Board Members
Board Membership Composition in the NAEP Law
An Independent, Representative Board
In creating an independent Governing Board, Congress established a system of checks and balances for NAEP—the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policy; the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers the program; and test contractors, who develop and carry out the assessments. To make sure the Governing Board is widely representative, the law (Public Law 107–279) requires that the Board be composed of:
- Two Governors, or former Governors, of different political parties
- Two state legislators of different political parties
- Two chief state school officers
- One superintendent of a local education agency
- One member of a state board of education
- One member of a local board of education
- Three classroom teachers representing the grade levels (4th, 8th, and 12th) at which the National Assessment is conducted
- One representative of business or industry
- Two curriculum specialists
- Three testing and measurement experts
- One nonpublic school administrator or policymaker
- Two school principals, one elementary and one secondary
- Four additional members who are representative of the general public, including parents
- The Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (ex-officio)
Current Board Members (2011–2012)
Honorable David P. Driscoll, Chair
David Driscoll is the 22nd Commissioner of Education in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1998 to 2007. Commissioner Driscoll has a 43-year career in public education and educational leadership. A former secondary school mathematics teacher, he was named Melrose Assistant Superintendent in 1972 and Superintendent of Schools in the same community in 1984. He served in that role until 1993, when he was appointed Massachusetts Deputy Commissioner of Education, just days after the state's Education Reform Act was signed into law. He became Interim Commissioner of Education on July 1, 1998, and was named Commissioner on March 10, 1999. Dr. Driscoll is currently the Outgoing President of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and serves on the board of the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB).
Mary Frances Taymans, SND, Vice Chair
Sister Mary Frances Taymans was formerly the Executive Director of the Secondary School Department of National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) where she directed the comprehensive agenda of the department and works particularly in the areas of mission, research, leadership and advocacy. Sr. Taymans served as the assistant superintendent for high schools in the Archdiocese of Washington, DC, principal of Cardinal Gibbons High School in North Carolina and Clearwater Central Catholic High School in Florida. She has taught as an adjunct at The George Washington University and the University of Dayton.
Andrés A. Alonso
Andrés Alonso is the Baltimore City Public Schools Chief Executive, serving as the superintendent of Maryland's largest school district since 2007. Dr. Alonso has led key reforms and initiatives in Baltimore City schools, such as enlarging the role of family and communities in school operations, closing low-performing schools, and giving more autonomy to school principals. Under his leadership, Baltimore City schools have seen improving student performance with a narrowing of achievement gaps among some subgroups. Dr. Alonso previously served as deputy chancellor for the New York City Department of Education, where he was involved with developing school accountability, and has also worked as an English as a Second Language teacher and an attorney.
David J. Alukonis
David Alukonis is the owner of a small business that focuses on commercial real estate development and management. He is former Chairman of the Hudson School Board, where he was responsible for leadership, coordination, strategic planning and budgeting for New Hampshire's ninth largest school district. Mr. Alukonis is also a former Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of the New Hampshire House of Representatives where he served as a State Representative.
Louis Fabrizio
Louis Fabrizio is the Director of the Division of Data, Research and Federal Policy at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. He is responsible for several federal reports including the Education Data Exchange Network (EDEN) and Consolidated State Performance Report (CSPR), management of the NC Common Education Data Analysis and Reporting System (CEDARS) longitudinal database, and federal policy development. He continues to serve as the state's Federal Liaison with the U.S. Department of Education and also serves as a senior advisor to staff in the Accountability Services Division regarding the state's ABCs Accountability Program, the statewide testing program, and the state's accountability and assessment plans for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Dr. Fabrizio previously worked for CTB/McGraw-Hill for many years as a testing consultant.
Honorable Anitere Flores
Anitere Flores is a Florida legislator (R-Miami) who has represented District 114 in the Florida House of Representatives since 2004. Ms. Flores served as Education Council Policy Chief from 2000-2002 in the state House and has advised Gov. Jeb Bush on statewide policies. From 2002-2004, Ms. Flores served as Director of State Relations for Florida International University.
Alan J. Friedman
Alan Friedman is a consultant in the areas of museum development and science communication. He has consulted for over sixty institutions around the world. From 1984 to 2006, Dr. Friedman was the Director and CEO of the New York Hall of Science. He served as Conseiller Scientifique et Muséologique for the Cité des Sciences et de l'industrie Paris, and was the Director of Astronomy and Physics at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley.
Shannon Garrison
Shannon Garrison has been a fourth grade teacher at Solano Avenue Elementary School in downtown Los Angeles since 1997. In her educator role, Ms. Garrison has served Solano Avenue Elementary in many capacities, including as a problem-solving data coordinator, bilingual and Title I program coordinator, writing coordinator, science lead teacher and member of the language appraisal and student success teams. She is a National Board certified teacher, and has also authored winning applications for the National Blue Ribbon School and California Distinguished School programs. Ms. Garrison received a Milken National Educator Award in 2008.
Doris Hicks
Doris Hicks is Principal and CEO of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology in New Orleans—the first public school to open in the city's devastated Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina. Ms. Hicks has contributed to the New Orleans public school system in numerous roles over the years, serving as an elementary school principal, area superintendent, teacher, and reading consultant. She has also served as president of the Principal's Association of New Orleans Public Schools, the Louisiana Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the New Orleans Council of the International Reading Association.
Honorable Terry Holliday
Terry Holliday has served as Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education since 2009. Before being selected as the state's fifth education commissioner, Dr. Holliday previously served as superintendent of the 20,000-student Iredell-Statesville school district, which garnered him the 2009 North Carolina Superintendent of the Year Award as well as the 2008 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, which was created by an act of Congress in 1987 to recognize organizations with long-term improvement in quality and productivity. Dr. Holliday has held many positions in school systems since 1972, including director of accountability, school principal, and band director. He has also served on numerous committees and boards on a local and national level, including the Governor's Task Force for Transforming Education in Kentucky.
Brent Houston
Brent Houston is a middle school principal in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Mr. Houston has served Shawnee Public Schools since 1981, when he started as a vocal music teacher for grades kindergarten to six. In 1993, Mr. Houston began his tenure as principal at Pleasant Grove Elementary School. He then became principal at Horace Mann Elementary in 2001 before finally moving to his current position in 2008. His numerous honors include a 2002 appointment by then Governor Brad Henry to the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority Board of Directors. Mr. Houston also was twice named "Teacher of the Year" once while teaching music and again at Grove Elementary, where he also taught fourth grade.
Hector Ibarra
Hector Ibarra is a middle school science teacher at the Belin Blank International Center and Talent Development at the University of Iowa and the 2010–2011 State Hygienic Laboratory ambassador. Nationally lauded for his expertise in science, Dr. Ibarra taught general and earth science for 30 years at West Branch Middle School in Iowa and has won dozens of grants and honors, including a National Teacher of the Year Award in 2005, a $30,000 Christa McAuliffe Fellowship, the U.S. Education Department's Teaching Ambassador Fellowship and a Milken National Educator Award. Dr. Ibarra has served as a consultant for many groups, including stints as a University of Iowa evaluator, a reviewer for the ACT and the National Research Council, and a standing committee member for the NAEP science assessments.
Honorable Tom Luna
Tom Luna has served as Idaho's Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2007. A longtime education and business leader whose work has encompassed a variety of areas including accountability, achievement standards and rural schooling challenges, Mr. Luna was appointed to lead two statewide commissions, whose work resulted in the state's achievement standards and Idaho Standards Achievement Test. As Superintendent, a few of Mr. Luna's key initiatives include the Division of Innovation and Choice, which expands choices in public education through public charter schools, magnet schools, open enrollment, virtual education, and dual credit; the Middle Level Credit System, which fosters more accountability in the middle grades and works to ensure preparation for high school and beyond; and the Classroom Enhancement Package, which provides additional funding for textbooks, remediation programs, and various classroom materials.
Honorable Jack Markell
Serving as Delaware's governor since 2009, the Honorable Jack Markell has led efforts in increasing energy efficiency, promoting economic development, and creating jobs. But education has also proven to be a significant priority. Gov. Markell has proposed and signed major reform initiatives, including establishing a pilot program to reward improving schools, passing legislation to improve transparency and autonomy within school districts, and creating a new assessment system for students, which will debut statewide in 2011. He has also been a leader in the national Common Core State Standards Initiative. Before his election, Gov. Markell served three terms as state treasurer, re-elected most recently in November of 2006 with 70 percent of the vote.
Tonya Miles
Tonya Miles is the Chief Departmental Administrator in the Office of the General Counsel for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. A parent of three children who are Maryland public school students, Ms. Miles is a former member of the Maryland State Board of Education and a long-time PTA member and officer. Ms. Miles also worked for the Association of American Medical Colleges as an administrator for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). She also is a former central office administrator for both the Prince George's County and the Baltimore City public school districts.
Dale Nowlin
Dale Nowlin has taught at Columbus North High School in Indiana since 1997 and also serves as the mathematics department chair for North High School and Northside Middle School of the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation. Mr. Nowlin is a 35-year teaching veteran who has taught in his home state of Indiana since 1979 and for Bartholomew Consolidated since 1985. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Indiana University – Bloomington. Mr. Nowlin has won numerous awards and grants over the years, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching as both a national and state awardee, and the Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Grant.
Honorable Sonny Perdue
Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue has invested in long-term school reforms by bringing a new level of accountability to education in Georgia and working to increase the high school graduation rate and students' preparedness for college and careers. Governor Perdue has also pushed for the development of a comprehensive longitudinal data system and supported measures to enhance the comparability of student achievement at national and international levels. A former state senator, he was elected in November 2002 as the first Republican to serve as Georgia's governor since 1872.
Susan Pimentel
Susan Pimentel is an education analyst and standards and curriculum specialist with established credentials in building consensus among diverse constituents. For close to three decades, Dr. Pimentel's work has focused on helping communities, districts and states work together to advance enduring education reform and champion proven tools for increasing academic rigor, including standard setting, curriculum building, assessment alignment, and teacher development and evaluation systems. Since 2001, Dr. Pimentel has served as Senior Policy Consultant to the American Diploma Project (ADP) - designed to close the gap between high school demands and postsecondary expectations. The ADP Network has grown to serve 33 states that are responsible for educating almost 80 percent of our nation's public high school students.
W. James Popham
Since 1991, Dr. Popham has served as Professor Emeritus of the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Before this appointment, he served more than 30 years as a teacher and a professor. A prolific author of hundreds of books, reports, and journal articles related to instruction and assessment, Dr. Popham has been a professor at UCLA since 1962. He has won numerous accolades, including recognition by UCLA Today as one of the top 20 professors of the 20th century, and the Award for Career Contributions to Educational Measurement presented in 2002 by the National Council on Measurement in Education.
Andrew C. Porter
Andrew Porter is Dean and George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education. Before his current post, he was a professor at Vanderbilt University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Michigan State University. Dr. Porter is an educational psychologist and psychometrician who has made significant contributions in education policy. Most notably, he has published widely in journals on student assessment, accountability, standards-based curricula, and quality teaching.
B. Fielding Rolston
B. Fielding Rolston is the Chairman of the Tennessee State Board of Education, which is the governing and policy-making body for the Tennessee system of public elementary and secondary education. He was first appointed to that board in 1996. With a professional background in engineering, Mr. Rolston also has served as board chairman for several other organizations in the field of higher education, health and industry, including the Wellmont Health System, the Board of Trustees for Emory and Henry College, and the Eastman Credit Union Board of Directors. In 2003, he retired from Eastman Chemical Company with more than 38 years of service that included work as an industrial engineer. Mr. Rolston held a series of management posts in industrial engineering, strategic planning, supply and distribution, and human resources and communications.
Cary Sneider
Cary Sneider is an associate research professor at Portland State University in Oregon. For four years, Dr. Sneider has taught courses on research methodology at Portland State's Center for Science Education and served as a consultant to various groups, including Achieve, Inc., the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the National Science Teachers' Association, and the National Research Council. Dr. Sneider served as the planning committee co-chair for the Governing Board's 2014 NAEP Technology and Engineering Literacy Framework and also served on the development team for the Governing Board's 2009 NAEP Science Framework. Previously, he was vice president for educator programs at the Museum of Science in Boston and director of astronomy and physics education for Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Sneider has also authored numerous publications in the science education field.
Blair Taylor
Blair Taylor is a longtime business leader who has served as the president and CEO of the Los Angeles Urban League since 2005. Through the League, Mr. Taylor has supervised several initiatives, including the nationally recognized Greater Crenshaw Educational Partnership that has worked to improve graduation rates and reduce dropout rates at Crenshaw High School. Over the last two decades, Taylor has held high-level executive positions at several businesses, including IBM, Pepsi and Guidance Solutions, and is serving as a senior staff member for the Los Angeles City Council's 8th District. He was most recently executive vice president of the College Summit, a national nonprofit organization that partners with schools and districts to strengthen college-going culture and increase college enrollment rates.
Honorable Leticia Van de Putte
Leticia Van de Putte, a pharmacist for 30 years, is now serving her fifth term as a Texas State Senator for District 26, which represents a large portion of San Antonio. She became chair of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus in 2003 and was nominated as co-chair of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Sen. Van de Putte has held many leadership roles related to education issues. During her tenure as president of the National Hispanic Council of State Legislatures, she presided over a strategic partnership with the National Black Caucus of State Legislatures to address the student racial achievement gap. And during her term as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures, education became a large focus of the organization's policy agenda.
Ex-officio Member
John Q. Easton
Director
Institute of Education Sciences
U.S. Department of Education
Washington, DC
