Our Instructors

We educate and train difference makers.

Our Instructors

Our instructor pool includes some of the most accomplished and recognized figures in the education policy field, with decades of experience in policy development and advocacy at the state and federal levels. These experts not only teach ERA students about important aspects of America’s education system, but they share practical experiences and lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Our instructors are some of the most accomplished and recognized figures in the education policy field and have engaged in policy development and advocacy at the state and federal levels. They not only teach ERA students about important aspects of America’s education system, but they share practical experiences and lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Stephen Bowen

ERA Dean, Executive Director of the Education Success Initiative at the Hoover Institution and Fmr. Maine Education Commissioner

Ginny Gentles

Director of the Education Freedom and Parental Rights Initiative at the Defense of Freedom Institute

Hanna Skandera

President & CEO of The Daniels Fund and Fmr. New Mexico Education Secretary

Michael Petrilli

President of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and Executive Editor of Education Next

Chad Aldeman

Founder of Read Not Guess, Formerly of Edunomics Lab, Bellwether Education, and the U.S. Dept. of Education

Katherine Bathgate

CEO and Co-Founder of SchoolForward

Myles Mendoza

Partner at Oak Rose Group

Paul DiPerna

Vice President of Research and Innovation at EdChoice

Luke Ragland

Senior Vice President of Grants at The Daniels Fund

Kira Orange Jones

CEO of Teach Plus and Fmr. Vice President, Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)

Scott Darnell

Reformers Academy Founder and Executive Vice President & Fmr. Senior Advisor to Governor Susana Martinez and Mayor Richard Berry

Scott Centorino

Reformers Academy Senior Fellow.

Michael Hartney

Hoover Institution Fellow and Associate Professor at Boston College

Robert Enlow

President and CEO of EdChoice

Tom Vander Ark

CEO of Getting Smart and Fmr. Public School Superintendent in Washington State

Heather Peske

President of the National Council on Teacher Quality

Jack Elsey

Founder of the Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative

Matt Gandal

President and CEO of Education Strategy Group

Wayne D. Lewis, Jr.

President of Houghton University and Fmr. Kentucky Commissioner of Education

Ellen Weaver

South Carolina Superintendent of Education

Michael Horn

Co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, Co-Host of Future U & Class Disrupted

Kerry McDonald

Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education and Host of the LiberatED Podcast

Hanseul Kang

Executive Director, The Broad Center at the Yale School of Management

Andy Smarick

Sr. Fellow at the Manhattan Institute and Fmr. President of the Maryland State Board of Education

Steve Canavero

Director of the WestEd Region 13 Comprehensive Center, Fmr. Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction

Emily Freitag

Co-founder and CEO of Instruction Partners, Fmr. Asst. Commissioner of Curriculum and Instruction at TN Ed Dept.

Kaitlin Harrier

Senior Director, State Advocacy and Support, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

Tiffany Hoben

Director of Education Partnerships & Strategy at the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy

Robert Pondiscio

Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute

Tina Kaetzel

Executive Director of the Scholarship Accounts Division at the Office of the Indiana Treasurer of State

Carey Wright

Maryland State Superintendent of Schools & Fmr. Mississippi Superintendent of Education

Manny Diaz, Jr

President of the University of West Florida, Fmr. FL Education Commissioner, and Fmr. State Representative and Senator

Florida Commissioner of Education & Fmr. Member of the Florida House of Representatives and Florida Senate

Marguerite Roza

Director of the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University

Shana Young

Lecturer and Leader in Residence, The Broad Center at the Yale School of Management and Fmr. Chief of Staff for the Delaware DOE and DC OSSE

John Bailey

Founder of Vestigo Partners, LLC, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Fellow, and AEI Nonresident Senior Fellow

Heidi Overton

Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy

Derrell Bradford

President at 50CAN: The 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now

Jackie Guglielmo

Vice President of ESA Programs at ACE Scholarships

Adriana Harrington

Managing Director, Policy at ExcelinEd

Emily Anne Gullickson

Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction

Kymyona Burk

Senior Policy Fellow at ExcelinEd

Lindsey Henderson

Policy Director, Math at ExcelinEd

Trevor Carlsen

Dean of HRA and Senior Research Fellow for the Foundation for Government Accountability.

Marc Porter Magee

CEO and Founder at 50CAN: The 50-State Campaign for Achievement Now

Tom Oates

Senior Project Manager at Stand Together Trust

Christoper Ruszkowski

CEO of South Carolina Children’s Fund and Fmr. New Mexico Secretary of Education

Lizzette Reynolds

Tennessee Commissioner of Education

Katie Jenner

Indiana Secretary of Education

Adam Peshek

Vice President of Education at Stand Together Trust

Tyler Thigpen

CEO of the Institute for Self Directed Learning

Trevor Bragdon

Founder of 7-Figure Fundraising

Mike Morath

Commissioner, Texas Education Commission

Equipping Policy Professionals

“A masterclass on the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in an education policy career” — Spring 2024 ERA Fellowship Graduate

Education Reformers Academy offers short-term intensive fellowships for policy-interested professionals who want to make a difference in education.