NASBE Membership Elects New Leaders to Its Board of Directors

For Immediate Release: November 20, 2018
Contact: Renée Rybak Lang, renee.lang@nasbe.org, 703-740-4841

NASBE Membership Elects New Leaders to Its Board of Directors

Rachel Wise of Nebraska Serves as Chair of NASBE’s Board of Directors, Brooke Axiotis of Iowa Chosen as Chair-Elect.

Alexandria, Va. — The National Association of State Boards of Education is pleased to announce the election of five new members to its board of directors during its Annual Conference last month in Denver. Rachel Wise, a member of the Nebraska State Board of Education, became NASBE’s chair of the board at the close of the conference. Brooke Axiotis, president of the Iowa State Board of Education, was voted NASBE’s chair-elect and begins her term on the board immediately. She will begin to serve as chair of NASBE’s board at the close of its 2019 Annual Conference. The membership also elected regional officers, each serving two-year terms.

Newly elected to the board for two-year terms were the following:

• Karen Williams, District of Columbia, (Northeastern Region)
• Stephanie Bell, Alabama (reelected to the Southern Region)
• Vic Lenz, Missouri (reelected to the Central Region)
• Janet Cannon, Utah (Western Region)
• Jason Dean, Mississippi (New State Board Member Representative)
• Todd Allen, Kentucky (NCOSEA Representative, serving one year)

This group will join the following board members who are returning for their second year:

• John Kelly, Mississippi (serving as immediate past chair)
• Byron Ernest, Indiana (serving as secretary-treasurer)
• Estela López, Connecticut (Northeastern Region)
• Kevin Boyd, Georgia (Southern Region)
• Lupe Ramos-Montigny, Michigan (Central Region)
• Angelika Schroeder, Colorado (Western Region)
• Ronald McNinch, Guam (New State Board Member Representative)
• John-Paul Hayworth, District of Columbia (NCSBEE Representative)

 “Our new strategic plan is focused on empowering state boards to fully embrace their role as citizen leaders while continuing to offer combined decades of expertise to meet boards’ ongoing needs and ensuring sustainability,” says NASBE President and CEO Kristen Amundson. “Members of NASBE’s board of directors will lead our organization in this important work.”

For 60 years, NASBE has served as the only membership organization for state boards of education. A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, NASBE elevates state board members’ voices in national and state policymaking, facilitates the exchange of informed ideas, and supports members in advancing equity and excellence in public education for students of all races, genders, and circumstances. Learn more at www.nasbe.org.

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