Speaker biographies
Libia S. Gil is a senior fellow and managing director of the American Institutes for Research and former chief academic officer for New American Schools. She was superintendent of the Chula Vista elementary school district for over nine years, beginning in 1993, where she fostered the successful implementation of numerous school-change models. Ms. Gil began her teaching career in the Los Angeles unified school district and has taught in various programs, including English as a second language, bilingual education, and gifted and talented programs. She has held many administrative positions, including school principal, area administrator, supervisor of K–12 principals, and assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
Frederick M. Hess is a resident scholar and director of education policy studies at AEI, and executive editor of Education Next. His many books include Tough Love for Schools (AEI Press, 2006), With the Best of Intentions (Harvard Education Press, 2005), Common Sense School Reform (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004), and Spinning Wheels (Brookings, 1999). His work has appeared in a variety of scholarly and popular outlets, including Teachers College Record, Social Science Quarterly, Education Week, Phi Delta Kappan, the Washington Post, and the Washington Times. He serves on a variety of advisory boards, including the review board for the Broad Prize in Urban Education. Before joining AEI, he was a professor of education and government at the University of Virginia, and taught high school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Janet M. Knupp is founding president of the Chicago Public Education Fund, a venture capital fund for public education. Under her leadership, the Fund has raised more than $22 million and has committed approximately $10 million to a portfolio of programs that has significantly improved how Chicago recruits and prepares principals and teachers. Previously, Ms. Knupp worked as executive director of Chicago Communities in Schools and as director of education programs for the Chicago Neighborhood Organizing Project, where she created a nationally recognized program that has been implemented in sixty Chicago public schools. She is a regular lecturer at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and has spoken at Harvard Business School on turnaround management and venture philanthropy.
Leslie Koch is chief executive officer of the Fund for Public Schools, the nonprofit organization affiliated with the New York City Department of Education. Working with vice chair Caroline Kennedy, Ms. Koch develops initiatives to increase public participation and private-sector support for public education in New York City. Since 2002, the Fund has secured more than $150 million and has created innovative outreach programs such as the AOL Concert for the Schools; Adopt A School, a program to partner businesses and schools; Shop For Class, an annual retail promotion; and Real Simple’s Get Organized New York tag sale in Central Park.
Janet Mountain is executive director of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF), a $1.2-billion foundation dedicated to improving outcomes for underserved children around the world by supporting programs that positively impact lives through a core focus on public education and children’s health. Prior to joining MSDF in January 2003, Ms. Mountain was an executive at Dell, Inc., where she led several U.S. and global business units as vice president and general manager. She has recently been designated a 2006 Young Global Leader for the Forum for Young Global Leaders, an affiliate of the World Economic Forum.
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