Washington, D.C.—Roberto J. Rodríguez, president and CEO of Teach Plus, today announced that Bob Wise, former governor and U.S. Representative from West Virginia, will join the organization’s Board of Directors. Governor Wise, who was most recently president of the Alliance for Excellent Education, will provide Teach Plus with strategic advice on its policy, advocacy, and school-based leadership work.
“Throughout his career as State Legislator, Governor, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and education advocate, Governor Wise has been a strong supporter of empowering teachers to innovate and lead in supporting their students. His focus on equity and on the future of teaching and learning for our country will be a great support for our work Teach Plus,” said Rodríguez. “I am proud to have Bob contribute his vision and expertise to Teach Plus as we build an equitable education system in this extraordinary moment in time.”
“Never before has the voice of the teacher been more important. Working from computers to classrooms, it will be teachers who guide our students through these unprecedented challenges and changes in education,” said Wise. “I’m proud to work with Teach Plus to support these outstanding educators in developing policies and practices to serve all students.”
Governor Wise recently completed 14 years as president of the Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed), a Washington, D.C–based national nonprofit that has become a national leader in advocating the policies and practices necessary for secondary school students to be ready for postsecondary education and careers. He led the development of Future Ready Schools®, a network of 3300 school districts committed to the effective use of digital learning to assist teachers and improve student learning outcomes, and chaired the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards for six years. Wise served twenty-four years, from 1980 to 2005, as state legislator, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and governor, focusing on improving financial aid for college and early childhood development. He has advised the U.S. Department of Education, the White House, and key state and federal policymakers on education issues and trends. Wise is the author of Raising the Grade: How High School Reform Can Save Our Youth and Our Nation.
On the Teach Plus Board of Directors, Governor Wise joins Teach Plus Board Chair and CEO of Citizen Schools, Emily McCann; Los Angeles math teacher Bootsie Battle-Holt; CEO of Give Forward Foundation Michelle Boyers; University of California, Berkeley Assistant Professor Dr. Travis J. Bristol; Former U.S. Secretary of Education and CEO of The Education Trust, John B. King Jr.; Education First Principal John Luczak; Chicago bilingual teacher Ashley McCall; and former U.S. Representative from California, the Honorable George Miller.
About Teach Plus
Teach Plus is dedicated to the mission of empowering excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning, to create an education system driven by access and excellence for all. teachplus.org
