Advisory Group
Advisory Group
Michael McPherson,
FDE Advisory Board Chair
President Emeritus of the Spencer Foundation and Macalester College
Courtney Bell
Professor of Learning Sciences, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Steve Bullock
Former Governor of Montana
Jennifer Cheatham
Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Former Superintendent, Madison, WI Public Schools
Lewis Ferebee
Chancellor, DC Public Schools
Richmond Hill
Provost, Northern Virginia Community College
Joe Kahne
Professor and Director of the Civic Engagement Research Group, University of California, Riverside
Jeff King
Vice President and CFO, Rodel Institute; Former Member of the Kansas State Senate & House of Representatives
Nicholas Lemann
Former Dean, Columbia School of Journalism; New Yorker Staff Writer
Michael Rich
Former President, RAND
Katharine Strunk
Dean, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
- Michael McPherson
Michael McPherson is president emeritus of the Spencer Foundation, having assumed that post in 2003. A nationally known economist whose expertise focuses on the interplay between education and economics, McPherson was previously president of Macalester College (1996-2003) and spent the twenty-two years prior to assuming the Macalester presidency as professor of economics, chairman of the economics department, and dean of faculty at Williams College. McPherson has co-authored and edited several books, including Lesson Plan: An Agenda for Change in American Higher Education, Crossing the Finish Line: Completing College at America’s Public Universities, Keeping College Affordable and Economic Analysis and Moral Philosophy, and was the co-founder and co-editor of Economics and Philosophy. He has served as a trustee of the College Board, the American Council on Education, and Wesleyan University. He was a fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He is currently a trustee of McNally Smith College of Music, as well as President of the Board of Overseers of TIAA-CREF. McPherson holds a BA in mathematics, a MA in economics, and a PhD in economics, all from the University of Chicago.
- Courtney Bell
Dr. Courtney Bell is a Professor of Learning Sciences at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She recently served as the first female Director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), the nation’s oldest and largest university-based education research center. A former high school science teacher, Courtney earned her doctorate at Michigan State University in Curriculum, Teaching and Educational Policy and a B.A. in Chemistry at Dartmouth College. Courtney is passionate about understanding and improving teaching for historically underserved children. Her interdisciplinary collaborative work is situated at the intersections of research, policy and practice – a place where complex educational issues must be addressed with wisdom amidst constraints. She has carried out research on issues spanning parental choice, performance assessments of teaching, international comparisons of teaching, teaching quality, teacher learning, teacher education, and the measurement of teaching. The recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship in measurement from the American Educational Research Association and Educational Testing Service (ETS), she worked for over a decade as a researcher at ETS. Since leaving ETS and joining UW-Madison she has led the international development of two teacher observation systems and supported the launch of the Multilingual Learning Research Center and SimLab, a virtual and mixed-reality simulation lab. She is currently engaged in both national and international studies of teaching, teaching quality, teacher education, and teacher learning.
- Steve Bullock
Steve Bullock was elected Montana’s 24th Governor, serving from 2013-2021. He worked with a Republican-majority legislature to improve access to health care, make record investments in education, kick dark money out of state elections, protect access to public lands, invest in infrastructure, and strengthen Montana’s economy. Bullock brought diverse interests together to address challenging issues, from sage grouse and forest management to the Main Street Montana Project. Nationally, he was elected Chair of the National Governors Association, Western Governors Association and Democratic Governors Association.
Prior to being elected Governor, Bullock served as Montana’s attorney general from 2009-2013. As attorney general, Bullock led national consumer protection efforts and gained national prominence for leading the challenge to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.
Since leaving public office, Bullock has been involved with a number of corporate and nonprofit boards and organizations, as well as serving as the court-appointed Independent Monitor over Purdue Pharma and one of a panel of three arbitrators resolving disputes relating to many of the most significant national opioid settlements.
- Jennifer Cheatham
Jennifer Cheatham is a Senior Lecturer on Education, Faculty Chair of Field Engagement, and Co-Chair of the Public Education Leadership Project (PELP) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). Since earning her Ed.D. from HGSE in the Urban Superintendent’s program, Jennifer's continued focus has been on leading for transformational change in school districts.
Her expertise lies in creating instructional coherence, cultivating strong teams, designing systems for professional learning, and strengthening routines for organizational learning. Most recently, she has been leading an effort to better prepare superintendents as civic leaders.
For more than six years, she served as the superintendent of the Madison Metropolitan School District. During her tenure, she and her team established strong routines for continuous improvement at every level of the school system, strengthened the district’s core instructional program K-12, improved the district’s approach to family partnership which included design of
their local approach to community schools, expanded options for post-secondary success, strengthened hiring and induction systems, and established powerful one-of-a-kind partnerships with a focus on research and innovation.Jennifer previously served as the Chief of Instruction for Chicago Public Schools, a Chief Area Officer for Chicago Public Schools, the Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction for San Diego City Schools, and a coach and professional developer for the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative (BASRC) in San Francisco. Before joining BASRC, she led a multi-year initiative aimed at improving academic literacy for middle school students in Newark, CA where she began her career as an 8th grade English teacher.
In her coursework, she teaches about transformative educational leadership, leading for learning, and leadership entry. She is also co-author of Leadership Entry for Equity-Focused Leaders: Empowering Schools and Communities and lead editor on a forthcoming book entitled Civic Leadership in the Superintendency: Leading for the Future of Public Education.
Education:
- Ed.D., Harvard University
- Ed.M., Harvard University
- M.A. in Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- B.A. in English, DePaul University, Chicago.
- Lewis Ferebee
Dr. Lewis D. Ferebee is the longest-serving Chancellor in the history of DC Public Schools (DCPS), appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2018. Under Dr. Ferebee’s leadership, DCPS surpassed an enrollment of 52,000 students, improved graduation rates by 12%, and was recognized by Harvard and Stanford Universities as a national leader in post-pandemic academic recovery.
Chancellor Ferebee has led the district to record improvement—achieving the greatest gains in fourth-grade math among large-city districts, according to the 2024 Nation’s Report Card. DCPS’ 2024–2025 statewide assessment results also yielded the highest annual increases in literacy and math proficiency since the pandemic, and the greatest year-over-year improvement in math in the history of the assessment.
Before joining DCPS, Dr. Ferebee served as Superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools and as Chief of Staff at Durham Public Schools. He earned his doctorate in educational leadership from East Carolina University, a master's degree in school administration from the George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD), and a bachelor's degree in elementary education from North Carolina Central University.
Dr. Ferebee was named Principal of the Year in North Carolina’s Guilford County Schools, recognized as one of Education Week’s Leaders to Learn From, and received Marian University’s John A. Purdie Innovator and Mentor of the Year Award. He also had the honor of delivering the 2025 commencement address for GSEHD, his graduate alma mater.
- Richmond Hill
Dr. Richmond Hill is the Provost of the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) Woodbridge Campus, bringing a
wealth of experience in student support services and educational leadership. Prior to his current role, he served as
Associate Vice President of Student Support Services at NOVA, where his passion for mental health advocacy and
student success shaped his approach to institutional leadership.
With a distinguished career spanning K-12 and higher education, Dr. Hill has held key positions in Prince William County
Public Schools, including Supervisor of Secondary Counseling and Student Support Services, Director of School
Counseling, GED Program Administrator, and School Counselor. In addition to his Associate Vice President role, in higher
education he has worked as a Counselor, High School Outreach Coordinator, Retention Counselor, and Coordinator of
Student Success, always focusing on fostering academic achievement and personal growth.
A dedicated advocate for community engagement, Dr. Hill has been an active leader in numerous regional and state
initiatives. He is a graduate of the 2023 Leadership Prince William class and has served as past-president of the Prince
William Regional Counseling Association. He has served on various advisory councils and nonprofit boards, including the
PWCS Career and Technical Advisory Council, the PWCS Safe Schools Advisory Council, the Greater Prince William
Trauma-Informed Care Network, and Northern Virginia Family Service.At the state level, he has contributed to Project Hope-Virginia, supporting the educational success of children and youth
experiencing homelessness. His leadership in mentoring and professional development programs has had a lasting
impact, particularly in advancing opportunities for young men of color.
Recognized as a thought leader, consultant, and researcher in educational equity, mental health, teacher evaluation,
student retention, and expanding pathways to college, Dr. Hill continues to make significant contributions through
service, innovation, and strategic collaboration.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in counselor education from North Carolina State University, followed by his doctoral degree in higher education administration from the George Washington University.- Joseph Kahne
Joseph Kahne is the Ted and Jo Dutton Presidential Professor for Education Policy and Politics and Director of the Civic Engagement Research Group (CERG) at the University of California, Riverside. Professor Kahne's research focuses on the influence of school practices and digital media on youth civic and political development. For example, Kahne and CERG are currently engaged in related studies of efforts to promote youth voice, lived civics, and a broad vision of social studies reform tied to the Educating for American Democracy Roadmap. This work takes place through partnerships with reformers and school districts in CA, IL, NM, OK, FL, and CO. In addition to studying the impact of these curricular experiences on young people’s civic development, with John Rogers, we are currently devoting particular attention to the politics of democratic education. We are examining ways the political contexts of school districts shape possibilities for educational reform and the varied ways educators respond.
Professor Kahne was Chair of the MacArthur Foundation’s Youth and Participatory Politics Research Network. Kahne was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship. He currently chairs the Educating for American Democracy Research Task Force. Professor Kahne is a member of the National Academy of Education and a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association.
- Jeff King
Jeff King is the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Rodel Institute. In addition to overseeing Rodel’s operations and assisting with fellow selection and seminar preparations, he serves as the Founding Director of the Rodel Judicial Fellowship.
A native of Independence, Kansas, Jeff spent a decade representing rural Kansas in the state House and Senate. He served as Vice President of the Kansas Senate from 2013 to 2016, during which he also chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Subcommittee on Rules, and the Senate Select Kansas Public Employees Retirement System Committee. Jeff’s legislative work focused on rural economic development, pension reform, school finance policy, and innovations in criminal justice and civil law.
Jeff also worked as an attorney for the past two decades, specializing in appeals, complex financial litigation, and school finance law.
Jeff is a published author on subjects ranging from agricultural trade reform to international antitrust law. As a Truman Scholar, he is active with the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, serving on its scholar selection panel. Jeff is also a former member of the Uniform Law Commission and the Kansas Judicial Council.
Jeff graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with B.A. degrees in international relations and economics. He attended the University of Cambridge as a Marshall Scholar, where he received a master’s degree in Land Economy and a master’s Certificate in European Studies. Jeff received his J.D. from Yale Law School.
- Nicholas Lemann
Nicholas Lemann was born and raised in New Orleans. He began his journalism career there as a 17-year-old staff writer for an alternate weekly paper called the Vieux Carre Courier. He graduated from Harvard College, where he was president of The Harvard Crimson, in 1976, magna cum laude in American History and Literature. He has worked as a reporter and editor at The Washington Monthly, Texas Monthly, The Washington Post, The Atlantic (where he was national correspondent from 1983 to 1999) and The New Yorker (where he has been a staff writer for twenty-five years), and contributed to many other publications.
From 2003 to 2013 he was dean of Columbia Journalism School, leading a period of significant growth and change for the school, and since then he has been a professor there. At Columbia he has also helped launch Columbia Global Reports, a
publishing venture that he continues to lead, Columbia World Projects, and the Knight Columbia First Amendment Institute. He is currently one of three co-chairs of the university’s antisemitism task force. His books include The Promised Land (1991), The Big Test (1999), Redemption (2006), Transaction Man (2019), and, most recently, Higher Admissions (2024). He is a member of several honorary societies, including the American Philosophical Society, the New York Institute for the Humanities, the Society of American Historians, the American Academy of Political and Social Science, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, where he serves as co-chair of the academy’s Commission on Reimagining Our Economy.- Michael Rich
Michael D. Rich is president emeritus at the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that helps improve policy and decision-making through research and analysis, having served as president, CEO, and trustee from 2011 to 2022.
During his tenure as president and CEO, Rich focused on extending the impact of RAND's work, strengthening the environment for innovation, improving the institution's agility, and raising its profile. In 2020, Rich launched the ongoing fundraising campaign Tomorrow Demands Today, the most ambitious such effort in RAND's history. Rich is the coauthor (with Jennifer Kavanagh) of Truth Decay, the first study in a body of research that examines how the diminishing role of facts and analysis in public life has caused an erosion of civil discourse, which in turn has degraded society's ability to address and solve complex policy problems.
Rich has served on the governing boards and advisory committees of many policy and service organizations, including the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, WISE & Healthy Aging, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and the Council for Aid to Education. He was a member of the U.S. Defense Science Board from 2012 to 2021 and currently serves on the advisory boards of the Everychild Foundation and the UCLA Health System. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the California Bar.
Rich received his J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley. In June 2022, the RAND School of Public Policy conferred upon Rich the honorary degree of Doctor of Public Policy.
- Katharine Strunk
Katharine O. Strunk is the Dean of the Graduate School of Education and the George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. She is nationally renowned for her partner-driven research and leadership, which brings multimethod, collaborative scholarship to bear on the most pressing questions facing education and educators.
Dr. Strunk partners extensively with district and state policymakers nationwide, including work with the School District of Philadelphia, the Los Angeles Unified School District, and the California and Michigan Departments of Education. She also served as the only researcher on Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Student Recovery Advisory.
Dr. Strunk was elected to the National Academy of Education in 2026. She served as president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP) in 2021–2022. She is a member of the Executive Leadership Board for the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH). From 2017 to 2023, she served as director of the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) at Michigan State University, partnering with the Michigan Department of Education and local school districts to craft research that is a priority for policymakers and educators.
Prior to joining Penn GSE, Dr. Strunk was the Clifford E. Erickson Distinguished Chair in Education and a professor of education policy and, by courtesy, economics at Michigan State University. From 2009 to 2017 she served on the faculty of the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education and Sol Price School of Public Policy. She began her career at the University of California at Davis School of Education, where she served on the faculty from 2007 to 2009. Dean Strunk holds a Ph.D. and M.A. from Stanford University, and a B.A. from Princeton University.