debra Horton, executive director of NC Parent Teacher Association
• Glenn Kleiman, executive director of the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation
• Howard Lee, executive director of the Education Cabinet
• Cynthia Marshall, chair of NC Chamber of Commerce
• Bill McNeal, executive director of NC Association of School Administrators
• Wanda McPhaul, Visiting International Faculty
• Erin Swanson Oschwald, executive director of Teach for America
• Jose Picart, vice provost NC State University
• Shirley Prince, executive director of NC Tar Hill Principals and Assistant Principals Association
• Judith Rizzo, executive director of the Hunt Institute
• Mark Sorrells, president of NC Grant Makers Association
• Sheri Strickland, president of NC Association of Educators
• Ludy Van Broekhuizen, executive director, Southern Education Region Vision for Education