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Zakiya Courtney is Regional Director for Catapult Learning, which provides outcomes-based learning programs tailored to individual student needs. Zakiya has worked for Catapult Learning since 2006, first as School Partnerships Manager and later as School Partnerships Director for Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Currently, she is responsible for the implementation of educational services and programs in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Prior to joining the organization, she spent seven years as a School Design and Development Coordinator for the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University. Zakiya is a former director of Parents for School Choice in Milwaukee.

Sworn in on Jan. 10, 2011, as Oklahoma’s first new State Superintendent in 20 years, Dr. Janet Barresi is committed to assuring that each child graduating from an Oklahoma high school is college, career and citizen ready by the year 2020. “That means they should be ready for college or the work force without the need for remediation or undue additional training. They also should know something about their government and our nation’s history and be ready to contribute to every aspect of civic life.”

Armed with an undergraduate degree in Education and a master’s degree in Speech and Language Disorders, Superintendent Barresi worked in both the Harrah and Norman public school systems as a speech pathologist. While in Harrah, Barresi ran a special summer clinic for severely handicapped children in need of remediation for speech and language problems. After her work in public schools, she joined the Department of Otolaryngology at the OU Health Sciences Center where she served patients at both Children’s Hospital and University Hospital. Superintendent Barresi also lectured medical students on early childhood development and speech and language development.

In 1984, Dr. Barresi earned her DDS degree and became a dentist who was very active in the community. Dr. Barresi has been a member of numerous professional organizations and has served as the Past President of the Oklahoma Association of Women Dentists. She received the Thomas Jefferson Citizenship Award, an honor bestowed only on those dentists who have distinguished themselves through community service. While running a full-time dental practice, Dr. Barresi still found time to nurture her first love – education.

Dr. Barresi established Oklahoma’s first public charter school, Independence Charter Middle School, after passage of Oklahoma’s landmark charter school bill in 1999. As a result of the success of Independence, she was asked to start Harding Charter Preparatory High School, where she served as board President. The school was recently ranked No. 23 among the nation’s top 50 high schools, according to TheBestSchools.org. The school is No. 9 on Newsweek’s list of the Top 25 Transformational High Schools in the U.S.

In her role as State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Barresi serves as chair of both the State Board of Education and the Career Tech Board as well as serving on many other state boards and commissions. She is a member of “Chiefs for Change,” a group of chief state school officers across the country committed to education reform. Dr. Barresi also serves on the governing board of PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers), a consortium of 23 states plus the U.S. Virgin Islands working together to develop a common set of K-12 assessments in English and math anchored in what it takes to be ready for college and careers.

Melanie Schulz has been involved in NJ State Government for over 30 years.

Her vision and leadership as Executive Director has guided the Joint Committee on the Public Schools for the past 21½ years.

During her tenure at the Joint Committee, she has been instrumental in evolving NJ Education policy initiatives for the Legislature and has put that Legislative Committee at the cutting edge of law making.

She is recognized for having expertise and institutional memory of the Abbott decisions.

Melanie’s knowledge of the school construction Act and its regulations make her a reliable resource for Members of the NJ State Legislature in this area.

Her team approach to policy making has been recognized by members of both the business and education communities.

In 1995, she was part of the team that shepherded the Charter Schools Law through the process. Her strategic approach and networking capabilities made her a leader of this education reform effort.

In 2011, she partnered Operation College Promise to write Legislation establishing the nation’s first condensed teaching certification program designed specifically for a veteran cohort that was signed by New Jersey Acting Governor Kim Guadagno. The legislation was sponsored by Senator James Whelan (D-Atlantic) and Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-Essex). The VETeach pilot will be housed at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey and was launched in September 2012.

In recent years, she was part of a group that included Legislators, DOE leadership, educational organizations and Legislative staff that helped to craft the proposed comprehensive changes to the school monitoring law known as NJ QSAC (NJ Single Accountability Continuum).

For eight years, Ms. Schulz was the Senior Legislative Aide to former Assemblyman Gerard Naples. During this time, she assisted in crafting new laws for Special Education and the school funding formula known as the Quality Education Act. (QEA)

Currently, she serves on the statewide advisory board of the NJ School Aged Care Coalition, NJSACC and the NJ Career & Technical Advisory Council (NJ CTE).

She has served on the Steering Committee of the Business Coalition for Educational Excellence (BCEE), was Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of Quality Education NJ, was a Legislative liaison on the State Action for Education Leadership Project (SAELP), was an active member of the Public Education Institute (PEI) at Rutgers University, and has served on the Advisory Board at the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy at Thomas Edison College.

Former Minnesota State Senator Ember Reichgott Junge is the author of Minnesota’s 1991 first-in-nation charter school law, which was a winner of the 2000 Innovations in American Government Award from the JFK School of Government at Harvard University. The 18-year legislator served as Senate Assistant Majority Leader before stepping down from senate service in 2000.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the passage of the first charter legislation, Reichgott Junge wrote the history of the origins of chartering from 1988 through 1992 in her book: Zero Chance of Passage: The Pioneering Charter School Story. The book has won multiple national awards, including Third Grand Prize Winner for Nonfiction Books in the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and Best Regional Book of the Year by Reader Views Literary Awards.

Reichgott Junge is a national spokesperson on charter public schools, traveling the country to tell the pioneering story (www.ZeroChanceOfPassage.com). She is past board member of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, and current board member of Washington D.C. based Charter Schools Development Corporation (CSDC), which is co-publisher of Zero Chance of Passage. She was inducted into the National Charter Schools Hall of Fame in April, 2008, and received the Brian Bennett Education Warrior Award from Democrats for Education Reform in December, 2012.

For over twenty years, Ms. Reichgott Junge practiced business and nonprofit law with The General Counsel, Ltd, before becoming a nonprofit executive for a large human services organization. Reichgott Junge is also a television political analyst, former radio host and editorial writer. Her board service has included Citizens Independent Bank, Twin Cities United Way, and the Minneapolis Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Ember received her BA from St. Olaf College (Northfield, Minnesota), JD from Duke University Law School (Durham, North Carolina), and MBA from University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN). She is an avid ballroom dancer and most enjoys spending time with her husband, Michael Junge.

Rebarber is CEO and founder of AccountabilityWorks (AW), a nonprofit education organization whose mission is to support states, schools and parents in implementing research-based practices and high quality education assessment and accountability
systems. AW works on a wide range of policy research analyses and proposals, such as reform costs, differential and performance-based compensation, program evaluation, teacher certification, academic standards and testing. AW also develops and administers a sophisticated online assessment system. Prior to AW, Rebarber was co-founder and Chief Education Officer of Advantage Schools, Inc., a charter school management company operating in 10 states that achieved high achievement gains with disadvantaged students, including ESL and special needs. He served as a legislative and communications director for a senior Member of Congress and was the main staff author of federal charter schools and school choice legislation for the District of Columbia. Rebarber was responsible for academic standards and test development at Edison Schools. He worked on standards based reform and research-based practices at the U.S. Department of Education under President George H. W. Bush. Before that he was with the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies (VIPPS), where he researched education policy and assisted states in designing effective reforms. Rebarber has testified before the US Congress and state legislatures as well as authored a number of articles and publications.

Since Evans took office in 1980 at age 26, the 203rd Legislative District in Northwest Philadelphia has undergone a transformation. Today, once-blighted neighborhoods along Ogontz Avenue, in West Oak Lane and surrounding areas are thriving, prospering and continuing to grow as a magnet for middle-class jobs, safe schools and economic development. The metamorphosis is rooted in Evans’ commitment to communities and their citizens. His fervor is based on his conviction that representing Philadelphians is a never-to-be-forgotten honor and privilege.

Evans is passionate about creating a 21st century economy in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania. To spur economic development, Evans works to build stronger communities by preparing students for a brighter future, making communities safer and expanding healthy choices. He is a national leader in efforts to combat hunger and increase access to quality foods. Evans spearheaded Pennsylvania’s Fresh Food Financing Initiative, which links public and private money to build grocery stores in underserved, rural, urban and suburban areas. The program has encouraged companies to build a growing number of grocery stores – 85 at last count — which are benefiting thousands of families whose previous dietary options were unhealthy and overpriced. The initiative also has created more than 5,000 jobs statewide. The $30 million in seed money has taken root and has been leveraged into projects totaling more than $190 million. The Fresh Food Financing Initiative is recognized as one of the top public policy initiatives in the country, and Evans’ continuing efforts have earned him accolades from the White House and countless community groups across the nation. Evans continues to raise national awareness of the program by speaking at conferences around the country, including a Harvard University webinar. Other states are working hard to emulate Pennsylvania’s success.

Evans believes that good public education is the foundation of a strong economy, thriving communities and successful citizens. He has spoken about education policy to the Brookings Institution and the National Press Club, and participated in a White House roundtable discussion at the request of former President George W. Bush during discussions about No Child Left Behind. Evans believes that investing in education is investing in people and our futures. He is a battle-tested veteran fighting for responsible education funding — from the earliest learners in pre-school to those pursuing advanced degrees or job training. Evans has been the vanguard of fierce Harrisburg budget battles as the Democratic Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, a position entrusted to him from 1990 to 2010.

In April 2013, Evans was appointed to the Legislative Budget & Finance Committee by Speaker of the House. At the same time, Evans expects schools to meet stringent standards. He supports choice for parents at the elementary and secondary levels and he penned the state’s Charter School law in 1997. Evans is girded for more battles so the quality of a child’s education does not hinge so much on a student’s zip code or the latest economic downtown.

The national accolades and high praise Evans has reaped belies his strong ties to the community. Evans is no inhabitant of ivory towers, and is much more comfortable at the Taking It to the Streets festivals, job summits and “Friday Nights Out” neighborhood events that have become hallmarks of Evans’ public service. A Philadelphia native and a 1971 graduate of Germantown High School, Evans graduated from the Community College of Philadelphia and LaSalle University. He received an honorary doctorate from Lincoln University. Evans is on the boards of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau and Concerned Black Men. He also serves as a member of the National Advisory Committee for Leadership for Healthy Communities and co-chairs the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Hunger Partnership.

“My ties to Philadelphia will never slacken and my love for Northwest Philadelphia grows every day,” Evans said.
“Some might say my record has proven my commitment, but I prefer to think the best has yet to come.”

Senator Jane Cunningham (R-St. Louis, Missouri) served twelve years in the Missouri House of Representatives and Senate before redistricting eliminated her district in January of 2013.

She was Chairwoman of the Education Committee in the Missouri House and the General Laws Committee in the Senate where all the education reform bills were directed among other heavy lifting legislation such as Right to Work. Senator Cunningham is best known for her work at the local, state and national levels to promote educational options and parental choice for families and education reforms such as tenure elimination, educator evaluations based on student growth and achievement and open enrollment. She was an innovator at developing coalitions across party and racial lines for these efforts. One of her converts, Missouri Rep. Rodney Hubbard(D-St. Louis), was honored by The Center for Education Reform and ALEC. Senator Cunningham is responsible for bringing the American Board teacher certification and virtual schools to Missouri and for her Student Protection Act that protects students from sexual misconduct by educators.

Senator Cunningham was also the sponsor of the first Health Care Freedom Act in the country that was overwhelmingly adopted at the ballot by 70% of Missouri voters in 2010. She was interviewed on Fox News Shows and other national media outlets interested in the resounding message the Show-Me State sent to Washington that Missourians want to make their own health care decisions.

She was chairwoman of the Education Task Force, and served on the Board of Directors of the American Legislative Exchange Council, the largest voluntary organization of legislators and business leaders in the country. She was also a delegate to the 1992 Republican National Convention, and was the only woman representing Missouri on the 1992 Republican National Platform Committee, serving with John Ashcroft, former Missouri Governor and U.S. Attorney General.

Senator Cunningham’s work has been recognized with the following awards:
• The National Leaders in Learning Award, presented by Cable in the Classroom, which annually recognizes the most innovative education policymakers in the country.
• St. Louis Business Journal Legislator of the Year Award.
• St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association Statesman Award.

She received her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, with an emphasis in economics and marketing from Florida State University. Senator Cunningham is married to Gary Cunningham, a former Presidential appointee, who served in the U.S. Department of Justice and as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development from 2004-2009. They have two grown sons: Bret, Principal and President of BestFit Mobile in Austin, Texas, and Scott, a Lieutenant in U.S. Navy Intelligence stationed in Cambridge, England.

Tom Carroll is the President of the Foundation for Opportunity in Education. He is the former President of the Foundation for Education Reform & Accountability, the former Chairman of the Brighter Choice Foundation, the former President of the Empire Foundation for Policy Research, and the former Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Regulatory reform. Mr. Carroll has also held a number of fiscal and research positions with the New York State Division of Budget, the New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committee, and the New York State Senate. Mr. Carroll is a graduate of New York’s public schools and the State University of New York at Albany.

Linda Brown is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Building Excellent Schools.

From the organization’s inception in 1993, Linda Brown’s advocacy and tireless work has been critical to the initial and sustained success of over 50 BES schools across the country. Ms. Brown conceptualizes, concretizes and executes the strategic vision for Building Excellent Schools; this vision has profoundly improved the lives of tens of thousands of children by providing access to high-performing schools. An inductee into the National Alliance for Charter School’s Hall of Fame, Ms. Brown also works with BES’ Director of Institutional Development to guide school leaders in issues related to governance and fund development. Ms. Brown holds a B.A. in English from Boston University.

Dr. Yvonne Chan is the Principal of the Vaughn Next Century Learning Center which serves 3,000 students (PK-12) in Los Angeles. She has pushed the limits of education and social reform including class size reduction, universal preschool, accelerated English learning, special education full inclusion, longer school day and longer school year, school-based clinic, family center/business co-op, interagency services, adult education, university professional development center, teacher peer-review and performance pay system. Student study global issues, take Mandarin Chinese as a critical world language and complete community college credits.

As the founder of the first conversion charter school or a turn-around school in the nation, she turned crack houses to school houses, gang territories to college prep laboratories, provided construction jobs and stimulated economic growth in a high-poverty neighborhood. Student achievement soars and attendance is near perfect. Through her shrewd management skills, the school leverages millions of dollars for programs related to education, youth development, family and community strengthening. Vaughn is now a full-service Pk-14th learning village under Dr. Chan’s most capable leadership.

Vaughn was named the 1995 California Distinguished School and the 1996 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. It was visited by the Mrs. Hillary Clinton, U.S. legislators and dignitaries from all over the world. Dr. Chan has delivered keynote addresses in 41 states on school reform, given testimonials to the legislature in 37 states on charter school policies. Dr. Chan gained international recognition by providing training to school leaders in China, Thailand, Australia, Turkey, Argentina, and Chile. She was invited to many town hall meetings with Presidents and Governors. Dr. Chan was profiled by Time Magazine, Prime Time Life, Good Morning America, National PBS, Education Week and various local and national publications.

Armed with a doctoral degree from UCLA in Education, a MA degree from California State University, Northridge in Special Education, a BA degree from UCLA in French/Spanish, post-doctoral studies in computer science at UCLA, eight teaching credentials and the ability to communicate in four world languages, she is determined to turn risks into opportunities for children and families who live in poverty through her tenacity and dedication, forward-thinking skills, energy and enthusiasm to do the impossible.

In addition to being a school principal, she was an adjunct professor at UCLA and California State University, Northridge for 25 years. Dr. Chan is a Commissioner of the Los Angeles City Commission for Families and communities. She served two terms as a member of the California State Board of Education. She assumes leadership role in policies related to the assessment of English learners and students with disabilities, adoption of instructional materials, teacher quality, early childhood, child nutrition, school construction as well as authorization of statewide charter schools. In addition, she has served on many governmental and nonprofit boards, including the Board of Public/Private Venture in Philadelphia, Longview Family Foundation in Washington, D.C., Teacher Advancement Program Foundation in Los Angeles, California State University Advisory, and Los Angeles Community College Facilities Bond Oversight Committee.

She was awarded the Milken Educator Award in 1991, the McGraw Hills Distinguished Educator in 1997, the Gleitsman Community Activist Award in 2004 and the Irvine Foundation Leadership Award in 2007. Her donation of these cash awards to her school leveraged more than $50 millions in grants and bond funds for the school and community.

She received numerous awards including Woman Making History, Educator of the Year by the National Council of Negro Women, the Asia Chamber of commerce, the Optimist Club, the National Chinese-American Banker Association, San Fernando Valley of the Stars, the Y.W.C.A., USC, UCLA and California State University Alumni Associations, New Horizon Association for the Disabled Persons, and many others.

Dr. Chan’s work is widely replicated across the nation. Her passion for education has spanned nearly 40 years, since her humble beginning as an elementary school teacher in 1968. Arriving in the U.S. alone at age 17 with just $100, Dr. Chan set out to pursue the American Dream – a dream she realized and a dream to which she now teaches countless others to aspire.