FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2007

CONTACT: Romney Press Shop

Boston, MA – Today, Governor Mitt Romney announced the Romney for President Education Policy Advisory Group.  This group of men and women will be tasked with advising Governor Romney on issues pertaining to strengthening America's education system and ensuring that future generations are prepared to meet new challenges.

"Improving our schools is critical to the future of our nation and our economy.  Closing the achievement gap in our education system is the civil rights issue of our time," said Governor Romney.  "The men and women of this group bring diverse backgrounds and perspective to the issue of education policy.  I look forward to their counsel and working closely with them on this vital issue."

The Education Policy Advisory Group is led by Harvard University Professor Dr. Paul Peterson and Nina Rees, former Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education.

Already, Governor Romney has outlined a strong vision for improving America's education system and this Policy Advisory Group will help advance his education agenda.

As Chairs of the Education Policy Advisory Group, Peterson and Rees said, "We are proud to join Governor Romney's campaign to build a stronger America that prepares future generations for the new challenges they will face.  As Governor, Mitt Romney stood with educators and he will do the same as President.  We look forward to helping him craft a strong agenda to improve our nation's schools."

Background On The Romney For President Education Policy Advisory Group:

• Co-Chair Paul E. Peterson:  Dr. Peterson is the Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Government at Harvard University. He directs its Program on Education Policy and Governance.  He is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and serves as a member of the Koret Task Force on K-12 Education.

• Co-Chair Nina Rees:  Rees has served as Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education, as a domestic policy adviser to Vice President Cheney and Senior Education Analyst at the Heritage Foundation. She currently works for an education investment company.

• Congressional Co-Chair Senator Wayne Allard:  Senator Allard is serving his eleventh year in the United States Senate.  He serves on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee where he has been involved in the debate surrounding reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act.  He is currently the Chairman of the Senate Space Caucus.  He formerly served in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Colorado State Senate and is a trained veterinarian.

• Congressional Co-Chair Representative Howard "Buck" McKeon:  Elected to represent the 25th Congressional District of California in 1992, McKeon has earned a reputation as a leader in Congress on education issues.  In 2006, McKeon served as Chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee and currently serves as the Senior Republican member on the House Education and Labor Committee.   McKeon also headed the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness with jurisdiction over higher education, technology in education, teacher training, job training and welfare reform.  McKeon led the effort on lowering college costs and improving accessibility for all students.  Before coming to Congress, McKeon served on the William S. Hart Union High School District Board of Trustees.

• Congressional Co-Chair Representative Tom Petri:  First elected to the U.S. House in 1979 representing Wisconsin's Sixth Congressional District, Petri is the Ranking Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee.  He served 12 years as Chairman of the Committee's Highways, Transit and Pipelines Subcommittee.  Petri is a senior Member of the House Education and Labor Committee, where he formerly served as Vice Chairman.

• H. Kent Bowen:  H. Kent Bowen has served the past 15 years as the Baker Foundation Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School where he teaches technology and operations.  Previously he was the Ford Professor of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 22 years.  He serves as a director and adviser to several companies.

• Mary Laura Bragg:  Bragg served as Director of Just Read, Florida! – Governor Jeb Bush's statewide reading initiative from its inception in 2001 through 2006.  She has served on advisory groups on adolescent literacy for both the Alliance for Excellent Education and the National Governors Association.  She is also a member of Carnegie Corporation of New York's Advisory Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy.  Previously, she served as the Director of the Division of Public Schools for the Florida Department of Education.

• John E. Chubb:  Chubb is a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution and a member of the Koret Task Force on K-12 Education.  He is a founding partner, executive vice president and chief education officer of Edison Schools.  Since 1984, Chubb has been a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution where he authored numerous studies on school choice and student achievement.

• Robert M. Costrell:  Costrell is Professor of Education Reform and Economics and holds the Endowed Chair in Education Accountability at the University of Arkansas.  From 1978 to 2006, he was a member of the economics department at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.  He also served as Education Adviser to Governor Romney helping to develop the Governor's comprehensive education reform proposal in 2005.

• Christina Culver:  Culver is a Vice President at Dutko Worldwide.  Prior to joining Dutko, she was at the U.S. Department of Education serving as Acting Assistant Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs.  She also served as the Vice President of Public Affairs for Children First America.  Culver worked at the White House in the first Bush Administration and the U.S. Department of Education under Secretary Lamar Alexander.

• Wade Dyke:  Dyke has worked for several education related start up businesses, including Chancellor Beacon Academies.  From 1989 to 1995, he served in several public policy roles, including as Deputy Chief of Staff to Education Secretary Lamar Alexander, Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary David Kearns and as Director of the Governor's Workforce Office in Wisconsin under Governor Tommy G. Thompson.  He serves as a director of the Charter School Development Corporation, Chairman of the St. Philips Foundation and trustee of the St. Philip's Episcopal Day School in Coral Gables, Florida.

• Scott Fleming:  Fleming served as Senior Education Policy Adviser to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.  He has worked on some of the most significant federal education programs including the Higher Education Act, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Education Act, and the Adult Literacy and Basic Education Act.

• James W. Guthrie:  Guthrie is a Professor of Public Policy and Education, Chair of the Leadership, Policy and Organizations department, and Director of the Peabody Center for Education Policy at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.  He is the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Management Analysis & Planning, Inc.  Guthrie previously was a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, for 27 years.

• William D. Hansen:   From 2001 to 2003, Hansen served as Deputy Secretary of Education at the U.S. Department of Education.  From 1993 to 2001, Hansen served as the President of the Education Finance Council, which works to expand postsecondary educational opportunities for students.  He has also served on several state and national boards and commissions on reforming elementary and secondary schools and increasing access to higher education. In addition, he is on the board of several non-profit organizations such as The Education Financing Foundation of California, the National Student Clearinghouse, Reading is Fundamental, the National Guard Youth Foundation, and ThanksUSA.

• Eugene W. Hickok:  Hickok served as Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education under Governor Tom Ridge.  He pursued an aggressive reform agenda that supported charter school, high standards and more technology in the classroom.  In 2001, President Bush appointed him Under Secretary of Education at the United States Department of Education.  He became Deputy Secretary of Education in 2004.

• M. Rene Islas:  Islas served as Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary of Education where he managed overall operations, policy development and administration of programs within the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.  He also advised the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanic Americans.  He currently leads the education practice group for B&D Consulting.

• Craig Pattee:  Pattee is the President of Dutko Worldwide.  In the administration of President George H.W. Bush, he served three years at the U.S. Department of Education working as senior staff to Deputy Secretary David Kearns and helping develop and implement Secretary Lamar Alexander's "America 2000" education strategy.  Pattee remains heavily involved in education reform.

• Lovett C. Peters:  Peters is the Founding Chairman of the Pioneer Institute, a Boston-based think tank.  He began Pioneer in 1988.  Before founding the Institute, he had a long, successful business career.  Along with his wife, he is a recipient of the Champions of Freedom Award from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

• James A. Peyser:  Peyser has been a partner with NewSchools Venture Fund since 2003.  From 1999 to 2006, he served as chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Education.  Prior to joining NewSchools, Peyser was an education adviser to Governor Romney.  From 2001 to 2004, he served as the first Chairman of Massachusetts' Educational Management Audit Council.  Previously, he served as Executive Director of the Pioneer Institute.  Under Governor Bill Weld, he was an Under Secretary of Education and Special Assistant.  He is a member of the board of five charter management organizations and he serves on the board of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers.

• D'Arcy George Philps:  Philps is a Vice President at Van Scoyoc Associates.  Prior to joining the company in 2001, Philps served as a professional staff member for the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce.  Serving with the committee for eight years, Philps was actively involved in developing key pieces of education legislation.

• Herbert J. Walberg:  Walberg is a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution and a member of the Koret Task Force on K-12 Education.  In 2004, he was confirmed as a member of the National Board for Education Sciences.  Walberg also chairs the board of directors of the Heartland Institute.  He was an adviser to former U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett.

• John Winn:  Winn has a distinguished career in education policy.  An educator for 35 years, he began his career as an elementary and middle school teacher.  He joined the Florida Department of Education in 1984 and served as a Deputy Commissioner and Chief of Staff before being appointed Governor Jeb Bush's Commissioner of Education in August 2004.  He retired in February 2007 and joined the National Mathematics and Science Initiative in March 2007.